Things May Be Up In The Air, But At Least We Are Not Texas

I’m currently sitting in the Dallas-Fort Worth airport as I’m writing this and there seems to be an overwhelming sense of panic surrounding the departure of Josh Hamilton in this city. I understand the fact that residents of Texas are concerned-their hero is gone and off to sunny Southern California. The Rangers have a lot of unanswered questions and I feel like the Arizona Diamondbacks are in the same boat.

Throughout this off-season, deals have been made that have led many people (myself included) to question which direction this D’Backs team is headed in 2013. I think I speak for most Diamondbacks fans when i say that we have more questions than answers at this point of the year.

Trevor Cahill will be a large part of this pitching staff. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

First of all, we don’t really know what the outfield is going to look like for Arizona next year. Although I’m still in denial that Chris Young is no longer with the team, the CF position is still fairly wide open as we head into spring training. Sure, Justin Upton talks have cooled down this past 2 weeks but that’s not to say that Upton won’t be wearing another uniform next year. As far as LF is concerned, Kubel still has a spot there, but for how long? Depending on how the year goes and what the win-loss record looks like, don’t be surprised to see Jason Kubel as the first to be shipped out of the desert. It’s times like this that I’m thankful to still have Gerrardo Parra because he can play anywhere and fill lots of roles. Only time will tell what the outfield will look like for the Snakes next year. There will be a  lot of eyes on guys like Adam Eaton and AJ Pollock this spring to see who delivers and who can earn certain spots.

The rotation for Arizona also has some issues that have yet to be answered. It was said that Daniel Hudson should return around the All-Star break, we hope…. That leaves Trevor Cahill and newly acquired Brandon McCarthy as the most solid starters for Arizona. Once all is said and done on the mound, the rotation has potential to be a strong one. Once again, only time will tell with the rotation but if things can get situated sooner rather than later, I won’t spend so much time worrying about who’s pitching, and when.

I promise I’m not trying to scare Diamondbacks fans but we really don’t know what the infield will look like either. I should re-phase that: we don’t really know what the left side of the infield will look like. Goldy and Hill are locks at 1st and 2nd but there remains some questions. Can Willie Bloomquist play everyday? I don’t know. Arizona has acquired guys that can fill roles in the infield such as Cliff Pennington and Eric Chavez. Spring training is going to be an important time for those said guys to really preform well with not only their leather, but with their bats as well.

Spring Training will be an important time for many players on the roster for Arizona. A lot of eyes will be on them this year in ScottsdaleMandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

I’ve said it before (so have my colleagues) and ill say it again, lets “wait and see” with some of these questions that have been raised because only time will solve some of these issues. All this spring training talk has gotten me very excited to be at Salt River Fields. Anyone else?