WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Diamondbacks Farm TeamsGameday ThreadsDiamondbacks NewsDiamondbacks Game ReportsFang FoodSnake EDTShareTweetShareShareSnake Bytes 4/9: Walker vs. RangersgetTVArizona Diamondbacks News[D’backs.com] Inbox: What’s D-backs’ plan for Duplantier? - How long can we expect Jon Duplantier to hang around? When will Jake Lamb be back? Will Mike Hazen look outside the organization for a replacement while Lamb and Steven Souza Jr. are out of commission? Why wasn’t Adam Jones credited with a double on Saturday when his foot came off the bag? Steve Gilbert has the answers you want![AZ Central] Arizona Diamondbacks’ Adam Jones escaped free agency perils; others weren’t so lucky - Here we are now roughly ten games into the regular season http://www.whitesoxfanproshop.com/authentic-paul-konerko-jersey , yet Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel remain unsigned. Just what exactly is to blame for this still debated. Players argue team owners are not fielding competitive teams and are hoarding revenues. Like minded general managers may be reluctant to give a nine figure contract to a player who just turned thirty for fear of being strapped with an albatross contract. Another factor to consider is the qualifying offer system and the penalties teams face for signing free agents who rejected a QO. I’d be shocked if there aren’t significant changes made to the Collective Bargaining Agreement the next time it is negotiated.[Arizona Sports] By the numbers: D-backs enjoy strong week at the plate, on the mound - The Arizona Diamondbacks are 4th in MLB for runs scored at 61, but have also allowed the 3rd most amount of runs at 67. Not hardly what most of us would have assumed the split to be at the beginning of the season. Arizona at the plate has been a pleasant surprise, but hopefully Sunday’s 1-0 loss to the Red Sox is not a forecast of offensive struggles. Will the real Arizona Diamondbacks please stand up?Around the LeagueSign up for AZ Snake Pit FanPulse!Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY SportsDiamondbacks fans, let us know how you feel about the team by signing up for our weekly survey![ESPN] Power Rankings: Who has made best (and worst) first impressions? - Still some love left to be desired for the D’backs. ESPN lists them at #20. They had the most ground to cover in the Yahoo Sports poll climbing up ten spots to #20. Definitely an overreaction on their part week 1. Still not even in the top 20 on MLB.com. CBS Sports places the snakes at #21. Their best finish is #19 per The Athletic. [Bleacher Report] Donald Trump Cancels Deal Allowing MLB Teams to Sign Cuban Players - Leaving politics out of this discussion and strictly posting this to inform our readers. Seriously, just trust me. The deal would have allowed MLB teams to sign Cuban players under rules similar to signing players from Japan and South Korea. It was seen as a step in a positive direction in ending the well documented human smuggling of players from Cuba just to play in the United States. The current administration has informed the league that any payment to the Cuban Baseball Federation [MLB teams would be required to post for a player] would be considered a payment to the Cuban government, and therefore would not be allowed.[CBS Sports] Orioles’ Chris Davis, with 47 consecutive hitless at-bats, breaks MLB record for ineffectiveness at the plate - This would now be the third day in a row we’ve covered Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, but golly he did it. He has now gone hitless in 47 straight at bats, a new MLB record for a position player. He shouldn’t hang his head low, though. Craig Counsell is 5th on the list with 0-for-45 stretch in 2011 and seems to be doing just fine now.[The Athletic] ‘It’s almost like a part of you dies’: Retired players on hard choices and life after baseball - Hands down the best article I’ve ever read on The Athletic. I wish that somehow Brittany Ghiroli would have reached Brandon Webb for this story [not assuming that she didn’t try]. Baseball romanticizes the long, drawn out retirement tours of the Derek Jeters, Trevor Hoffmans Bobby Jenks Jersey , and Ichiro Suzukis. But what about those guys who just seem to fall off the map until you read years later on MLB Trade Rumors they’ve finally retired? Nobody ever cares to document those stories. For every David Peralta who was able to reinvent himself in independent ball there is a thousand other players who never made it back. With the Tampa Bays Rays unexpected acquisition of Charlie Morton, the Houston Astros starting pitching suddenly appears a little thinner. How does the Astros rotation project if they went into..."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Houston Astros NewsGame ThreadsHouston Astros Minor LeaguesAstros Game DayPodcastsAstros’ 2019 Rotation as Currently Constructed New,81commentsThe Big Two we saw last year, but the 2019 projections look favorable. According to FanGraphs, Verlander and Cole are expected to produce the highest combined WAR in baseball (9.6) for two starting pitchers on the same team (tied with Chris Sale and David Price). Both guys are true professionals, but it’s also important to note Verlander and Cole are each entering the final year of their contract as well, thus providing further incentive for strong campaigns. The presence of The Big Two alone should keep the Astros rotation among the elite and provides them with arguably the game’s strongest 1-2 punch. The real questions begin to emerge elsewhere.The Likely ContributorsNameWLERAGSGIPHERHRSOBBWHIPK/9BB/9FIPWARRA9-WARNameWLERAGSGIPHERHRSOBBWHIPK/9BB/9FIPWARRA9-WARThe loss of Morton is likely to sting here, but that