High Heat Podcast Playlist

by Nick Opich

1/29/14

It’s the time of year that every baseball fan dreads. Since the season ended we’ve been able to distract ourselves with offseason rumors, football and the holidays. Now it’s that awkward time where football is almost over and Spring Training is yet to begin. Being so close to the season, trade speculations has died down and outside of a few key free agents (Santana, Jimenez, Cruz, Morales, etc.) team rosters are just about set.

In an effort to help distract you through these troubling times I have created a short playlist of my current jams. I listen to a variety of music and always love listening to new stuff I haven’t heard before. So please enjoy and if you have any recommendations on some new tunes for Hayden or I, feel free to send them to our email highheatpodcast.blogspot.com or tweet at us @HighHeatPodcast. 

Also, Hayden and I are hoping to announce soon what day we will begin posting our team by team season previews along with some other exciting news. So stay tuned!  

“R U Mine?” – Arctic Monkeys

“My Kind of Woman” – Mac Demarco

“Harlem” – Bill Withers

“Jumbo’s” – Protomartyr

“What’s In My Head?” – Fuzz

“Hate Rain on Me” – Andrew Jackson Jihad

 “Henry Don’t Got Love” – Le Butcherettes

“Clásico” – Los Colores

“Rella” – Odd Future

And for the last song, I decided to add the video because I think it goes great with the song.

“Toe Cutter – Thumb Buster” – Thee Oh Sees 

Tanaka, Kershaw, and Almost No D-back News

Good Friday Podcasters!



On this episode, Hayden and Nick discuss the Tanaka sweepstakes and how it's conclusion effects the D-Backs. As well, they discuss Kershaw's extension, Matt Garza going to Milwaukee, the Tampa Bay-San Diego trade, and some other league transactions.

*Note: the Garza discussions occurred prior to the apparent ongoing negotiations.

We also make some predictions on what the rest of the offseason will look like for the Diamondbacks.

We had some laughs on this episode to compensate for the contentious Hall of Fame debate.

Lyle Overbay's name is dropped over 7 times in the episode, so you know it's a good episode.
Important note: Gioskar Amaya's name gets mentioned in the bloopers of this week's episode.

This episode's music is the following brought to you by the following artists:
"New Low" - Middle Class Rut
"Younger" - letlive.
and "Crush" by the Horrible Crowes

Should the D-Backs Think Long-Term with One of Their Own?

by Hayden Hughes

1/15/14

On Tuesday the Diamondbacks had four players file for salary arbitration: Relief pitchers Josh Collmenter, Joe Thatcher, newly acquired Mark Trumbo, and right fielder Gerardo Parra.

I’ll cover my bases (Hey, that’s a bad baseball pun for a baseball blog!) by prefacing that the Diamondbacks would most likely want to avoid arbitration with all four of these players, but in case they don’t, the following could happen and I think one player needs more than a one year settlement.

Presumably the Diamondbacks will let the process play out for Trumbo, as signing him to an extension could be seen as premature without seeing him play out a season in Arizona. Oh yeah, and he has 3 years of arbitration eligibility left which was an appeal to the D-Backs in acquiring the slugger. Although, the Diamondbacks did sign Martin Prado to an extension before he ever had an at-bat in Chase Field, but those were different circumstances.

Thatcher, in his final year of eligibility, most likely will also go to arbitration, unless the Diamondbacks feel like committing to the lefty (who made $1.35 million last year), similarly to how they signed Matt Reynolds to a one year deal with a team option for 2015 this past October.

As far as Collmenter goes, he is in the same boat as Trumbo. The earliest he will be a free agent is 2017. Collmenter made $504,000 in 2013 and will most likely see a pay raise in some form or another.

Now for Gerardo Parra, the starting Right fielder for the Diamondbacks in 2014, who – while never being guaranteed a position in five seasons – has earned his way into the lineup and seems to finally be getting a well-deserved nod. Parra’s earliest free agency is in 2016, but the Diamondbacks would be wise to sign him to a long-term deal now. Let me repeat the most important stat with regard to Parra: He has never been promised a position, yet in FIVE seasons been arguably the most valuable Diamondback day in and day out. Parra’s most impressive stat is his consistency. As well, last September Jack Magruder of Fox Sports AZ reported that Parra and Brad Ziegler extensions were on the D-Backs “to-do” list.

In 2013, Parra made $2.35 million while setting career highs games played, hits, walks, doubles, and home runs, as well as winning his second Gold Glove. Since 2009, Parra has been in the Opening Day lineup for the Diamondbacks twice, but in those five seasons he has played 120 games or more in each.

