AZ Snake Pit 2 hours ago
Snake Bytes: 9/25 - All Betts are Off
Photo by Kelly Gavin/MLB Photos via This is precisely what the Dodgers were looking for when they made the deal to acquire Mookie Betts last winter. Diamondbacks Stuff Bickley Fells WS Teams Give Arizona Something to Fear On one side, the Dodgers are looking more invincible than ever, flexing their enormous financial muscles. On the other side, The expansion sister Tampa Bay Rays are proving that a small market team can win regularly, so long as they make smart decisions and stay the course, rather than sometimes pretending to be a big spender. World Series Los Angeles 8, Tampa Bay...
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AZ Snake Pit Oct 19, 2020
Insights on BABIP
Freddie Freeman on deck. | Photo by Michael Starghill/MLB Photos via Players with top ‘hit skill’ tools have high BABIPs. Two questions: Which Diamondbacks have the best hit tool skills? League-wide, what causes changes in BABIP? BABIP is a measure of batting average when the ball is put in play on the baseball field. Before talking about the details, let’s look at one quote and two reasons BABIP is useful. “The pitcher has limited control over what happens once the ball is put in play. This was discovered 20 years by Voros McCracken. The hitter has more control than the...
AZ Snake Pit Oct 19, 2020
Snake Bytes: 10/19 - The Morning After
Photo by ERIKA SANTELICES/afp/AFP via Your dose of Monday baseball news to forget about: the NLCS. Diamondbacks news [dbacks.com] Inbox: What will change for D-backs in 2021? What is Arizona’s mindset this offseason? Can Luke Weaver be the new Archie Bradley? Is the team still looking to move out of Chase Field? Beat reporter Steve Gilbert woke up from his post-regular-season depression and took some questions: “There are some that feel Weaver would be good in a late-inning role, but I think the D-backs will stick with him in the rotation for now and continue to work with him on...
AZ Snake Pit Oct 18, 2020
Place Your Bets 2020: The Reckoning Part 2
And the winners are,,, Before we get to the individual results (though ‘hacks already spoilered the winners in the comments), here are a few communal results. Biggest profit - Zac Gallen Wins OVER, S$3,526.34 Biggest loss - Diamondbacks Wins UNDER, S$2,816.22 Most wagered - Diamondbacks Wins, S$4,816.22 by 13 people Least wagered - Starling Marte HR, S$162.99 by 3 people (and two of those, for S$150, were the ones who bet on every category!) All told, the house took a loss this year of S$3,223.52 on wagers of S$27,000. That’s the second year in a row, although the deficit was...
AZ Snake Pit Oct 17, 2020
SB Nation Reacts: Let’s go, NotDodgers/Astros
Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Everyone loves an underdog. Or just hates the Dodgers and Astros. That works too... Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged in Diamondbacks fans, and fans across the country. Sign up here to join Reacts. The Tampa Bay Rays are the most popular team in the country. Whether it’s because Rays fever is sweeping the nation or they are playing the most despised team in baseball, one thing is clear – Tampa has become the people’s team. According to the most recent SB Nation...
AZ Snake Pit Oct 16, 2020
Snake Pit Sim Season: Finale - Glimpsing the Future
How did the 2020 simulated season shape things for the future? The tam that finished the year for the 2020 Virtual Diamondbacks did not much resemble the one that started the season. Some key trades during the season dropped both the team’s payroll and average player age significantly. At the start of the 2021 season, David Peralta would be the “old man” in the room, clocking in at 33 years old. Will Smith and Nick Ahmed come next, at 32 and 31 respectively. Finally off the books is Yasmany Tomás’ contract. Also gone are the final four years and $79 million owed to Madison...
AZ Snake Pit Oct 15, 2020
Snake Bytes 10/15: Holding on for Dear Life
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports Astros hold on for one for day, Dodgers give Atlanta an historic pounding. Diamondbacks News: The Road to the Show: Diamondback’s outfielder Alek Thomas. “Todd Frazier was one of the players who influenced me the most,” Thomas told MLB.com. “He taught me that you can go 1-for-40 [at the plate], but you need to continue to be the same dude day in and day out. Projected game-day revenue loss for the 2020 Diamondbacks according to The Phoenix Business Journal. The 30 team slide-show does not seem to require a subscription. Coming in at #25, The...
