Arizona Diamondbacks - The Early Years (1998-2009)

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Titles:

Top Diamondbacks Players of the Early Years

1999 - Won Division, Lost LDS to Mets

2001 - Won World Series (Beat Cards, Braves, Yankees)

Pitchers:

2002 - Won Division, Lost LDS to Cards

Randy Johnson (52.6) - 81

2007 - Won Division, LDS (Cubs), Lost NLCS to Colorado

Brandon Webb (32.97) - 72

Curt Schilling (25.91) - 38

BallPark:

Miguel Batista (11.63) - 24

Bank One Ballpark (renamed Chase Field in 2006)

Jose Valverde (5.57) - 23

Danny Haren (12.6) - 21

Team Name:

Brian Anderson (7.68) - 20

Diamondbacks

Byung-Hyun Kim (8.34 ) - 20

Andy Benes (3.85) - 18

Owner:

Matt Mantei (2.69) - 18

Jerry Colangelo (1998 - 2004)

Doug Davis (7.22) - 17

Ken Kendrick and Jeffrey Royer (2004 - 2009)

Omar Daal (6.8) - 16

Armando Reynoso (2.7) - 14

General Managers:

Gregg Olson (2.01) - 13

Joe Garagiola Jr (1998 - 2005)

Max Scherzer (2.56) - 5

Josh Byrnes (2005 -2009)

Catchers:

Managers:

Damian Miller (5.98) - 26

Buck Showalter (1998 - 2000)

Chris Snyder (4.13) - 21

Bob Brenly (2001 - 2004)

Miguel Montero (2.19) - 14

Al Pedrique (2004)

Bob Melvin (2005 - 2009)

First Basemen:

Chad Tracy (5.9) - 21

No Hitters:

Connor Jackson (2.04) - 17

Randy Johnson (2004)

Greg Colbrunn (3.56) - 15

Travis Lee (0.73) - 12

Hall of Famers:

Tony Clark (1.66) - 11

Randy Johnson

Erubiel Durazo (4.26) - 10

Curt Schilling (Pending)

Shea Hillenbrand (0.4) - 10

Rookie of the Year:

Second Basemen:

None

Jay Bell (9.72 ) - 21

Orlando Hudson (10.5) - 20

MVP:

Junior Spivey (4.98) - 14

None

ShortStop:

Cy Young:

Tony Womack (1.39) - 33

Randy Johnson (1999 thru 2002)

Craig Counselll (12.72) - 31

Brandon Webb (2006)

Stephen Drew (7.65) - 24

Notable Events:

Third Base:

Matt Williams (8.3) - 25

1998 - Arizona and Tampa Bay are born together.

Mark Reynolds (5.18) - 20

The Dbacks going to the NL, the Rays to the AL

Alex Cintron (2.12) - 15

1998 - Jerry Colangelo who was owner of the NBA Phonix Suns becomes

Outfield:

the original owner of the Diamondbacks. He hired an astute baseball

Luis Gonzalez (30.13) - 69

man, Joe Garagiola, Jr. as his GM. Colangelo wanted to win now and

Steve Finley (18.09) - 62

was willing to spend to do it. Arizona became the quickest expansion

Eric Byrnes (4.23) - 26

club in major league baseball history to win a title, when they won the NL

Chris Young (2.34) - 22

West in only their second year of existence, winning 100 games.

Justin Upton (4.24) - 15

Two years later in 2001, the Diamondbacks would be World Champs.

Devon White (3.75) - 12

And three years after that in 2004, they would become the worst team

Shawn Green (0.24) - 11

in baseball

Notable Events:

1998 - Arizona spent heavily to win early on. The strategy was to build

a fan base for the Diamondbacks to fill up their expensive new stadium

2000 - RHP Curt Schilling, 33, is obtained from the Phillies for four youngsters

and to build a solid platform for the club moving forward.

including Omar Daal and Travis Lee in a mid season deal. Arizona was in first

The strategy was partially successful. It did generate a a permanent

place at the time and adding Schilling to Randy Johnson gave them the best

solid following for the club (altho' who's to say that wouldn't have

one-two righty lefty punch since Koufax and Drysdale. Or so the Dbacks thought.

happened anyway?). It didn't bring sustained success on the field, as the

Schilling laid an egg in 2000, going 5-6 down the stretch as Arizona

Diamondbacks have had a spotty history, at best, after their initial flush

plummeted to third. Schilling, however, would more than make up for it as

of success. Other than the titles, the initial spending spree also brought a

he'd go 45-13 in '01 and '02 and, along with Randy Johnson, would pretty

lot of debt that caused Colangelo's partners to lose faith in him,

much give the Dbacks an automatic two game winning streak each time their

eventually causing him to sell his share of the club.

turns came up in the rotation during those two seasons.

The acquisitions:

2001 - OF Reggie Sanders, 33, is signed as a free agent.

1997 - A year before they began playing, Arizona signs 1B Travis Lee, 22,

2001 - 1B Mark Grace, 37, is signed as a free agent

as a free agent. Lee had been the second overall pick (by the Twins)

in the 1996 amateur draft, However, Minnesota did not offer Lee a contract

2001 - Arizona wins the World Series but they do it with a remarkably old team.

within 15 days of the draft and Lee became a free agent, signing with

Out of the top eleven players on the team, only one is under thirty, relief ace

Arizona for a whopping (at the time) ten million dollar deal with Arizona

Byung-Hyun Kim, 22. And he turns out to be a total disaster in the World Series

blowing two games on late home runs. The other ten key players average

1998 - In a series of moves, 3B Matt Williams, 32, is acquired from

over thirty four years of age.