Fans could easily recall their frustration by watching Parra in 2012 and 2011 in which he was picked off or caught stealing 10 and 9 times, respectively. So while he was a 4.0 dWAR (Defensive Wins Above Replacement)in 2013, his game lacks the base running savvy some fans may crave. Parra also has a tendency to finish poorly towards the end of seasons, seeing his OBP and BB/K decrease. But what Parra has done, that Jason Kubel, Eric Byrnes, Conor Jackson, Adam Eaton, and Chris Young couldn’t do, was hit the ball hard while hitting consistently. I remember drooling at the idea of a Justin Upton - Chris Young - Parra outfield. But with the acquisition of Kubel, who had a great 2012 campaign, Parra was the odd man out. But after Young was injured in 2012, Parra took the reins in center field.

Source: FanGraphs

Courtesy of FanGraph’s player page of Parra’s, the above spray chart of all batted balls. The below chart is Chris Young’s spray chart.

Source: FanGraphs

In comparing the two, Young’s chart has drastically fewer line drives (denoted by the red dots) and is also a pull hitter, almost detrimentally so. Parra’s chart shows a great ability to slap line drive to the opposite field. Young may have more pop in his swing, but Parra at least has some pop going the other way, something Young lacks. In fact, a flyball to the opposite field off Young’s bat only resulted in an extra base hit less than five times.

Why are we comparing Chris Young to Parra?

Because Young, I feel, was the outfielder in Parra’s way from 2009 – 2012 and there’s a discrepancy between the two that shouldn’t be overlooked: Money. Chris Young made $3.45 million when he was 26 in 2010, whereas Parra made $2.35 million this past year when he was 26. The question that Arizona should be concerned with is whether or not Parra will see a decrease in his game at age 27 or 28 that Young experienced and eventually led the D-Backs to trading him in last winter’s Heath Bell trade. If they have concerns that the numbers will drop, that’s one thing, but here’s why they shouldn’t be:

1.      Parra is seemingly never injured.

a.       Young had a difficult time in 2012 getting back on track after an injury.

2.      Parra brings an impact to his game in the form of his defense that Young never had.

3.      From the ages of 22-26, Parra has just been an overall better player.

a.       Young’s OBP ages 22-26: .316; Parra’s OBP ages 22-26: .330

b.      In that same age bracket, Parra double Young’s number of triples and Young only out-doubles Parra 136-124.

c.       Young struck out 596 times; Parra struck out 424

d.      On average, Young played in 11 fewer games a year.

4.      Parra has cost the D-Backs $3,683,500 over the span of his MLB career

a.       Young cost the D-Backs $11,386,000 from 2007-2011 (ages 23-27)

                                                              i.      Not to mention the $7 million the D-Backs paid him in 2012

                                                            ii.      And the half million dollars Arizona sent with Young to Oakland

Bottom line is, for Gerardo Parra and the Diamondbacks, if not now, when? Thus far, the Snakes have gotten an All-Star caliber player for relatively cheap, and in my opinion could continue to get him for, maybe not pennies on the dollar, but how about quarters on the dollar?

I’d like to see the Gold Glover receive a 4-5 year deal with the D-Backs for around $25-27 million. Take the Paul Goldschmidt contract: At $32.05 million, the Diamondbacks have an All-Star first baseman for the next five years with a team option for a sixth. The way that the money is allocated is back-loaded, but in a vacuum, the Diamondbacks are paying (at most) $46.55 million through 2019. That’s, again at most, $7.758 million dollars a year for Goldy.

With Parra, team or player options aside, a four year contract makes sense. The Diamondbacks are rewarding a player who is still young, but has the potential to have even better days ahead of him. And at a total of $25 million, the Diamondbacks would be paying Parra $6.25 million a year. Goldschmidt’s contract, without the team option costs the team about $6.4 million a year, so it really depends on how much the Diamondbacks value Parra.

Of course in arbitration, the Diamondbacks save money compared to my proposal, as his salary could be bumped up to somewhere around $3 – 3.75 million. But the Diamondbacks have a potential All-Star, who will finally get his chance to shine, full-time and every day, in 2014. I’m picturing a Diamondback’s team whose core players in 2014 – 2016 are Paul Goldschmidt, Martin Prado, Miguel Montero, and Mark Trumbo, all hitting behind, as well as driving in Gerardo Parra.

