ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

ESPN: D-backs have a nice future ahead of them

Feb 17, 2012, 10:09 PM | Updated: 10:30 pm

We all felt like the Diamondbacks had a bright future
ahead of them, with a talented young core and a stocked
farm system.

The national perception isn’t much different, it turns
out.

According to ESPN’s
Future Power Rankings
, which is an Insider piece, the
Diamondbacks rank 8th among teams with the best chance for
sustained success over the next five years.

The rankings were done using a grading scale that, quite
frankly, we’re not qualified to understand, but suffice to
say baseball experts Jim Bowden, Keith Law and Buster
Olney are fans of what’s happening in the desert.

It’s funny what a difference a year makes. If we did these
rankings a year ago, the D-backs probably would have been
in the bottom third. But then Justin Upton became a
superstar, Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson developed into
high-end starters and the club added two top-10 draft
picks, one of whom (Trevor Bauer) is ready to contribute
this season.

The best thing the D-backs have going for them, according
to the grading scale, is the minor league system, which is
closely followed by the talent at the major league level.

It’s noted that another advantage the D-backs have is the
fact that there is no dominant team in the NL West, so
Arizona figures to be in the hunt on an annual basis.

But, as Bowden notes, the next five years will not be
challenge-free for the team.

The biggest challenge facing Arizona will be how to keep
the team together in the next five years. With so many
young players on the current roster, salaries will
increase past their midlevel status. And the club still
needs long-term solutions at second and third base.

Indeed, and it will be up to Kevin Towers and Co. to
determine who is worth paying to keep around and who the
team could do without. Choose wisely, and the team will be
among the league’s best for a while.

Make a mistake, though, and their time at the top could be
short-lived.

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