Arizona Diamondbacks - Daily Fantasy Team Preview 2015

Vegas Win Total Projection: 72.5

Kevin Towers is no longer the Diamonbacks general manager, and things are changing in the desert. They aren't, however, expected to be a very good team this year. The team features some daily baseball talent in the lineup, but the rotation is lacking on options for usage.

Park Factors

Chase Field is a good ballpark for offense. The positive offensive ballpark factors begin with a 15% boost in doubles/triples to both lefties and righties. Lefties also enjoy a 13% pick-me-up in home run hitting while right-handed batters get a 7% lift. Offense as a whole gets a lift, too, with left-handed batters scoring runs 17% more than in a neutral park and right-handed batters doing so an additional 7% of the time.

Projected Lineup

Projected Rotation

Catchers With 2014 Framing Ranks

Tuffy Gosewisch- 24/79

Jordan Pacheco- 66/79

Tuffy Gosewisch is a bit better than average framing pitches, which is good, because his bat is worthless. He's not a longterm answer at catcher for the Diamondbacks, so his pitch framing skills might not help the staff for long. Jordan Pacheco could actually serve as the third catcher when all expected catching options are healthy, and that's good because he's terrible as a pitch framer. Don't expect extra strikes called for the group of hurlers the Diamondbacks send out there if Pacheco is donning the tools of ignorance.

Spring Training Storylines

Will Yasmany Tomas stick at third base?

Initial scouting reports of Yasmany Tomas' defense aren't favorable, and a move to the outfield would be bad for his fantasy value and potentially eliminate a useful daily game option from consideration. On the positive side of the ledger, Jacob Lamb has raked in spring training after doing the same at the Double-A level last year. He's not the type of prospect his minor league stats would suggest, but he does project to have average or better power and could sneak into punt GPP territory if he were to start at the hot corner.

Who will round out the rotation?

Josh Collmenter and Jeremy Hellickson are the only locks for the rotation. The rest is influx. There are some intriguing youngsters in the form of Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster, Randall Delgado, Chase Anderson, Archie Bradley, Robbie Ray and long shot Yoan Lopez. There are also some veterans hoping to right the ship in Trevor Cahill and Daniel Hudson. There are legitimately intriguing options in the mix, but all have faults and must prove themselves before being reliable daily options. The beauty of a young team like the Diamondbacks, though, is that they could provide some bargains at starting pitcher throughout the year as they attempt to determine who the best options are.

2015 Lineup Outlook

A.J. Pollock's season was derailed by injury in 2014, but his performance in 287 plate appearances was promising. He totaled a 134 wRC+ with a .196 ISO, 7 homers and 14 steals. He hit at a high level in the upper minors, and while his home run rate was greater than one should expect over a full season, he does have some thump and is fleet of foot. The 27-year-old outfielder appears to be quite adept at hitting left-handed pitching, and he should make for a solid outfield target in daily games when facing one.

David Peralta redefines what it means to be a late bloomer. The 27-year old played affiliated minor league ball in 2013 and 2014 and reached the majors last year, but prior to that, his last affiliated ball ties were with the Cardinals in 2007. It's an unusual path to success, but his underlying stats look legit. He's a non-option against southpaws and will probably be out of the lineup when one takes the hill, but if he hits in the two-hole against righties then he'll have bargain value in the outfield. The biggest obstacle to playing time could be Tomas getting shoved off the hot corner into the outfield.

Paul Goldschmidt is the star of the lineup, and he's one of the best hitters in the game. Even at an offensively rich position like first base, Goldschmidt stands out as a cut above most of the rest. He's no slouch against right-handed pitching, but given his exorbitant cost, he's best reserved for using against left-handed pitchers. Since 2012, Goldschmidt ranks fifth in ISO and tied for fourth in wRC+ against left-handed pitchers among qualified hitters.

Mark Trumbo's projected cleanup gig enhances his value, but he's simply not a good enough hitter against right-handed pitchers to warrant rostering under most circumstances. He is, however, very good against southpaws. His game features some serious swing-and-miss, so he's best reserved for GPPs due to his big thump That thump has resulted in the seventh highest ISO against left-handed pitchers among qualified hitters since 2012.

