SnakePit Round Table: And they're off!

So how we feeling?James: Allergy season really sucks, but I suspect the question is about the team. With regard to the team, so far, we have seen both the good and the bad that can be expected from the team this year. So long as the good ends up outweighing the bad, this could be an interesting season for : Been sick for a week since I got back from a work conference. But its the beginning of baseball season, so all in all, pretty great!Makakilo: Im feeling positive and optimistic about pickleballand about the Diamondbacks!I feel especially great about how well Alek Thomas and Eugenio Suarez are batting!I am happy that Jalen Beeks pitched well; my article about why I liked signing him will post mention to the excellent batting of Smith, Grichuk, Moreno, and Marte. DBacksEurope: The loss on Opening Day was disappointing but the Diamondbacks had a nice rebound the day after. At this moment there are still two more games to play but the offence so far has been a lot better than I anticipated. Having Walker for quite some years at first base did make it a huge shock to see Naylor move there : Not good. Clearly theyre going to go : A damn sight better than in the middle of the eighth this afternoon. But as I mentioned, 2-2 is fine given the clear room for improvement. The pitching in general has not been as hoped, with 23 runs allowed over four games. The B-bullpen has struggled. But keep averaging seven runs per game and well be : Mostly fine with where the team is. I have to hope the sloppiness is more a function of early season rust than a lack of discipline. Im less bothered by the physical errorsthan the mental onesthe FanGraphs Depth Chart projection was 77 a little luck, they could reach 81 play in a AAA As home stadium is Sutter Health parkextension through 2030Lawrence Butlerextension through 2031 or 2032Luis Severinosigned free agent with control through 2027Jeffrey Springstrade, with control through 2027DBacksEurope: I saw the Padres winning some tough games against the Braves and the Dodgers had to crack a hard nut in Detroit. Gore pitched a gem for the Nationals and I havent seen much more. What about em As?Jim: Oh, look. Were not a week in, and the Dodgers are running away with the division. Who could possibly have foreseen such an occurrence? Wesley: Im also disappointed that the ABS challenge system wasnt implemented for the regular season. The Dodgers getting off to a hot start is like the least surprising thing ever. The As looked much improved down the stretch last season and made improvements in the offseason, so I actually expect them to beat the projections. Can we get some of those new bats the Yankees are using??Ben: So far the biggest surprise has been Atlantas struggles out in San Diego. Theyve already lost the first three of the series and are trailing halfway through game four. Otherwise, its a lot of teams at Kevin Ginkel Jersey. 500 or close to it which underscores the parity we might get to see across the league this year. Dano: Im really interested to see how the first few weeks play out. More than any year I can recall recently, I really think a lot of the divisions are wide open. Theres no favorite in the NL Central or the NL Eastfor : Shocked it took so long honestly. Hes the only young arm they seem adamant not be a reliever so he made the most sense as a long term piece. Im really liking this new Atlanta-esque leadership group. As my friend Pete joked yesterday, all were missing is continually picking over the Athletics young players via trade. But I say flip Athletics with Marlins and were set. DBacksEurope: Its an interesting extension for probably the only good pitcher that has come out of our own minor leagues in I dont know 10 years or so? If Pfaadts ERA starts trending towards his FIP this will be good value for money and otherwise it will not hurt the Diamondbacks much. Once Gallen and Kelly leave, and maybe Burnes opting out, you need to have some stability in the rotation and Pfaadt could become that : The Diamondbacks value sustainability. Assuming excellent judgement, extending young players will increase team sustainability. Having a consistent core of players can lead to opportunities to build on that players early often results in team-friendly contracts. For starting pitchers, the Diamondbacks have recently had two free agent signings that did not work out. Its likely this extension will work out better than those two free agent signings. Wesley: I LOVE this deal. Pfaadt doesnt need to improve all that much for this contract to look like an absolute steal . Even if hes league average, its a good deal. If he actually becomes the guy we think he could be itll age like fine wine. Ben: Im with Spencer, Ive loved the Atlanta-esque nature of some of these extensions the team has gotten done recently. Pfaadts contract seems more based on promise than on results at the moment, but I trust this front offices intuition when it comes to extensions more so than for free agents at the : Im good with it. Ill be happy to see all the guys whove been extended stick around for awhile longer, at cheaper prices than they might have gotten in s one thing you would do to improve the in-person experience for MLB?James: For me, thats a very team and stadium specifice sort of question. To answer that with a blanket answer that covers all teams and venues though, bring back day baseball. Seeing a game during the day is just an entirely different : Im with James, each stadium is unique. Personally I enjoy the feeling of a minor league park but thats not feasible for an MLB team. DBacksEurope: When I went to see soccer in the stadiums back in the 90s youd pay around a buck to get some food. Even with inflation those prices are a lot higher than normal and I dont understand why those concessions need to be that high. Make it fun for people to have a day out so dont make them pay a fortune for something basic such as food and drinks. You dont want to tell your kid: no, you can order just one food thing because it is so terribly :In every in-person experience, I discovered something new to savor and I would do is keep newness and wonder in the fan : Personally, I suspect that much as with cinema-going, COVID broke the in-person MLB experience for me, and Im not sure it can be repaired Ildemaro Vargas Jersey. Between ticket prices, an hour on either end to get to/from home, crowds, available concessions, poor wifi, etc. it takes something special to get me off the couch to a game. Ill be going in a couple of weeks, because Bens coming to town, and the social aspect - hanging out with friends at the park - is the only appeal. Especially given the relative unimportance of a single game in the schedule, and the way the division is going to be a procession. Yeah, that couch is perfectly fine. Wesley: The in-game experience is non-existent for me, given that I live two hours away from Chase Field. When I have made the trip up I-10, the prices+quality of food has been so been so bad that I very likely wont bother the next time I go. Overall, its just not worth it to me anymore. I love the MILB experience when Ive been in Reno, which kinda says everything to me. MLB should be a better experience than a minor league baseball game. ln terms of actual constructive criticism, the Dbacks need to make it actually worth it for people in the Tucson area to make the trip up to Phoenix. Improve the quality of food, lower the prices, and DITCH ARAMARK as a food contractor. Theyre literally prison : I do think its interesting that nearly everyone brought up the cost of attendance. There does seem to be some attention being paid to that problem as first the Mariners and now the Orioles have introduced a Value Menu with drinks and food more closely hewing to more traditional levels. Personally, MLB needs to do more to make the experience unique: more fan interaction, giveaways, something. Its too easy, convenient, and cheap to watch the game from home and the league needs to make it worthwhile for people to attend. Dano: It would have to be the price of concessions. Its fun to go to a game for the atmosphere, and the live-game experience, but honestly, if I can see the action better and have a more comfortable seat and not have to pay $18 for a pint of beer, Im going to stay home just about every time. Of course, like Wes, its a two-hour drive up the 10 for us, so were already disincentivized to attend in person. Its kind of sad, though, how much it costs once youre inside the park.

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