The Diamondbacks continue to hang at the .500 mark, give or take. Do you see a path forward to break out of that rut?
James Attwood: Bottom line, the team, top to bottom, needs to get more consistent and find a way to stay healthy. Granted, that’s easier said than done. But if they can stay healthy and simply stop fluctuating so much, they could climb to about 4-5 games over .500, which will keep them in the chase for the final Wild Card, but still on the outside looking in. They will also need a strong trade deadline, but that will largely depend on how the present roster produces.
Justin: No, not really. I have
resigned our fate to being about a 79-82 win team.
Spencer: Sure it exists. Not sure how real it is, but the rotation is starting to FINALLY round into good form. We’ll see if that is stopped by the MLB Draft Break.
1AZFan1: Of course! This team is hanging around .500 with prolonged cold streaks from Corbin, Domo and Ketel at different points of the season and mostly getting negative contributions from Kelly, Pfaadt and Gallen. Kelly and Pfaadt have both looked better recently (though I don’t know how much to trust it) and I think we’ve probably seen the worst from all three of our hitters at the top of the lineup. If our 3 at the top of the lineup are just around their averages for the rest year and we don’t have the 3 worst starting pitchers in baseball in the second half, I think we can push toward 85 wins. Having Kepler and whoever plays first base being at least warm bodies compared to Pavin and ADC would just be icing on the cake.
Dano_in_Tucson: Sure. The team needs to finally get its act together and start playing more complete baseball games, in which the offense, the defense, and the pitching are all pulling in the same direction. We show flashes of doing so from time to time, and I think the talent is mostly there to make it possible to do it more consistently. The consistency, though, is key.
DBacksEurope: I do not see a clear path. My pre-season prediction was a bit below .500 so it would go against my own “beliefs” to try and convince myself and others that we could do better than that. However, there are possibilities. Fresh blood getting a chance and tearing things up is one possible reason. Gallen getting “injured” and using new twists after July, just like last year, is another. Kelly not being homerun garbage is another. Finding some easy pickups at 1B and DH, i.e. a team dumping players in Arizona who can benefit from a fresh start with the Snakes is another, Burnes, Puk and Martinez returning from injury could be the final push. Everything that could go well, would have to go well.
What needs to happen in the next three weeks to convince you that the Diamondbacks should be buyers?
James Attwood: Do more than just claw to a few games over .500. This team needs to go on a mini-run where some of the struggling arms start looking better. The team gets healthy and the offense clicks again. If Arizona can do all that and there is any stumble in the standings head of them, then it would make plenty of sense to lean towards buying.
Justin: Looking at the schedule, they have 3 series’ against teams that are right now either around .500 or under. (-Oakland- A’s, Pirates, and Nationals.) They also have a series against St. Louis and a make up game against them as well. Maybe if they go 8-5, splitting the Cardinals and winning the other 3 series? That would give us a 55-52 record, if Ia mnot mistaken.
Just don’t do anything crazy.
Spencer: Simple. Win more games than they lose. Close enough and experienced enough that buying should still be the default. There isn’t much to trade away as is, so may as well try.
1AZFan1: Taking the series at Dodger Stadium was a good first step. Beyond that, it all comes down to where we’re at in the standings. If we’re within 3ish games of the Wild Card, I’d be good to buy. If we’re further than 5 games back, sell. The strange thing about this year’s Wild Card compared to just about every other year that we’ve been chasing it in this 3 W.C. system, is that all 3 slots are still in play. There isn’t 1 team running away with either of the top spots yet. Before games on Sunday, we are 3.5 games out of the 3rd slot and 5 games out of the 1st. Last year, after July 12th, the 1st Wild Card was 3 games clear of the 3rd Wild Card and the 2 years prior to that the 1st Wild Card was 4 games clear of the 3rd slot.
Dano_in_Tucson:See “Consistency,” above. The Doyers series this weekend is a strong start–despite all their terrifying bats and very expensive pitching, we are playing better team baseball than they are, by at least a mile. If we could continue to do that after the All Star Break and through the remainder of July, buying could actually make sense.