Cleveland for Travis Fryman, who had been obtained from Detroit

for three youngsters picked up in the expansion draft, infielders Joe

2002 - The Dbacks win the Division with 98 victories, but lose to the Cards in the

Randa and Gabe Alvarez and pitcher Matt Drews. Williams would

NLDS. It's still a really old club, one year older than the 2001 club for the

put up 35-142-.303 numbers in '99 before getting old.

most part. It was encouraging to see that reliever Kim comes back strong to have

a huge season despite the trauma he suffered in the '01 World Series.

1998 - Righty Jeff Suppan, 23, is the 3rd pick of expansion draft from

You have to wonder if he would have done as well if the Dbacks hadn't come

Boston. Suppan is in the one that away department as he is sold to KC

back to win the Series. That being said, his mental toughness was impressive.

after the seaon.

2003 - Righthander Brandon Webb, 24, is a rookie. He was an 8th round pick in

1998 - RHP Brian Anderson, 26, is the 22nd pick of expansion draft

the 2000 draft

from Cleveland

2003 - Righty reliever Jose Valverde, 25, is a rookie. He was an IFA in '97.

1998 - RHP Omar Daal, 26, is the 31st pick in expansion draft from Toronto

2003 - The inevitable decline begins as the Dbacks drop 14 games in the standings.

1998 - RHP Andy Benes, 30, signs as a FA. He wins 27 games in '98-'99

Schilling and Johnson both fight injuries and go 14-17 after having gone 47-12,

the year before. You'd have thought the decline would have been much worse

1998 - SS Jay Bell, 32, signs as a FA - he'd hit 38 HRs in '99 before

given Schilling's and Johnson's numbers alone.

getting old

2004 - It's over. Arizona hits rock bottom at 51 - 111 and the fallout includes

1998 - Righty Reliever Gregg Olson, 32, is signed as a free agent,

Colangelo being forced out, selling his share of the team.

he has two good years before getting old.

2005 - Josh Byrnes takes over as GM. The rebuilding process begins.

1999 - In what appeared to be a nothing trade at the time, OF Luis

Gonzalez, 30, is obtained from Detroit for OF Karim Garcia. It turns out

2005 - Centerfielder Chris Young, 21, is picked up from the White Sox in

to be one of the all time thefts as Gonzalez goes on to be a productive

exchange for veteran starter Javier Vazquez, 28. Quality for quality trade.

hitter for the Dbacks thru the age of thirty eight with his high water mark

Young debuts in 2006

a 57-142-.325 2001 season.

2006 - Catcher Miguel Montero, 22, debuts. He was an IFA in 2001

1999 - CF Steve Finley, 34, is signed as a FA. Maybe it's the Arizona air,

but Finley goes on to a be a productive hitter for the Dbacks thru age

2007 - Arizona wins the Division with a 90-72 mark and then wins the LDS before

of thirty nine with his high water marks of 34-103-.264 and 35-96-.280

losing to the Cards in the LCS. There are two homegrown stud pitchers on

in '99 and '00

the staff in Brandon Webb and Jose Valverde and a young decent starting

lineup with six starters twenty six or under including former first round picks

1999 - LHP Randy Johnson, 35, is signed as a FA. He is the top pitcher

Carlos Quentin and Stephen Drew plus other youngsters such as Chris Young,

in the game and would remain a stud with the Dbacks thru age forty

Mark Reynolds, Conor Jackson and Chris Snyder. That being said, the team

gives up more runs than they score and, in a normal season, would have

1999 - Righty reliever Matt Mantei, 25, is obtained from Florida in a trade.

been under .500. Therefore, it's no surprise that they were mediocre in '06 and

are mediocre again in '08 and '09 especially since the youngsters don't really

1999 - The Diamondbacks win the Division, winning a hundred games,

get much better moving forward. Also, moving forward, the Dbacks trade

but lose to the Mets in the first round of the playoffs. In just two years,

Valverde to Houston prior to potentially losing him to free agency after the

they've acquired a ton of aging, but still very productive talent.

2007 season. This was a very significant loss because usually when a team

There is also a sprinkling of young players such as Omar Daal, 27,

over achieves it's run totals like the Dbacks did in '07, it's because they had a

Matt Mantei, 25 and Travis Lee, 23, but the rest of the heavy lifters are in

strong bullpen that would help them win the close ones and Valverde was

their thirties: Jay Bell, 33, Matt Williams, 35, Luis Gonzalez, 30, Steve

the closer. Without him, the close ones would go the other way.

Finley, 34, Randy Johnson, 35, Andy Benes, 31 and Gregg Olson, 32

Some of these guys defy the aging process (Johnson, Finley, Gonzalez)

2009 - 1B Paul Goldschmidt, 21, is selected in the 8th round of the draft,

moving forward and some age out prematurely (Bell, Williams, Olson).

he debuts in 2011

Go figure.

2009 - The roller coaster plumets as the Dbacks drop twelve games in the

The Dbacks make some nice first round picks during the Twenty Oughts:

standings to 70-92. Time to try to retool.

□ 2003 - OF Carlos Quentin, 21, 29th overall pick

□ 2004 - SS Stephen Drew, 21, 15th overall pick

□ 2005 - OF Justin Upton, 18, 1st overall pick

□ 2006 - RHP Max Scherzer, 22, 11th overall pick - dealt to Detroit in 2010

□ 2007 - RHP Jarrod Parker, 19, 9th overall pick - dealt to Oakland in 2012

□ 2008 - LHP Daniel Schlereth, 22, 26th overall pick - made it to Arizona

□ 2009 - OF AJ Pollock, 22, 17th overall pick - made it to Arizona