Young Stars Still Snakebitten?

FanHouse continues its 2009 MLB Preview with a look at the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks began 2008 white-hot and were considered a legitimate World Series contender, storming out to record 12 games over .500 on May 18. They then proceeded to slap together two straight sub-.500 months, managing a 22-33 record in May and June, scoring just 90 runs in the latter monht.

When the Dodgers finally acquired Manny Ramirez, well, things snowballed and Arizona suddenly found itself out of the playoffs altogether.

Of course, the good news is that there was little change on a talented and maturing team that somehow managed to get younger, with the loss of Randy Johnson. Replacing the Big Unit, though, could be a touch problematic, as could be replacing the defense of Orlando Hudson.

Fortunately for the Diamondbacks, they should have enough talent on this squad to make up for any offensive shortcomings. Additionally, they sport Brandon Webb and Dan Haren at the front end of their rotation, and there's certainly an argument that they're the best top-end rotation pair in Major League baseball. The bullpen and back-end of the rotation present some questions, but this is certainly an evolving team -- one that, despite its inconsistencies, is going to be a contender in 2009 again.

Lineup
1.	Felipe Lopez	2B
2.	Stephen Drew	SS
3.	Chris Young	CF
4.	Conor Jackson	LF
5.	Mark Reynolds	3B
6.	Justin Upton	RF
7.	Chad Tracy	1B
8.	Chris Snyder	C
9.	Pitcher's Spot	P
Pitching Staff
1.	Brandon Webb	R
2.	Dan Haren	R
3.	Jon Garland	R
4.	Doug Davis	L
5.	Max Scherzer	R
CL	Chad Qualls	R

Coming and Going

In: Felipe Lopez, 2B (free agency); Tom Gordon, RP (free agency)
Out: Randy Johnson , SP (free agency); Orlando Hudson, 2B (free agency); David Eckstein, IF (free agency), Adam Dunn, 1B (free agency); Chris Burke, UT (free agency); Juan Cruz, RP (free agency)

Storylines

One Big Breakout ...
The insane thing about this Arizona team is that nearly every single player in the starting lineup is a candidate to break out. Now, that's a bit of a stretch -- Snyder and Lopez probably aren't going to suddenly become offensive monsters and Drew may have already done so. But he might have more. So might Chris Young, Conor Jackson, Mark Reynolds and Justin Upton. Upton is the guy that the Diamondbacks need to step up the most, though, simply because he has so much untapped potential. If he blows through the roof and Jackson finds a power stroke, this offense will be sick.

Interesting Back-end ...
There's nothing more fantastic than the story of Doug Davis beating cancer last season. The lefty managed to fight through the disease in the middle of the season and return to the mound (after pitching a game while knowing he'd been diagnosed). However, as touching as it is, it doesn't necessarily help a rotation that screams "meh" after Webb and Haren. Jon Garland was an interesting addition, and I suppose he's a pretty good No. 3, but this is a team that wants to win a World Series, and unless Max Scherzer can actually tap his potential, there are a lot of questions here.

The Ghost of Carlos Quentin ...
It's hard to argue with too many of the moves that the Diamondbacks have made over the past few years. The front office recognition that building a proper farm system ultimately results in success has obviously paid off. However, the team traded Quentin to the White Sox, thinking that he wouldn't reach the potential that had him highly ranked in that same farm system, and now, it's impossible to argue that it wasn't a mistake. Quentin hit 36 bombs last year with the ChiSox -- eight more than Mark Reynolds, who also struck out approximately 4,351 times, and he led Arizona in home runs last year. The short version of this story is that the Diamondbacks desperately miss the power presence that Quentin would have provided in their lineup and as talented as the team may be, they still have to face the fact that they gave up an MVP candidate -- a transaction that may continue to haunt them for a few years.

2009 Outlook

Why You Should Watch: Because there's nothing better than seeing a young team mature all at once and begin to become, as FanHouse's Matt Snyder put it, a National League dynasty. Webb and Haren are one of the best 1-2 punches in the bigs, and if the lineup can be consistent, there's going to be a lot to love in Arizona this year.

What Defines Success: Nothing short of a National League West title would make 2009 a success. The Diamondbacks have the luxury of being young (have I mentioned that yet?) so their World Series window is still pretty wide. It would be pretty unfair, too, to put that sort of expectation on this team. But not winning the division, considering just how weak it is across the board, would absolutely be a disappointment.

Related Links

- Fantasy Baseball Preview: Youth Is Served
- Better Know a Prospect: Arizona Diamondbacks