xico Series concludes this afternoon against the Colorado Rockies."Diamondbacks News[D’backs.com] D-backs enjoy meeting with Mexican fans - Somewhat surprised to learn that the D’backs only had one Mexican born player on the roster for this series http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey , Miguel Aguilar, considering the diversity on their roster. The Mexico Series against the Colorado Rockies this weekend serves as a litmus test should Major League Baseball decide to expand to the country in the future as has been discussed previously. [D’backs.com] Lovullo, D-backs connect with Monterrey on trip -[AZ Central] Luke Weaver wiggles out of jams as Diamondbacks rout Royals - Back in Arizona the remaining portion of the D’backs roster who did not make the trip to Mexico destroyed the Kansas City Royals in innings 6 through 8. At the beginning of the bottom of the 6th, Arizona was trailing 5-to-1, but scored 7 of their 13 total runs that inning en route to victory. 5 of those runs that frame came with 2 outs already in the inning and 2 of them were walked in. The Royals committed 4 errors in the game, so not as if they were doing much to help their cause.[Arizona Sports] D-backs’ starter Luke Weaver focused on extinguishing ‘big innings’ in 2019 - Luke Weaver took the mound for the D’backs against the Royals and struck out 3 over 3 & 1鈦? innings, but he also allowed 6 hits. Fortunately, he was tagged for only 1 run in this outing. [The Athletic] ‘That’s what it’s supposed to feel like’: Everything is clicking for Robbie Ray - It’s a long shot, but there is a roadmap for the Arizona Diamondbacks to make the postseason in 2019. It begins with their pitching staff. A healthy Robbie Ray, one more closely resembling his 2017 self than 2018, will go a long way in replacing the production lost by Patrick Corbin’s departure. [AZ Central] Shaped by facial paralysis, Taylor Clarke embracing MLB spotlight with Diamondbacks - I’m always intrigued by these types of stories during Spring Training concerning our upcoming minor leaguers that we otherwise wouldn’t hear of until they reach the majors. Taylor Clarke and his family discuss his facial paralysis on the right side and offer their insights as to how it could have happened. He was 10 pounds at birth and his mother somehow, kudos to you moms out there, *checks article again and clears throat, broke her tailbone during his birth.Around the League[Syracuse.com] CNY native Patrick Corbin, now with Nationals, looks to use change-up more - Plenty has been written about Patrick Corbin’s pitch mix here at the Pit and at Fangraphs. In my opinion, the most significant reason for his success last season was almost completely abandoning the changeup in favor of a slower, looping version of his slider that was classified by some as a curveball. It did wonders for him as his changeup was never really an effective pitch. Maybe working side by side with Max Scherzer http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey , one of the best pitchers in the game, can aide him in throwing the change effectively?[Forbes] Clayton Kershaw Highly Doubtful To Make Opening Day Start For Los Angeles Dodgers - Here we are heading into the fourth season of Zack Greinke’s contract, and it looks like he’ll be healthy taking the start for Arizona on Opening Day against the Los Angeles Dodgers while Clayton Kershaw watches from the bench. Greinke’s contract has handcuffed the D’backs, but not for reasons we were initially told. His contract is a roadblock to roster construction because of the percentage of payroll it takes up for Arizona. However, he has arguably delivered its value with his performance on the mound during his time here. From 2016 to the conclusion of the 2018 season, Greinke has started 17 more games than Kershaw and pitched 83 more innings, while providing roughly as much value. There is no denying that Kershaw is one of the best when he is on the mound, but that’s just the issue, when he is on the mound. Arizona will likely have their ace ready to go, knock on wood, when the season starts while Los Angeles will not.[MLB Trade Rumors] Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Suffers Oblique Strain - Vlad Guerrero Jr. has “suffered an oblique strain” and will probably need a “rehab stint” in the minors to ensure he is ready for the season. Between Matt Moore’s numbers and the price of the contract, it was a very shrewd signing from Al Avila"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Detroit Tigers AnalysisDetroit Tigers Prospect NotebookDetroit Tigers Game ThreadsDetroit Tigers NewsDetroit Tigers PodcastsDetroit Tigers AnalysisHere’s why signing Matt Moore was a good move for the TigersNew,38commentsBetween Matt Moore’s numbers and the price of the contract, it was a very shrewd signing from Al AvilaByRon Wolschleger@FIPmyWHIPNov 28, 2018, 10:00am ESTShareTweetShareShareHere’s why signing Matt Moore was a good move for the TigersWendell