means opportunities for other players—namely a couple of guys who have been starters in the past for the Astros. Both skipper A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow have confirmed Collin McHugh will return to the starting rotation in 2019, and as of now he slots in as the No. 3 starter. McHugh was a very valuable component of the Astros bullpen last season, which led the AL in a number of metrics, but his return to the rotation may not necessarily diminish his impact. In 2018, when he was one of the best relievers in baseball, McHugh compiled 1.4 WAR. For comparison, McHugh had a WAR of 3.0 or greater in his first three full seasons with the Astros (2014-17) and even accumulated 1.1 WAR in his abbreviated 2017 campaign. Even though FanGraphs projects McHugh at 1.7 WAR http://www.whitesoxfanproshop.com/authentic-paul-konerko-jersey , I’d expect him to return to somewhere near the 3.0 threshold as a full-time starter next season—especially with the revamped arsenal he displayed last year (Side Note: Bilbos is currently preparing an article on McHugh’s importance next season, so be on the look out for a much more in-depth analysis soon.)Another familiar face is expected to return to the Astros rotation in 2019, and the last time we saw him as a starter, he was a good one. Brad Peacock will likely become the Astros No. 4 starter heading into the season. Peacock started 21 games for Houston in 2017 and produced an admirable 3.4 WAR in a season he wasn’t even expected to make the team. However, Peacock experienced a bit of regression last year as he transitioned into a full-time bullpen role. FanGraphs has him currently projected to start 16 games in 2019, which I think is a bit low, but may represent an ideal number. One of Peacock’s greatest attributes is his flexibility, so somewhere in the range of 20 starts is probably the sweet spot for him and the Astros, as we saw in 2017.The Potential StudsNameWLERAGSGIPHERHRSOBBWHIPK/9BB/9FIPWARRA9-WARNameWLERAGSGIPHERHRSOBBWHIPK/9BB/9FIPWARRA9-WARI don’t know which of these two I’m more excited to watch. Josh James exploded onto the scene last season, and Forrest Whitley is a born-Texan, first-round pick, stud in-waiting. Let’s start with James, who tore up the Minor Leagues last year. He made 21 starts across two levels (AA and AAA) with a 3.23 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 114.2 innings before being promoted to Houston. He initially came up as a fireballer out of the bullpen for the Astros and was so impressive he ended up making three starts at the tail end of the regular season. James flashed a plus-fastball and could serve any number of roles for the Astros in 2019. Although No. 5 starter seems most likely at this point, FanGraphs has him pegged for 23 starts next season and the third-most WAR in the rotation. Essentially Carlton Fisk Jersey , he is projected to be the Astros third-best starter, even if he slots into the fifth spot in the rotation on paper. Projections are always difficult for rookies, but there have been many comparisons to Whitley as this year’s Walker Buehler, a guy who came up midseason for the Los Angeles Dodgers after injuries depleted their starting staff. FanGraphs estimates 16 appearances (all starts) for Whitley with the Astros, which seem likely to occur if/when injuries or underperformance affect the Astros rotation. Whitley has the potential to supplant Peacock in the rotation or serve as a key component in the bullpen. If Whitley makes 16 starts in the Bigs next year, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say he produces more than his 0.7 projected WAR.The OthersNameWLERAGSGIPHERHRSOBBWHIPK/9BB/9FIPWARRA9-WARNameWLERAGSGIPHERHRSOBBWHIPK/9BB/9FIPWARRA9-WARThere are a number of other options the Astros could turn to as spot-starters that may emerge into something more. For instance, Framber Valdez would have led the Majors in groundball-percentage (70.3%) last season if he qualified. Granted, that was only in 37 innings, but it provides an indication of the type of pitcher the Astros can expect him to be. J.B. Bukauskas, Rogelio Armenteros, Brady Rodgers, and Cionel Perez (who FanGraphs projects to make 40 appearances out of the ‘pen) are all fill-in options as well that could end up being pieces of the Astros’ rotation. This group as a whole is projected to contribute about 1.0 WAR, which sounds about right.AL ComparablesThe Astros may make an addition or two to bolster the starting staff, but that’s far from a certainty. As currently constructed (i.e. Jose Abreu Jersey , using projections for the players outlined in this article, sans Perez), the rotation is projected to produce 16.1 WAR. Although that may not approach the dominance we saw from the Astros last season (22.5 WAR and 77 ERA-, both second in MLB), it is a higher projection than the outcomes for the 2017 staff (14.8 WAR and 96 ERA-).Here’s a rough estimate of the projected WAR for each starting staff in the AL West and other notable contenders. Just as I did for the Astros, I only included pitchers who were expected to primarily contribute as a starter in the WAR calculations.AL FoesTeamfWARTeamfWARAssuming the Astros make no further moves to the starting rotation, they rank 3rd in the AL in projected WAR for 2019. Admittedly, Morton’s departure was a major disappointment to me—and I’m still not over it—but the Astros rotation still has the look of above-average with the potential to be one of the best in the game yet again. Last year’s rotation may have spoiled us, but the duo of JV/Cole in conjunction with experienced veterans (McHugh/Peacock) and young guys with major ceilings (James/Whitley) offers the Astros a chance at another season of superb starting pitching.