DbacksEurope: We shouldn’t be buyers but I can see Hazen filling a position with need with a player that would be in Arizona for more than just the rest of the season. That isn’t a bad strategy.
Pavin Smith has been DFA’d. Who would you like see take control of first base going forward?
James Attwood: Probably LuJames Groover or Jose Fernandez for now. If Tyler Locklear can ever get right again, I wouldn’t mind seeing him get another crack at it. I think the eventual answer to the position is probably not ready for the Majors yet though.
Justin: I dunno. Tawa.
Spencer: Vladdy? But seriously, Locklear. He’s earned it. If he fails, probably Groover then Fernandez? I haven’t been paying attention to who may be available in a trade, but my assumption is that’s the true answer.
1AZFan1: I’d like to see Tyler Locklear do it. I’m not positive why he hasn’t been given an opportunity yet considering the historic woefulness we’ve had at that position this year, but I really want to see him get another shot. Tawa had a great weekend and Vargas has a great glove, but they both have valuable gloves elsewhere (and I don’t trust Tawa to be quite that good rest of season). Locklear is the only major league ready guy in the system whose only viable defensive position is 1B. Plus, right now he’s hot. The last week, his OPS in Reno is 1.996! For the season, his batting average is now above .300 and he’s got his lowest K% over a sustained period of time in his career. I know he left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth from his stint with us last year, but his lack of positional flexibility compared with everyone else makes me want to know for certain if he can stick or if he’s organizational filler.
Dano_in_Tucson: For the love of god, ANYBODY! As of now, as I answer these questions while I wait for first pitch for the Sunday game, it seems like Tim Tawa is making a strong and emphatic case at the moment. If that continues, then great, the job is his. I suppose that, in the longer term, I’d probably want to see Locklear get another shot and do a good job and establish himself as our first baseman of the future, but really I just want someone to step up and demonstrate that they can (a) field the position and (b) contribute on offense in a way that is in line with what major league teams expect from their corner infielders. Doesn’t seem like that should be too much to ask for, but, well, here we are.
DbacksEurope: Paul Goldschmidt.
If you had the ability, what is one change you would make to All Star Week?
James Attwood: I haven’t been a fan of the ASG since 2003, so this is a hard one for me. I guess, as a fan of the sport that wants to grow the game for the fans, regardless of what the bean-counting suits want, I would make the entirety of the festivities free OTA.
Justin: Do away with the 3 on 3, team captains select the teams like a school yard team. Oh, you meant baseball…
Spencer: I would end it. It’s the most boring week of summer for me, especially with the Draft occurring while baseball still happens. I’d be fine with moving it to the end of season too, but it’s so uninteresting that I’d prefer to just remove it altogether. Create a new award for players and stop pretending like it’s something to care about.
1AZFan1: I think MLB’s All-Star Week is easily the best of the major sports leagues. The Home Run Derby is the main attraction and it gets all the big names, unlike the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest. The game itself is usually pretty good, too. Definitely better than the NFL’s flag football abomination. If I were to change anything, it would just be a tweak around the edges because it really is a good product right now. I saw Bryce Harper pitched using metal bats in the bonus round of the HR Derby which might be cool. I’d at least like to see it once to see if it’s value added.
Dano_in_Tucson: II don’t know that it would have even occurred to me to suggest this before 2026 arrived, but I would ensure that there were no All Star Week events (the game, the red carpet, the Home Run Derby, etc) that were gated behind streaming service paywalls. Put it all on broadcast television, ideally, so that anyone and everyone could watch, or at the very least give it to a universally available basic cable channel like ESPN. But giving the Home Run Derby to friggin’ Netflix? Eff you, Major League Baseball. Eff you.
DbacksEurope: With so many stats, add some more contests. Like a run the bases contest, furthest throws, running the outfield, best infield defence…there are many ways to enhance the days before the all star game beside the home run contest.