Cruz-USA TODAY SportsThe Detroit Tigers reportedly came to terms with left-handed pitcher Matt Moore on Tuesday. Moore will be paid somewhere between $2-3 million for one year, as both sides hope he can rebuild some value after a few lost seasons. But you’re here to read about whether we at BYB think this is a sound move.The good news about this signing is that he has been cheaper than almost every other fourth or fifth starter the Tigers have signed the past several years. He could easily provide quality innings in the fourth or fifth spot in any decent rotation, including Detroit’s... when healthy. He’s had his share of injuries over the years, including Tommy John surgery in the spring of 2014. He has been healthy the past three years http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey , though, making at least 30 appearances in each of the past three seasons.The first thing to know about Moore is that he’s not the type of high velocity, high strikeouts pitcher teams are hoarding these days. However, he can strike out quite a few batters comparatively to other pitchers at his level, with around 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings the past three seasons. He isn’t great when it comes to limiting walks, with 3.4 walks per nine the past three seasons.The one benefit with Moore compared to many older pitchers the Tigers have signed over the past several years is he is still somewhat young and definitely still coachable. With fewer than 900 major league innings under his belt, he may still have time to adjust and adapt to the current landscape, which gives him an advantage over past lower-level starters the Tigers have signed.Moore’s fastball averaged 92.3 miles per hour in 2018, so we know he’s not a high velocity pitcher. His saving grace is the movement on his pitches. He has above-average movement on all four of his pitches; his four-seam, cutter, changeup and curveball, as the graphic below shows. The above-average movement has allowed him to keep his batting average against at .269 and his home runs per nine innings at 1.13 the past three seasons.Baseball SavantDespite being above league average in pitch movement, one concern with Moore has been the sharp decline in vertical and horizontal movement on his fastball. His terrible HR/9 mark of 1.68 testifies to that issue. Previously mentioned by RJ Anderson of CBS Sports in a piece written about free agent pitchers, Anderson notes, “In 2013, Moore’s fastball had nearly 11 inches of “rise”; in 2018, it was down to 8.81 inches. The pitch’s horizontal movement has also suffered, and he recorded less ‘run’ last season than he had in any of his other full big-league seasons.”Anderson seems skeptical that Moore will bounce back due to his poor performances in the 2017 and 2018. However, I am not as pessimistic. His splits at the pitcher-friendly AT&T Park in 2017 are promising http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-giancarlo-stanton-jersey , and he was hurt by a lack of run support in 2017 and 2018. Moore was a premiere starter from the beginning of his career, including being a top prospect and an All-Star in 2013 prior to fizzling out as a top-level arm. However there are still flashes of sheer dominance, including a seven inning, one-run performance last year with the Texas Rangers, and an eight inning, one-run performance with the San Francisco Giants in 2017. Before we jump to any conclusions with respect to Moore’s signing, let’s take a look at the previous fifth starter role for the Tigers.Tigers 5th Starters since 2016StatFIersMooreSanchezPelfreyStatFIersMooreSanchezPelfrey*Age and Contract in first/final year with Detroit; Moore’s contract is worth between $2 and $3 millionWhile Moore is not above and beyond previous fifth starters in the Tigers system, there are a few things that separate him from any previous fifth starter that the Tigers have had in their system the last three or four years. First, Moore is three years younger than any other Tigers fifth starter at the time of their signing over the past four years. Second, Moore is far cheaper than any fifth starter the Tigers have signed in recent memory, signing a deal worth less than $3 million; the previous cheapest fifth starter the Tigers had was Pelfrey at $6 million. Also, of the the previously mentioned starters, Moore has fewer innings on his arm than any of the other starters.Of course, he may seem limited duty as a starter.It’s possible with the plethora of starters the Tigers have available in the minors that Moore may be relegated to the bullpen, which might not be a bad thing considering how difficult it is to find solid left-handed relievers. Regardless of which role Moore is assigned to or whether that role changes or evolves throughout the season, he may post better numbers than were use to seeing from these lower tier signings. Look for Moore to make a decent impact with the Tigers, and provide solid versatility, next spring.