AZ Snake Pit Oct 14, 2020
D-backs Decisions 2020: Merrill Kelly
Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/ Kelly had a great season in 2020. But is that negated by the way it ended? The Diamondbacks have some tricky decisions coming up this winter. The financial landscape in 2021 is going to be difficult for many teams, with revenue this year slashed to a fraction of normal levels. While the free-agent market this winter will likely reflect the new, harsher climate, there will be no discounts on previously signed contracts. This means less room for discretionary spending. The first batch of such choices will take place shortly after the World...
AZ Snake Pit Oct 14, 2020
Snake Bytes: 10/14 On the Verge
Photo by Harry How/ Both the Braves and Rays took dominating leads in their respective LCS. Diamondbacks News Five Offseason Questions for the Diamondbacks Zach Buchanan spoke with team president, Derrick Hall about the upcoming offseason. ALCS Tampa Bay 5, Houston 2 Jose Altuve had the yips while the Rays showed off some defensive excellence in Tuesday night’s match-up. The result leaves the Rays on the doorstep of sweeping the Astros from the ALCS, punching Tampa’s first ticket to the World Series. Scouting, Chemistry Key to Tampa’s Success The Rays are demonstrating how it is...
AZ Snake Pit Oct 13, 2020
Snake Pit Sim Season: Roster Postmortem
How did roster decisions reshape the Virtual Diamondbacks, both for 2020 and for the future? When I started the simulated season, the plan was to tinker with the roster as little as possible, hoping to reflect the sort of season we might all have expected from the Diamondbacks if they had played in a normal, non-COVID, 162-game season in 2020. This meant, among other things, addressing issues by keeping a shoestring budget and giving extra rope to veterans with MLB contracts. At the same time, I wanted to reflect at least a modicum of rational thinking. If a player or multiple players were...
AZ Snake Pit Oct 13, 2020
D-backs Farm Flashback: Paul Goldschmidt
Photo by Steve Christo/Corbis via Arizona’s all-time great put together an impressive display in the minor leagues. D-backs Farm Flashback is a new series coming to Az Snake Pit during the offseason, where I examine how former and current Diamondbacks players performed in the minor leagues. From decorated Hall of Famers and All-Stars, to spot starters and bench contributors, hundreds of professional baseball players worked their way to the major leagues. But how did their journey through the minor league ranks go? Let’s find out! Feel free to list any notable players or suggestions...
AZ Snake Pit Oct 12, 2020
Hitting With RISP in the NL West
Locastro adds 2 RBIs. | Photo by Jennifer Stewart/ With RISP, the Diamondbacks had the highest percentage balls-in-play and the lowest BABIP. My curiosity started with this 2015 FanGraph article. It covered a lot of ground. The unexpected idea was that individual hitters do not improve by more than a tiny amount when on a team with high on-base percentages. A high on-base percentage causes baserunners. Logically, runners in scoring position (RISP) results in scoring runs. What was the impact of RISP on the Diamondbacks? Let’s look at what happened with RISP in the NL...
AZ Snake Pit Oct 12, 2020
Snake Bytes: 10/12 - Fire in the grill
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports Braves and Dodgers will meet in Texas for the NLCS while the Astros need to sting the Rays in game two of the ALCS. Diamondbacks news Red Sox manager search: 10 candidates for Boston opening 9. Luis Urueta, bench coach, Diamondbacks Urueta has been with the Diamondbacks organization for a long time, but the 2020 season was his first as Torey Lovullo’s bench coach. He actually interviewed with the Red Sox after they dismissed Cora. That doesn’t mean Urueta will get another look this winter, but he fits the modern mold and he should receive more...
AZ Snake Pit Oct 10, 2020
D-backs Decisions 2020: Junior Guerra
Photo by Norm Hall/ Should he stay or should he go? As Jack covered earlier in the week, the Diamondbacks have some tricky decisions coming up this winter. The financial landscape in 2021 is going to be difficult for many teams, with revenue this year slashed to a fraction of normal levels. While the free-agent market this winter will likely reflect the new, harsher climate, there will be no discounts on previously signed contracts. This means less room for discretionary spending. The first batch of such choices will take place shortly after the World Series, when teams have to exercise...
AZ Snake Pit Oct 8, 2020
SB Nation Reacts: Those surprising Marlins
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/ The wild-card round was the topic of this week’s poll. Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged in Diamondbacks fans, and fans across the country. Sign up here to join Reacts. The MLB playoffs have been a wild rush of games so far. But fans are still absorbing as much baseball as possible. In the most recent SB Nation Reacts survey asked Monday before the start of play, fans were asked to pick a winner from each of the LCS series. Those fans picked the Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, Los...