You're the GM: The Next D-Backs Move

by Hayden Hughes
1/13/2014

Hey D-Back fans. We've decided that we've out poured enough of our thoughts and opinions at you in various ways over the last month, and now we'd like some word from our audience. We want to know what you think the Snakes' next move should be. Put yourself in Kevin Towers' shoes. As it stands on Monday, January 13th, the D-Backs looks like this:

A rotation of:
1. Patrick Corbin
2. Trevor Cahill
3. Wade Miley
4. Brandon McCarthy
5. Randall Delgado

A line up of:
C - Miguel Montero
1B - Paul Goldschmidt
2B - Aaron Hill
3B - Martin Prado
SS - Didi Gregorius
LF - Mark Trumbo
CF - A.J. Pollock
RF - Gerardo Parra

A bullpen of:
1. Addison Reed
2. J.J. Putz
3. David Hernandez
4. Brad Zielger
5. Joe Thatcher
6. Eury De La Rosa
7. Josh Collmenter

And a bench of:
Cody Ross - (Out until May at the earliest)
Cliff Pennington
Chris Owings
Eric Chavez
Tuffy Gosewisch
Tony Campana

Including Ross, that is 26 men on the active roster, but of course Ross won't be there on Opening Day. One has to wonder if the D-Backs will retain Gregorius, Owings, and Pennington all on the ML Roster, as well as how much they value Campana's speed.  So, this leaves the D-Backs with potentially one more move, and they have some options:

Do they start the season with Archie Bradley or another Minor Leaguer on the active roster?
Do they go all out for Masahiro Tanaka?
Is there a Free Agent on the market the Diamondbacks should invest in? And is it a pitcher or position player?
Is there another possible trade for the D-Backs to make?
Are we over looking another possibility?

Please leave a comment about what you think the D-Backs should do and vote on the poll below! We will discuss it on the next recording.

Also email any thoughts or questions to highheatpodcast@gmail.com.

What should the D-Backs' next move be?
	Sign a Free Agent Starter
	Sign a Free Agent Bullpen arm
	Sign a Free Agent position player
	Trade for a bullpen arm
	Trade for a starter
	Trade for a position player
	Stay put and work from within
	Other
pollcode.com free polls

Thanks boys and girls.

Metal-Monday's Music recommendation:
The Blackest Beautiful by letlive.
especially the tracks, "27 Club," "Pheromone Cvlt," and "Younger"

Addison Reed Trade and Hall of Fame Debate

In this episode, recorded on January 9th, Nick and Hayden discuss things. Baseball things.

First we talk about the current state of the D-Backs and last month's Matt Davidson-Addison Reed trade. We also discuss Masahiro Tanaka and the possibility of him landing in the desert. The small possibility. And finally more wishing and good vibes for Chris Owings.

Then the guys talk about Nelson Cruz, Ubaldo Jimenez, Shin-Soo Choo, and Justin Verlander. Undoubtedly Derek Holland would have been discussed had that news broke 24 hours sooner.

Then we discuss the Hall of Fame and things get nasty, awkward, and contentuous. Jeff Bagwell has emerged as Hayden's apparent Man-Crush and Nick can't help falling in love with Edgar Martinez. All the while we try to fix the broken process of Hall of Fame voting and praise Dan LeBetard. No, he will not return our calls.

Thanks for listening. Here's this episode's tracklisting:

Foo Fighters - Dear Rosemary
Bill Withers - Use Me
AFI - Heart Stops
Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy

Thanks again,
Hayden

All Time D-Backs Roster!

by Hayden Hughes

1/3/14

First and foremost, Happy New Year D-Backs and Baseball Fans!

Ever wonder, in the dead of winter and the boring Holidays, what the best D-Backs team would be? Like All-Time D-Backs at the top of their game? I do. 

When it comes to how highly I’d rank the D-Backs, I like to break it down by their depth chart. Take one position at a time, and compare it to the other NL West team’s positions. For example, take Paul Goldschmidt and debate whether I like him over LA Dodgers’ first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. That kind of logic just works for me.

But one thing I haven’t ever considered, is what I’m about to attempt to do: Look at the present day D-Backs and see where, by position, they are stronger than they have ever been (or potentially weaker).

I thought I would do Starting pitching and the closer spot and just omit the relief pitchers, but I’m not sure I can do pitching at all. That guy named Randy Johnson kind of messes everything up and leaves it obsolete. So we’ll stick to the offensive side of things.

