SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Among the Diamondbacks' offseason priorities was to add to their pool of young, quality starting pitchers. Judging by spring results, it went swimmingly.
Rookies Archie Bradley and Robbie Ray remain in contention for the final relief spot, as the D-backs are concerned with bullpen length entering the season. But both are seen as starters long-term and part of a large and impressive group that includes Allen Webster, Aaron Blair, Braden Shipley and Yoan Lopez. All got a taste of the big-league camp this spring, and they showed enough promise to think that what is generally regarded as a major-league weakness going into the season could soon be a major plus.
"Right how, it is just awesome to see the depth that we have at our minor-league level that at any time can be called upon," D-backs pitching coach Mike Harkey said.
"They all excite me," D-backs manager Chip Hale said. "I think they are all going to be big parts of our season this year and in the future."
Arrival time is always the most difficult part of the equation. Some take longer to develop than others, and for that reason Harkey offers no predictions on when, or in what order, the youngsters will break through.
"Nobody knows when their time is," Harkey said "It's opportunity and being prepared when that opportunity arises. A lot of time it becomes, is it your turn (in the rotation) in the minor leagues? Is it the same turn we need in the big leagues? Sometimes it's just necessity. Sometimes it falls into you are only going to be here for a few days, and before you know it you are here for 13, 14 years. You always know when you are going to get released or sent down, but you never know when you are going to get called up."
In the meantime, Harkey said, "it's keeping perspective and building it pitch-by-pitch instead of worrying about when you are going to get called up."
Bradley, 22, has been the most polished of prospects this spring, and it has shown in his command of the strike zone and his poise on the rubber. He has further integrated his curve ball, both in throwing it for strikes and in taking the next step by learning to throw it for balls, with batting chasing helplessly.
Robbie Ray
Allen Webster
Yoan Lopez
Aaron Blair
Braden Shipley
"He is completely different from last year, which is awesome because you can see the maturity starting to take effect," Harkey said. "Overall presence on the mound. just looking like he actually has an idea of what he wants to do. Being able to execute pitches."
Bradley, the seventh pick in the first round of 2011 draft, was the victim of outsized expectations last season when, despite a relative lack of experience, he was included among candidates for the spot in the rotation after going 14-5 with a 1.84 ERA in two minor league stops in 2013. An elbow strain later held him back.
Harkey can relate. The fourth player taken in the first round of the 1987 draft, Harkey was the dubbed as the savior of the Cubs' staff after being the 1988 minor league player of the year.
"We put a lot on Archie last year, and probably a lot of it unfair, assuming that he was ready because of the year he had in Double-A," Harkey said. "But it's a big jump from Double-A to the big leagues. Some guys handle it better than others. Obviously, it wasn't his time. He's grown tremendously, and we're looking forward to seeing him."
Bradley is 2-2 with 2.30 ERA entering his final start of the spring Wednesday against Cincinnati.
"Of all the starters we have seen all the way back to Blair and Shipley, Bradley has been the most consistent," Hale said. "In that way, impressive. The stuff has been good."
Ray, 23, acquired in the Didi Gregorius three-team deal, has shown a power arm, hitting 97 mph with his fastball. He is developing his curve, but command issues have been a factor in his 1-3, 7.71 ERA spring record.
"Ray has had his tough innings, but you can see his stuff is there when he is right," Hale said.
Webster, 25, who came from Boston with Rubby De la Rosa, had a rocky spring made worse when he was ejected for hitting a Los Angeles Dodgers' batter unintentionally after both dugouts had been warned. He was 0-1, 8.18 in 11 innings.
"His stuff is pretty electric when he is right," Hale said. "So if he can things going the right way, in the right direction, he can be another guy who can help us."
Blair, Shipley and Lopez have been reassigned, and it would not be a surprise to see all three of them land in the starting rotation at Double-A AA Mobile, depending on the trickle-down effect of the D-backs' final roster decisions.
Blair, 22, 6-foot-5 and 229 pounds, was the D-backs' minor league pitcher of the year in 2014, when he was 9-5, 3.56 ERA in stops at Class A Visalia and Double-A Mobile. A sandwich pick in the 2012 draft, Blair was tied for second in the minors with 171 strikeouts in 154 innings.
"What I see from Blair, it's a way more polished product than I've seen in a lot of younger pitchers," Harkey said. "He's a command guy who has three quality pitches that he mixes and throws from strikes. Now, for him, the big thing is getting innings. He's got to get innings, get experience and work off it. He's a throw-back pitcher. Big, intimidating, and he pounds the strike zone. He is a good asset to this organization."
Shipley, 23, was 7-8 with a 3.86 ERA at three levels in 2014, moving from Class A South Bend through Visalia and on to Mobile. He also played in the Futures Game.
"He can pitch like a power pitcher, or he can pitch like a finesse pitcher," Harkey said. "He has multiple talents that he seems to use pretty well. He has three plus pitches that he mixes in and out of the zone."
Lopez, 22, who signed for an $8.25 million bonus that cost the D-backs about that much again in tax money to major league baseball, showed good secondary stuff and a fastball in the low-90 mph range. The D-backs hope that is simply a starting point.
"We expect it to gain more velocity as he gets stronger and gets more experience," Harkey said. "Fastball command is what he is lacking, and that is going to determine when he gets to the big leagues. He'll be a mid-90s guy once he gets enough innings and starts building confidence. Once they figure out how to pitch, they end up letting it go and relaxing, and that's when they get the most out of their arm."
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