Arizona Diamondbacks' Conor Jackson (right) celebrates with teammate Justin Upton after Jackson scored against the San Francisco Giants in a September game in Phoenix. The two and fellow outfielder Chris Young seem to be the team's best hopes for star status.
For all the economic woes and budget restraints, the Arizona Diamondbacks are a well-constructed team. They have what it takes to win a division.
Yawn.
What they need is a star. What they need is someone on the field to be more popular than the team’s color commentator Mark Grace.
They need someone to bust out, bash the baseball and make people gasp in awe. They need someone to galvanize their fan base, like Manny Ramirez has done with the Dodgers.
Is that you, Justin Upton?
“That guy is a five-tool player,” catcher Chris Snyder. “His talent is incredible.”
Is that you, Conor Jackson?
“I’m not going to lie to you,” Jackson said. “Last year, I was trying to hit home runs. I was trying to do it, and nothing good comes from that. I think the move to left field has settled me down quite a bit.”
Is that you, Chris Young?
“I think our outfield is amazing,” Young said.
In the worst-case scenario, the 2009 season will be more of the same. Pitching will keep them close, in games and in the standings, but an erratic, strikeout-prone lineup will take the oomph out of the Diamondbacks, and their fans on a maddening roller-coast ride to mediocrity.
During the haze of spring training, manager Bob Melvin has done everything he can to make his hitters put the bat on the ball. That’s important.
In a best-case scenario, the 2009 season will unveil one of the most athletic, potent outfields in the game. Jackson is the team’s best hitter. Young is a great athlete with great power, a smart kid who admits he had too many weaknesses by the end of last season.
And then there’s Upton, a physical specimen referred to by friends as “J-Up,” the kid who could become Phoenix’s next Larry Fitzgerald, if he’d only reach his potential.
“We drive each other,” Young said. “We live together in spring training. We hang out together during the season. We know how to make each other click. And I’ll say this: He knows the game isn’t easy, but he’s ready to go. His approach has been perfect. I think he’s going to have a huge year.”
The growing connection between these three young outfielders has created an interesting dynamic in camp. Eric Byrnes is returning from a lost season, and the former fan favorite is desperate to please his manager. He wants his position back in the worst way. But Jackson, Young and Upton seem to represent the future, the heart of the lineup. Who is going to sit?
Jackson is clearly liberated from the gut-churning pressure he felt while playing first base. The Diamondbacks don’t want to mess with his comfort level. Meanwhile, Young and Upton are almost inseparable now, and probably cover more ground than any two outfielders in baseball. “Watching those two (Young and Upton) hang around together, you see how iron sharpens iron,” Snyder said. “Both of them are primed to have incredible seasons.”
Good, because the Diamondbacks sorely need a good start. The ticket-buying market has crashed in almost all sports, and baseball teams that struggle from the gate are going to get hammered by the economy.
The Diamondbacks have a chance. They have enough quality pitching to remain competitive. They have nifty opposing attractions for sale, like Ramirez in Dodger Blue and Randy Johnson’s return with the Giants. But they need something to turn on their fans, and we’re not talking about air conditioning.
The Diamondbacks need someone to command our attention. Namely, a star.