New Diamondback Faces Bring Promise For Future
By Scott Allen
This season has not exactly gone many of us expected it would. If you take a look at today’s roster versus what was there on April 1st, you would find some current gems missing from that roster.
A look at the rookies:
Gerrardo Parra – He has very quietly snuck himself into the discussion of the NL Rookie of the Year. He won’t get it. He doesn’t produce many of the big numbers voters look at. What he does do is get on base and produce results. Case in point last night, hitting a game-winning single (which would have been a double or more had it been any other inning), to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3, after trailing 3-1 with one out in the ninth. Parra hit a home run in his first at bat with the Dbacks back in May. He is a clutch hitter who seems to find the holes more often than not with runners in scoring position.
Trent Oeltjen – I saw a sign at the game last night calling him “Dingo Dog”. He is the man from down under. He is also a man who has been buried in minor league ball for quite sometime. He finally got his chance almost two weeks ago against Pittsburgh. He too hit a home run in his first game with the Diamondbacks. He also stole two bases in that game. Going into his third at-bat today, getting blown out by the Dodgers currently, Oeltjen is hitting .342.
Rusty Ryal – Never heard of this guy until last week. He too gets a hit in his first major league at bat. Currently hitting .500, Ryal appears he could be another versatile utlity man to give some of the veterans a break or two a week. He hasn’t had enough at-bats really (and honestly Oeltjen for that matter) to gauge a long-term prognosis, but it looks good right now.
Ryan Roberts – Currently hitting .275. He started off pretty strong, then tailed off a bit going into mid-summer and found his way back to Reno for a short stint. Since returning, he’s been another clutch performer. With no home runs until he hit his first on July 24th, now he has five, to go along with 14 RBI.
The future, at least on the offensive side of things, looks promising. The Dbacks may not be going to the playoffs this year, however the rookies are showcasing a huge promise for the future and that is very encouraging for 2010 and beyond.
Scott Allen