Arizona Diamondbacks

Revolutionize might be a strong word; dominate might be a little more apropos.

With the signing of his new, six year, $51 million mega-deal yesterday, Justin Upton has officially arrived.

He now has his franchise’s backing on his path to greatness and super-stardom.

As we begin this decade, he seems to be one of the best young players in all of baseball. Upton, only 22 years old, is now the face of the Arizona Diamondback franchise and, within time, might be the face of MLB as well.

Major League Baseball is an interesting animal. On the one hand it is entrenched in its history and trying to move it forward into a new century is like pushing a rope. This of course has positive and negative implications.

On the one hand, it is that historical perspective that brings continuity to the game that spans generations. It makes it possible for children, parents, and grandparents to all speak the same language of baseball comparing players and games from very different eras.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are officially locking down their future in the signing of Justin Upton. The Diamondbacks and Upton agreed to a six-year $51.26 million contract extension yesterday.

The deal will carry him through the 2015 season, when he will be turning 29 years old.

Upton batted .300/.366/.532 with 26 homers, 86 RBI, and 20 stolen bases last season. He is expected to be well worth the money but only time will tell if he will really produce.

I am going to have to admit, I am pretty tired this morning.

Last night was the playoffs of my Team Trivia league, and it was a long night for a Tuesday.

Like the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, we finished in second place and earned a silver medal.

While we didn’t accomplish our ultimate goal of finishing first, I will take solace in the fact that we finished ahead of a team that had a girl who was on Jeopardy! on their squad.

Justin Upton is a star.

Apparently, so is Josh Byrnes. The GM reportedly has reached an agreement with the 22-year-old slugger for six years at around $50 million.

I recently posted that I believe the Arizona Diamondbacks will take the NL West with 88-plus wins in 2010.

Well, that wasn’t just a bunch of silly nonsense that I predicted just because I like Justin Upton (even though I do). I truly believe the D’Backs are the team to beat in 2010.

My reasoning? Well, position for position, I think they have more talent.

So let’s indulge ourselves for a little bit. Here are my breakdowns in the NL West in 2010.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have a fascinating history, however short it may be.

When they played their inaugural season in 1998, owner Jerry Colangelo had a sole purpose, to win the World Series, and he wanted it soon.

Unlike their fellow expansion team, the Tampa Bay Rays, who were owned by Vince Naimoli and struggled for most of their existence, Colangelo financially supported the team from the beginning and his dedication led them to their eventual championship in the 2001 season.

Just a few weeks after throwing off a mound for the first time, Brandon Webb threw 45 pitches yesterday in a bullpen session, according to MLB.com:

It was only a bullpen session, but the 45 pitches Brandon Webb threw on Thursday morning had the D-backs feeling good.

Today was one of those Sedona Red lettered days that mark an Arizona Diamondbacks fan’s life. Today was the unofficial reporting day for all position players to report to Spring Training. I say “unofficial” because it’s not technically the day when players are required to report.

Since pitchers and catchers began reporting to the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, you could find other position players starting to roll into town to begin baseball workouts. The actual required deadline for players to be in camp is Tuesday March 2, 2010.

Melissa Segura of Sports Illustrated is reports that the Arizona Diamondbacks have signed Dominican OF Socrates Brito. The 17-year-old, left-handed hitting Brito will reportedly receive a six-figure contract from the club.

The contract will also includes a scholarship allowing Brito to continue his education. The contract is uncharacteristically large from a Diamondbacks perspective, but the team felt confident based upon the scouting reports they received from its Latin American operations.