I wish I was a fan of the D-Backs, and for those who are, know how lucky you are.  Not only is this team tearing it up now, but they have all the pieces to build a Yankee-esque dynasty.  Nearly all of their hitters are under 30, and they have two under-30 aces at the top of that rotation.  I challenge you to find me a better 1-2 punch than Haren and Webb.  Add into that some young pitching studs, one in Max Scherzer who just burst onto the Major League scene, and the other Jarrod Parker, a 2007 draftee that oozes potential.  I’ll admit, I criticized them for trading closer Jose Valverde to Houston, but the guys they have are making up for it.  I’m not even on to the hitters yet…

This offense is dangerous, and the scary part is that nearly all of them have the potential to get better.  You have a young 1st basemen in Conor Jackson who I think won’t be an all-star guy, but an above average player you can expect .280 and 20-25 home runs from.  At 2nd base you have one of the proven guys in Orlando Hudson, who before arriving was mainly a defensive specialist, but has since become an excellent hitting 2-bagger.  They also have Augie Ojeda in the middle infield who could develop into a solid player.  At shortstop you have Stephen Drew, who hasn’t lived up to all expectations yet, but who will, in my opinion, be contesting with Troy Tulowitzki as the best SS in the National League for years to come.  Mark Reynolds at third base has a ton of power potential and has shown it in spurts so far.  We haven’t even made it out of the infield yet.

Eric Byrnes has achieved stud status in Arizona, and I really wish he would have started doing this after he was traded to Baltimore back in 2005 so we wouldn’t have gotten rid of him.  You’re guaranteed to get 110% out of your left fielder as long as he’s in the lineup.  In center you have Chris Young, who really needs to make some strides.  He showed he was a prolific home run hitter, defender, and base stealer last year, but his .232 average was terrible and his on-base percentage was below .300.  To make the step to become an all-star, a step that I think he’ll take, he needs to begin working on his plate discipline right away a la Jeff Francouer.

Last but not least, right field, Justin Upton.  This kid is this generation’s version of Ken Griffey, book it.  Dude is a stud, broke into the majors in 2007 as a 20 year old and is now playing extremely well in his first full year.  He’s got a tremendously sweet swing that should get him 30-40 home runs a year on average.  I’d be shocked if he doesn’t pick up at least one MVP award in his career.

I give all the credit in the world to Arizona GM Josh Byrnes for building this team, it’s truly an amazing job.  I didn’t think it was possible in this age of MLB for one team to develop and keep so much talent, but he has shown that it is.  Anyone near Chase Field, get out there ASAP and witness something special.

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