Not only did the D’Backs snag Jeff Cirillo today, but they brought back an old friend in 28 year-old hurler Byung-Hyun Kim. The Diamondbacks traded Kim to the Red Sox for Shea Hillenbrand back in May of 2003. With Yusmeiro Petit and Micah Owings filling out the back end of the rotation, the Diamondbacks needed to add some depth.
I like that the D’Backs are willing to spend a few bucks to strengthen the back end of their roster. Kim will make approximately another $800,000, and the Marlins were happy to be free of it. Kim’s always posted a nice strikeout rate; maybe the Diamondbacks can help him regain some semblance of control.
I was just talking to a coworker about how the Diamondbacks are in first place with very little star power. Brandon Webb is probably the only player on the roster currently considered elite. Eric Byrnes leads the team with an .871 OPS. Doug Davis is their #2 starter, but they still have the fifth best starting pitching ERA in the league at 4.17. The bullpen’s been about equally as good. They’re about middle-of-the-pack in defensive efficiency. How is this team 10 games over .500?
Some portion of it has to be luck. The Diamondbacks are 60-50 in real life but have a Pythagorean record of just 51-59. They’ve got a 23-15 record in one-run games. This might explain why all of Baseball Prospectus’s playoff odds reports give a better chance to both the Dodgers and Padres.