Starting with catcher, mainstay Miguel Montero has been holding the fort down ever since beating out Chris Snyder for the job in 2009. The Diamondbacks’ longest tenured backstop is going into his seventh season with the team as the team’s clubhouse leader and backstop – not counting the 16 AB’s he got in 2006. Almost by default, Montero wins this debate with honorable mentions from Damian Miller and Chris Snyder. But here is why Montero beats them out:

·         Neither Miller or Snyder ever hit over 20 HR in a single season in their 21 combined years.

·         Miguel Montero’s career WAR of 11.7 beats out Miller’s and Snyder’s career WARs of 9.0 and 4.4

·         Montero’s OBP tops the other two candidates, and perhaps most impressively, in 2011 and 2012, Miggy actually received MVP votes. He came in 21^st and 32^nd respectively, but that has to count for something.

Next should be the most exciting for D-Backs fans. First Base. Paul Goldschmidt currently anchors the position, following past notables Mark Grace, Tony Clark, and…Conor Jackson? Adam LaRoche made a single year stop in the desert in 2010, as did an injury-plagued Richie Sexson in 2004, so while notable names, not notable D-Backs. Tony Clark we can chalk up to a clubhouse veteran-type, who had some great moments off the bench. Conor Jackson ended up just not panning out for the Snakes either. So it comes down to Mark Grace, and here’s why Goldschmidt reigns supreme already:

·         Mark Grace was a fan favorite in Arizona, just like he was in Chicago and no matter what off-the-field circumstances occurred, no one can take that away from him.

·         But, Gracie came to the D-Backs in 2001, when he was 37. He played with the D-Backs through 2003, when he announced his plans to retire two days before the end of the season.

·         In 2013, Paul Goldschmidt put up an MVP-caliber season. 2013 alone could make Goldschmidt the best D-Back First baseman in the club’s history. His 7.1 WAR beats Grace’s career-high WAR of 5.0

·         One important thing Grace has over Goldy, however, is his ability to avoid the punch-out. In Goldy’s second full season at first, he struck out 145 times. In 2012, he struck out 130 times. The highest total Mark Grace ever struck out in a single season was…56. However, considering Goldschmidt’s slugging percentage and overall power, he edges out Gracie.

 Second Base is tricky, because it all comes down to your taste. The D-Backs have never had a real speed-ster at second base, but they’ve had some real talent prior to Aaron Hill’s arrival. Going up against fan-favorites Orlando Hudson and Jay Bell and even Craig Counsell, I figured it would be difficult. To spell out this position, I’m just going to provide some stats (during their time in Arizona) and let the numbers do the talking. Some (HR, Combined WAR) stats are skewed in the other players favors due to number of games played as a D-Back. But the averages really spell out a good case to be made for Hill…who reluctantly is my pick over Counsell.

Player	OBP	SO/BB Ratio	Stolen Bases/Caught Stealing	HR	SLG %	AVG # of Games played in a season	Errors	Combined WAR
Hudson	.365	1.327	23/9	33	.448	134	32	10.4
Bell	.355	1.442	17/13	91	.458	123	86	9.7
Counsell	.348	1.227	68/35	24	.357	110	42	12.7
Hill	.359	1.654	15/9	37	.501	122	8	7.5

Third Base. Matt Williams wins. No surprise here and any knowledgeable D-Backs fan would agree. Williams played with the Snakes from 1998-2003 when he retired. Ever since hanging up the cleats, Williams’ successors have been plenty: Troy Glaus had a single season in 2005, Chris Johnson manned third for 44 games in 2012 before going to Atlanta, and Ryan Roberts proved to be serviceable for a few seasons and became a fan favorite. Point being, Matt Williams’ presence in the lineup’s 4^th spot is something that D-Backs fans still reminisce about from the hot corner.

**Honorable Mention to Martin Prado, who lacks the power of Williams, but could have a similar impact as a clubhouse leader**

Shortstop. Didi Gregorius has the potential to become the next Derek Jeter according to Kevin Towers, but potential won’t top this position’s candidates. Fans will immediately recall Tony Womack, who cemented his place in the position from 1999-2003. After cameos at the position, in 2006 the Stephen Drew era began, until Drew was traded in August 2012. That really leaves this position battle to be between Drew and Womack, as D-Backs fans enter the Gregorius/Chris Owings era up the middle. For the sake of being fair, we’re taking out Drew’s 2012 campaign where he was injured and played only 40 games. Similarly, Womack’s 2003 where he was traded twice will be omitted. Ignoring these seasons is just more fun, as it makes each case stronger. Looking at their numbers, here’s what fans see:

