Complete Arizona Diamondbacks 2015 Spring Training Preview

The Arizona Diamondbacks are coming off a disappointing 2014 season that concluded with a 64-98 record—worst in the MLB. 

The 2015 season has a new look to it already. New general manager Dave Stewart and Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa should leave D-Backs fans feeling optimistic about the future. 

La Russa went as far to say that he would be "absolutely brokenhearted" if Arizona fails to produce a winning record this season. In the past six, the D-Backs have only had one winning season. That was in 2011 that resulted in a National League West title.

Several big offseason acquisitions should help in that regard. But there are still major holes in Arizona's roster that need to be filled or improved in order to compete in the division.

The process will begin February 19 when pitchers and catchers report.

All statistics courtesy of baseball-reference.com unless otherwise noted.

Offseason Recap

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Key Losses

Miguel Montero, C

Wade Miley, LHP

Didi Gregorius, SS

Key Additions

Jeremy Hellickson, RHP

Yasmany Tomas, 3B, OF

Rubby De La Rosa, RHP

Allen Webster, RHP

Robbie Ray, LHP

The Diamondbacks offseason was successful on most fronts. GM Stewart emphasized the need for power arms, citing former greats Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson. The addition of these young arms like De La Rosa, Webster and Hellickson should build a solid foundation. At least one of them should be a capable replacement for Miley, who was sent to Boston. 

Adding the Cuban slugger, Tomas, will give Paul Goldschmidt more protection in the lineup. The idea that Goldschmidt will likely be followed by Tomas and Trumbo in the order should be tough for opposing pitchers to attack. 

However, losing Miguel Montero in a trade with the Cubs leaves a huge hole behind the plate. Tuffy Gosewisch currently will be filling that void. He only hit .225 with one home run in 41 games last season.

The Gregorius trade, on the other hand, should help Arizona. The D-Backs still have shortstop Chris Owings who is the better offensive player of the two. He certainly has the potential to be the shortstop of the future. The D-Backs top acquisition in the deal was pitcher, Robbie Ray. At age 23, Ray has plenty of time to mature. His journey will likely begin in the bullpen.

How quickly the young acquisitions can mature will likely determine whether or not Arizona will be able to compete in the NL West in 2015.

Injury Updates Entering Camp

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Injuries plagued the D-Backs throughout the 2014 season. Patrick Corbin, Mark Trumbo, A.J. Pollock, Bronson Arroyo and David Hernandez were just several players hit by the injury bug.

Most of the aforementioned players will likely enter spring training healthy. The biggest concern for D-Backs fans is the health of Corbin.

Corbin is coming off Tommy John surgery performed in March of 2014. He is scheduled to return as early as June. Corbin was 14-8 with a 3.41 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 2013. Corbin's return will be critical to the success of the D-Backs in 2015.

Other pitchers rehabbing from Tommy John include Arroyo, Hernandez and Matt Reynolds. Hernandez is scheduled to return as early as May. He will provide Arizona with another flamethrower in the bullpen and will likely compete for the setup-man role upon return. 

Reynolds was solid out of the bullpen in 2013, sporting a 1.98 ERA in 30 games. His return will add another lefty specialist to the pen.

Arroyo will have the toughest road. He is not scheduled to return until at least July. Even if he is to return, it will be tough to unseat one of the younger arms in the rotation, especially coming off such a serious injury.

Coaching Staff Analysis

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Exit former GM Kevin Towers and manager Kirk Gibson. Enter Dave Stewart and Chip Hale.

After four years of poor trades, most notably the Justin Upton deal, Towers was fired by the Diamondbacks. Kirk Gibson was also fired by Chief Baseball Officer La Russa.

La Russa cited "starting fresh" as the reasoning behind the changes. With new management, the expectations for success are now much higher.

Despite no GM experience, Jerry Krasnick of ESPN believes Stewart is qualified for the position. He emphasized that Stewart has the luxury of working with La Russa. This will help make the transition from a former player to a member of the front office painless.

Stewart has also been active this offseason in adding power pitching and other young players that should have fans excited for the future.

Hale will step into a manager role for the first time in his coaching career. He previously spent time with the D-Backs organization in 2006 under Bob Melvin. His fiery attitude may be just what Arizona needed after several lackluster seasons with a more reserved Gibson.

And, of course, with Tony La Russa at the helm, building a World Series team is never out of the question. 

Lineup Preview

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Projected Lineup

1. A.J. Pollock, CF
2. David Peralta, LF
3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
4. Yasmany Tomas, 3B
5. Mark Trumbo, RF
6. Aaron Hill, 2B
7. Chris Owings, SS
8. Tuffy Gosewisch, C
9. Pitcher spot

Bench

1. Cliff Pennington, INF
2. Ender Inciarte, OF
3. Oscar Hernandez, C
4. Cody Ross, OF

The D-Backs will put together one of their more talented lineups in recent years. Leading off, A.J. Pollock will look to improve on his career year. Last season, he hit .302 with 32 extra-base hits in 75 games.

Peralta should be a solid No. 2 hitter coming off a surprising rookie season. Peralta hit .286 with eight home runs in 88 games. He added nine triples while showing off his deceptive speed despite his large 215-pound frame. 

Then there's the gauntlet of Goldschmidt, Tomas and Trumbo. The three power hitters all have the potential to hit 30-plus home runs if they all stay healthy. Having Tomas and Trumbo behind Goldschmidt will not allow opposing pitchers to pitch around Goldschmidt as much as last season. They should also see plenty of RBI opportunities if Pollock and Peralta continue to get on base.

The final three positional spots are where the lineup trails off a bit. Hill is coming off a disappointing season in which he hit .244 with only 10 home runs in 133 games.

Owings showed some offensive potential last season, hitting .261 with six home runs in 91 games. But Owings' offensive still remains an unknown considering he has yet to play a full season in the big leagues.

Gosewisch could be a liability on offense and is a significant downgrade from Montero. A .225 batting average will not cut it in 2015.

Overall, the top half of the lineup looks fierce. The bottom half has potential but will need to at least be average to provide some stability.

Nevertheless, expect Arizona to score more runs this season and help out the new-look pitching staff.

Rotation Preview

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Projected Rotation

1. Josh Collmenter, RHP
2. Jeremy Hellickson, RHP
3. Chase Anderson, RHP
4. Rubby De La Rosa, RHP
5. Vidal Nuno, LHP

The D-Backs rotation this season does not look to be strong entering spring training. The only returning full-time starter from the 2014 rotation is Josh Collmenter. 

Collmenter is slated to be the Opening Day Starter after going 11-9 with a 3.46 ERA last season. However, he is not a top-of-the-rotation type of pitcher. His fastball only averages 86 mph.

His tomahawk-throwing style should be enough to keep hitters off balanced, but don't expect No. 1 starter numbers from Collmenter.

Acquired in a trade from the Rays, Hellickson will look to return to his 2011 form in which he won the AL Rookie of the Year award. He is coming off a surgically repaired elbow, but a change of scenery should provide him with a fresh start.

Chase Anderson had a solid rookie season in Arizona last season, going 9-7 with a 4.01 ERA. He won his first five career decisions, becoming the first pitcher to do so since Jered Weaver and Kaz Ishii.

He will look to avoid a sophomore slump after losing seven of his last 11 decisions in 2014.

De La Rosa and Nuno will round out the back of the rotation. De La Rosa went 4-8 in 18 starts in Boston last season, while Nuno failed to win a game after being traded to Arizona.

But both have reasons to be optimistic heading into 2015. De La Rosa's fastball ranges from 95-100 mph and will have a chance to make an immediate impact. This will give him time to mature.

Nuno, on the other hand, will hope for some better luck in 2015. Despite not winning a game, he pitched better than the numbers indicate. His ERA was a respectable 3.76.

Bullpen Preview

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Addison Reed, RHP, Closer

Brad Ziegler, RHP

Evan Marshall, RHP

Matt Stites, RHP

Matt Reynolds, LHP

Robbie Ray, LHP

Oliver Perez, LHP

Addison Reed will return as the closer in 2015. Last season he struggled, going 1-7 with a 4.25 ERA. He blew six saves. Surrendering home runs was the major issue for Reed, as he allowed 11 of them.

Expect the D-Backs coaching staff to look for any mechanical issues and resolve that problem heading into 2015.

A trio of right-handed pitchers will return to the bullpen entering spring training. The submarine-throwing Ziegler will likely see a lot of appearances in the seventh and eighth frames.

Marshall and Stites will look to overpower opposing hitters with their dominant fastballs. Both are only 24 years old and should be fresh. 

Then come the lefties. Old reliable, Oliver Perez was solid last season in specialized situations posting a 2.91 ERA. Reynolds had an impressive 2013 campaign with the D-Backs before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He should be healthy entering 2015.

Robbie Ray is the X-factor. He struggled mightily as a starter with the Tigers last season with an 8.16 ERA in nine games (six starts). If he can transition to a spot in the bullpen, he can provide some value to an Arizona bullpen that has struggled greatly the past two seasons. 

