This was supposed to be the year…the year that the Diamondbacks replicated their 2007 success, showed how much talent they had, and took over the National League West. They had all the pieces. Webb, Haren, Drew, Upton, Young, you name them. But for some reason, they just can’t pull it together.

First, Brandon Webb gets hurt after his first start and is said to come back in September, if at all. Then, Eric Byrnes turns back to his normal Eric Byrnes self. Stephen Drew still can’t get it together. The only guy really performing well is Upton, who has been beasting. If I were to start a team with a player under 25, he’d be near the top of the list. Other than that though, underachievers across the board. It’s astonishing, really.

Fans in Arizona and general baseball fans like myself can only hope all that young talent and potential they have will materialize. Aside from a few guys, the Dodgers are a pretty old team, and can’t last forever. The Giants are up and coming, as are the Rockies. They might have missed a chance to get a World Series ring for now, but with all of that young talent on the team, plus guys like Jarrod Parker in the minors, it’s hard to believe those guys will be bad for long. It’s still not out of the question to predict 1 or 2 championships for them led by perennial MVP, Justin Upton. Trust me, he’s that good. Get him to keep his numbers improving, get Stephen Drew to start playing like he’s supposed to, get Webb healthy, and try and get Mark Reynolds to strike out less, and they’re on to something. Believe me.