Aaron Hill had a down year in 2014. He totaled only a 78 wRC+ in 2014, but he was far better than that in his first two and one-half years in the desert. He's not a lock for hitting fifth, but the potential exists for that being the case. A cushy lineup slot would be favorable and help him regain daily relevance at second base. The position isn't deep on offensive talent, so the bar is low for him vaulting himself back into the mix.

Tomas is a pricey Cuban free-agent signing. His calling card is well above average power. His ballpark will help him max out his greatest attribute. There are red flags, though, and he's a player better monitored than used in the early going.

Chris Owings has his faults, namely below average plate discipline and a high-ish strikeout rate for a modest power hitter. Scanning across the shortstop position yields players with greater faults than his, though. He's posted an identical 94 wRC+ against right-handed and left-handed pitchers in his young big league career, and despite his low lineup spot, he'll be an option for daily gamers at a bad offensive position. Daily advice on Gosewisch is short and sweet, don't use him.

2015 Pitching Outlook

Josh Collmenter might be the worst ace in the league. He does a bad job of keeping the ball on the ground in a homer-friendly park, doesn't strike out many batters but does avoid issuing walks. The problem is, throwing strikes gets a starter only so far in the world of daily baseball. He won't be a betting favorite often, but in the rare instances he is, he could be useful on FanDuel. He'll rarely be a daily baseball consideration.

Jeremy Hellickson was once a promising prospect with the Rays. That said, since becoming a full-time big leaguer in 2009, his highest single-season strikeout rate is 19.2% in 2014. His proclivity for allowing fly balls won't fly -- apologies for the poor pun -- at Chase Field like it did at Tropicana Field. Hellickson could have daily game value in homer-suppressing venues, but even then, he's a bottom barrel option at best.

As I noted above, the rest of the rotation is up in the air. Delgado, De La Rosa and Webster are the names I'm most interested in. De La Rosa Throws hard and has some developing secondary pitches, namely his changeup. Control has been his biggest issue. Webster's repertoire features a pair of big batt missers in his slider and changeup, but like with De La Rosa, he has issues with control. Delgado is having the best spring of the trio and tallied an eye popping 13.4% swinging strike rate, per FanGraphs, out of the bullpen. All could be viable GPP bargain picks before they truly establish themselves as above average pitchers at the major league level.

Stock Watch

Up- Aaron Hill

Hill managed a 133 wRC+ in 2012 and a 124 wRC+ in 2013. His line drive rate last year should have yielded a better BABIP than the .276 mark he managed. He's 33 years old, but I have faith in a bounce back. If he rebounds, he'll be one of the better options at second base.

Down- Yasmany Tomas

Tomas' down arrow isn't just the result of a likely move from third base to the outfield. That alone would be reason enough to net the claim to being the Diamondbacks' stock down option. Comps to Dayan Viciedo are chiefly why he is a player who daily gamers should avoid at the outset of the season.

Daily Fantasy Outlook

A hitter-friendly home ballpark helps all hitters in the lineup for the Diamondbacks. There is star power in the form of Goldschmidt, a GPP pick in Trumbo, and a rebound option in Hill. Pollock is a promising young hitter, and value picks could be sprinkled in as well. If Hill is bumped up to second in the order against southpaws, a 1-through-4 stack would play well in daily games.

The rotation is one of the least exciting in the majors. It might not the worst, but it's one of the worst. Thankfully, the youth who will be called upon to prove themselves as long-term options could make for value plays. Finding the right arms to rely on in daily games from the Diamondbacks will require patience and digging into early season PITCHf/x data.

Resources

StatCorner Framing using a 1000 pitch minimum and ranks according to per game value.

ISO and wRC+ Statistics are from FanGraphs

StatCorner Park Factors Using a rolling 3-year average.

Vegas Betting Win Total Provided by Pinnacle Sports