Prospects to Watch

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Peter O'Brien, C

O'Brien made some noise in the minor leagues last season for both the Yankees and D-Backs. He split time between High-A and Double-A in which he combined to hit .271 with 34 home runs.

This kind of power at the catcher position is something Arizona will likely be longing for after the departure of Miguel Montero.

If O'Brien continues to mash the ball, he could find his way to the big league roster sooner than later.

Braden Shipley, RHP

Drafted in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft, Shipley has a lot to live up to. After struggling in 2013, Shipley bounced back last season and combined to go 7-8 with a 3.86 ERA, finishing the season at Double-A.

He struck out 127 hitters in 126 innings. That is an impressive stat for a 22-year-old.

His fastball, which sits in the mid to upper 90s, complements his devastating changeup. His curveball has also steadily improved since being drafted according to Jeff Wiser from Inside the Zona. 

Shipley is looking like a steal for the D-Backs who could make an impact in 2015.

Archie Bradley, RHP

Bradley has not lived up to the hype since being drafted seventh overall in the 2011 MLB draft. He squandered an opportunity to win a spot in the rotation in spring training last year. 

However, Nick Piecoro has reported that Bradley looked better in the Arizona Fall League. His fastball was more lively and looked to have resolved some control issues that hurt him in the past.

If there's a time where Bradley can contribute, the time is now. The rotation remains a huge question mark entering spring training and is loaded with other young arms.

Watch out for Bradley to make an impact in 2015.

Breakout Candidates

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Yasmany Tomas

Tomas was signed to a six-year, $68.5 million contract with the D-Backs this offseason. Playing in Cuba, Tomas showed some serious power.

In 2011 with the Industriales de La Habana, he clubbed 16 home runs in only 69 games. He followed with 15 home runs in 81 games the following season.

In the hitter-friendly confines of Chase Field, Tomas should be capable of 30-plus home runs if he can stay healthy. Opposing pitchers will not have the luxury of pitching around him with Trumbo and Goldschmidt nearby in the order.

David Peralta

Peralta may have already had a "breakout" season in 2014. His combination of speed, power and fielding surprised D-Backs fans and MLB fans alike.

Beginning the season at Double-A, Peralta was called up and set the franchise record with 60 hits in his first 50 games.

If he can find his niche in the No. 2 spot in the order, Peralta will likely help Arizona score plenty of runs with the "big three" behind him.

Position Battle Predictions

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

The Diamondbacks' three most important training-camp position battles will be catcher, left field and the No. 1 starter.

Catcher

GM Stewart has made it clear that Arizona will not be acquiring another catcher this offseason. Gerald Laird was recently signed, but only to a minor league deal.

Tuffy Gosewisch is the starting catcher on the depth chart now and is the only D-Back with major league experience. That bodes well for him when he competes against Oscar Hernandez and perhaps Peter O'Brien for the job.

Gosewisch hit only .225 last season but played in a career-high 41 games. Hernandez is currently listed as the backup but has only reached Low-A ball. He is known for his defense where he posted a .982 fielding percentage. He threw out 41 percent of base-stealers. 

O'Brien is the attractive offensive option having hit 34 home runs last year in High-A and Double-A. But for now, the job is Gosewisch's to lose based on experience.

Left Field

Yasmany Tomas has earned praise from the Arizona organization for his job so far playing third base. Assuming that does not change, the left field position is David Peralta's to lose.

As mentioned last slide, Peralta broke out offensively playing in 88 games. He has also shown the ability to cover a lot of ground in the outfield despite his physical size.

His only competition right now is another young breakout player—Ender Inciarte.

Inciarte hit .278 while swiping 19 bags last season. He recorded the franchise's longest hitting streak for a rookie by recording a hit in 18 straight games.

Between Peralta and Inciarte, the latter possesses the better outfield arm. But Peralta has more power in his bat and with A.J. Pollock in center field covering ground, the better offensive player will win the job in left.

No. 1 Starter

Josh Collmenter is listed as the Opening Day starter on the depth chart. Unfortunately for Collmenter, that doesn't mean a poor performance in spring training cannot change that.

Jeremy Hellickson could make a run at the No. 1 starter position if he can put together a stellar spring training. Hellickson throws harder than Collmenter and has been an established starter throughout his career. 

Collmenter began his career primarily as a starter in 2011. Then he transitioned to a long reliever before becoming a full-time starter again in 2014.

Collmenter led the team in wins and ERA last season and is the only returning starter that is a lock to make the rotation. Unless Hellickson overpowers Collmenter in spring training, expect to see the tomahawk-tossing right hander on the mound Opening Day.