Player (# of Seasons with AZ)	OBP	SO/BB Ratio	SB/CS	HR	SLG%	AVG # Games (single season)	Errors	Combined WAR
Womack (4)	.319	276/151	174/43	19	.364	142	62	.7
Drew (6)	.330	528/256	33/13	70	.442	122	64	13.4

Obviously, their different players and it’s a matter of taste and what the particular fan prefers from their shortstop. My recollection of Tony Womack is a romantic one. I remember Womack for his contributions in his 2001 World Series campaign and the Father’s Day Grand Slam following his father passing. However, despite the lack of speed on Drew’s part, the combined WAR of each player’s time in Arizona really tells us the answer. Stephen Drew takes the cake.

Left Field. For some fans, the name Eric Byrnes bring to memory whimsical flips following throws from Left field and dirty jerseys as they slid over first base. For other fans, Byrnes’ legacy is remembered by infield pop ups and a 2009 contract worth $11,666,666 and another $11 million in 2010, a year in which he was released. Then there’s the third group of D-Backs fans, and perhaps the majority who read this and wonder why I don’t just say his name already: Luis Gonzalez. I can still hear Thom Brennaman’s voice as that ball floated past Jeter…

Center Fielders seem to be the shortest list in the club’s history. Perhaps Arizona is lucky to have relative stability in Center. Steve Finley played at Gold Glove caliber from 1999-2004, after which Chris Young took over until 2012. Enter Adam Eaton A.J. Pollock for the future. The battle really is between Finley and Young, the franchises only mainstays in Center Field. One a Gold-Glover, one an All-star (and one time Home Run Derby Contestant?!). Queue another grid!

Player (# of seasons in AZ)	OBP	SO/BB Ratio	SB/CS	HR	SLG%	AVG # Games (single season)	Errors	Combined WAR
Finley (4)	.353	415/297	62/29	130	.501	149	11	16.3
Young (5)	.319	735/324	104/32	118	.437	131	21	12.7

The above stats omit the players’ seasons in which they were traded. Again, this helps both players’ cases. The numbers lean slightly towards Finley, who played essentially a whole season less than Young, although if you like speed, Young is your guy. I personally favor Finley and the 3.6 more games my team will win with him batting second, sixth, or seventh. But it could be a push.

Finally, Right Field. The Diamondback faithful may cringe at any Upton praise in this paragraph, but between him and current D-Back Right Fielder Gerardo Parra, a case really isn’t to be made between Adam Dunn, David Dellucci, Carlos Quentin, Travis Lee, or Reggie Sanders. So looking at Upton and Parra, their respective WARs over each players time with Arizona are 14.2 and 11.6. Both players tend to play over 130 games a year. With Upton beating out Parra in power and speed on the base baths, my beef with Upton is in the field. Never did the D-Back fan base see a “WOW!”-play and at times they witnessed a defeated Upton fumbling in the corner of Chase Field’s Right Field. Some may chalk that up to the same nonchalant flare that Robinson Cano plays with, but the only difference – Cano’s bat makes up for it at the end of the day. Give me Parra and his cannon of a left arm and two Gold Gloves.

Here’s what we can conclude. Between Parra, Hill, Prado, Montero, and D-Backs MVP Paul Goldschmidt, as well as the young core in Pollock, Gregorius, Owings, and a heck of a pitching staff, the D-Backs are doing okay for themselves. We can hope new acquisition Mark Trumbo takes the reigns in Left and becomes a formidable outfielder, and we can hope that Miguel Montero finds his swing again in 2014. You can’t count them out, but I don’t think the “gritty” jokes will continue through this upcoming season, unless you’re describing Gerardo Parra taking cheap shots at Yasiel Puig under the pile of brawling grown men.

Another conclusion: My All Time D’Backs Line Up:

1.      Gerardo Parra             RF       L

2.      Aaron Hill                   2B       R

3.      Luis Gonzalez             LF       L

4.      Paul Goldschmidt       1B       R

5.      Matt Williams             3B       R

6.      Stephen Drew            SS        L

7.      Steve Finley                CF       L

8.      Miguel Montero          C         L

It’s a little heavy in terms of left-handed hitting. It certainly couldn't hold up to a similar line up against the Yankees, but at least you wouldn't have to resurrect anyone.

Music Recommendation: The Gaslight Anthem – the ’59 Sound (2008)

Definitely Download: “The Backseat,” “Old White Lincoln,” and “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues”