Jobu’s MLB Rankings for 2010: Arizona Diamondbacks

2009 Campaign: 70-92, last place, NL West

Having Brandon Webb go down in the first game of the 2009 season provided more than enough foreshadowing for a team that would be the only one in its division to have a losing record. The good news is, Webb is back, and the beastly country boy is set on making up for lost time. He will need to show he’s still the ace, and if he is, that will make Dan Haren one of the best # 2’s in baseball. The problem is that the Diamondbacks didn’t really have a well balanced offensive lineup in 2009, and not much seems to have changed since then.

Key Arrivals: RHP Edwin Jackson (trade w/ Detroit), RHP Ian Kennedy (Trade w/ Yankees), 2B Kelly Johnson (FA)

Key Departures: RHP Max Scherzer (trade w/ Detroit), LHP Doug Davis (FA), 1B Chad Tracy (FA)

2010 Outlook: The starting pitching in the desert is more than capable of keeping their team in games. Jackson is coming off a very nice year in Detroit and Kennedy will have a chance to flourish in the back of the rotation without having to worry about the pressures he dealt with as a Yankee. The bullpen is mediocre at best, with Bob Howry and Aaron Heilman setting the stage for closer Chad Qualls. But as I mentioned, it’s the offense that will be the downfall. Chris Young, Stephen Drew, Kelly Johnson, and Mark Reynolds are all guys who can be good pieces on a team that already has established veteran hitters. But as a packaged deal of starters all on one team, it does not bode well.

Jobu Says – One Jobu for Arizona, and competing for a last place finish. In competitive division, more tributes are necessary to keep up, and Diamondbacks continue to look more like Cubic Zirconia Backs. (Editor’s note: Jobu’s words, not mine.)

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