July 8, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; USA pitcher Tyler Skaggs throws a pitch during the fifth inning of the 2012 All Star Futures Game at Kauffman Stadium. Image: H. Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports via US PRESSWIRE

There has been a wave of young pitchers that have spent significant amounts of time with the Diamondbacks this season. Trevor Bauer and Patrick Corbin have made their big league debuts in 2012 and All Star Wade Miley who spent a little time in Arizona in 2011 is now up for good.  Even former D-Back prospect Jarrod Parker has gotten into the act, becoming a mainstay in the Oakland rotation.  One name that has not been mentioned much since Spring Traning but we could hear from in September is Tyler Skaggs.

You remember Skaggs, don’t you?  He is the guy that came to Arizona in the Dan Haren deal.  A 6 foot 4 lefty, he was the Angels’ first round pick in 2009 after graduating from Santa Monica High School.  He has been an All Star in both Single A and Double A.   Until Monday’s Futures Game, Skaggs had been quietly putting up impressive numbers at AA Mobile before being promoted to Triple A Reno making two starts there.  In fact, Monday represented the second time Skaggs had appeared in the Futures Game.   He was the starting pitcher for the United States in the 2011 edition and pitched a scoreless inning and saw action the other night, pitching a scoreless fifth frame.

Right now, Skaggs has pitched just a shade under 80 innings between Mobile and Reno.  He pitched a total of 158.1 innings in 2011.   Since he will be turning just 21 this week,  a September call up to the big club is not a guarantee.  The team may elect to save him for the Arizona Fall League.   The rotation to start 2014 could be a dandy featuring  Bauer, Skaggs, Miley and Corbin.  For now, here is hoping Skaggs can avoid serious injury and work his way up the pitching food chain.

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Now that we are ushering out June and the Arizona Diamondbacks have completed 82 games, 1 more than half way through the season, it is time to look at the state of the Dbacks.  Even after the way things have gone the past couple series, fear not friends, the Dbacks are still in a much better state now than they were one year ago.

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Time for another stop on the Mike Hampton career train.  Today’s stop, Arizona.

Ok, so the 15-year MLB pitcher isn’t coming right to Arizona because the Diamondbacks signed the 37-year old to a minor league deal.  He is going to report to Reno.

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