Stephen Drew was supposed to be the next big thing for the Arizona Diamondbacks but things don’t always work out the way teams hope. In 2011, Drew only played in 86 games, finishing with a .252 average, five home runs and 45 RBIs. Now, he is questionable for Spring Training in 2012.

The big injury took place on July 20 while Drew was sliding into home plate. The break to the ankle was nasty and it was obvious that the shortstops season was over with. Drew underwent ankle surgery in July and doctors have not yet cleared him to play. He also underwent hernia surgery in the offseason. The ankle is a bigger concern but both medical procedures make him questionable when it comes to rebounding from his down year in 2011.

In 2006, the Diamondbacks thought they had a superstar on their hands. Shortstop is already a weak position in Major League Baseball and when a team finds a keeper, they have someone to treasure. In his first season in Arizona, he finished with a .316 batting average, five home runs and 23 RBIs.

It was the only year he finished over .300.

In his first season as a full-time starter, Drew finished up with a .238 average and an ugly .370 slugging percentage. He did hit 12 home runs and 60 RBIs but those did not discount from his disappointing season.

He rebounded the next season with career high numbers for a full season, including a .291 average, 21 homers and 67 RBIs. It looked like he was finally turning things around. He never hit those levels again and has a .270 lifetime average.

One thing that hurts Drew as he prepares to return was the play of Willie Bloomquist after his injury. The veteran came in and hit .266, his best batting average since 2008, with four home runs and 26 RBIs. They are not huge numbers but he also scored 44 runs and helped Arizona make it to the World Series. He also stole 20 bases, a tool that Drew never held.

Bloomquist is not the future at the position and the Diamondbacks still believe that Drew is. However, with Bloomquist on the roster, Arizona does not have to rush Drew back from his injury. It looks like he might not be ready for Opening Day, and if he misses that, it is okay.

Stephen Drew will be back. Whether he can ever be the star Arizona hoped he could be is another story.

Source: MLB.COM

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MILWAUKEE – The Diamondbacks hope second baseman Aaron Hill’s next two years will be similar to his final six weeks of the season.

Hill agreed to terms on a two-year contract with the Diamondbacks worth north of $10 million – a deal that will be finalized once as he completes a physical exam tentatively scheduled for early this week, according to a source.

Hill earned $5 million last season with the Toronto Blue Jays and Diamondbacks, who acquired him in a mid-August deal that revitalized him offensively.

Hill hit .315 with 16 extra-base hits in 124 at-bats after the trade, helping the Diamondbacks secure the National League West title. He had struggled offensively for much of the previous two seasons with the Blue Jays.

Hill’s acquisition means Ryan Roberts will remain at third base and settles the Diamondbacks’ infield, with the other positions manned by first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and shortstop Stephen Drew, assuming the latter recovers fully from ankle and groin surgeries.

PHOENIX (AP) – The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed infielder
Willie Bloomquist to a two-year, $3.8 million deal.

Bloomquist became a free agent when he turned down his end of a
$1.1 million mutual option on Nov. 1. He signed with Arizona last
offseason and became the everyday shortstop when Stephen Drew broke his ankle on July 20.

Bloomquist hit .266 with four homers and 26 RBIs in 97 games last season.

Arizona also signed right-hander Chris Jakubauskas to a minor league deal. The 32-year-old pitched 32 games for Baltimore last
season, including six starts, and went 2-2 with a 5.72 ERA.

Jakubauskas is 8-10 with a 5.58 ERA in three major league seasons with Seattle, Pittsburgh and the Orioles.

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed infielder Willie Bloomquist to a two-year, $3.8 million deal.

Bloomquist became a free agent when he turned down his end of a $1.1 million mutual option on Nov. 1. He signed with Arizona last offseason and became the everyday shortstop when Stephen Drew broke his ankle on July 20.

Bloomquist hit .266 with four homers and 26 RBIs in 97 games last season.

Arizona also signed right-hander Chris Jakubauskas to a minor league deal. The 32-year-old pitched 32 games for Baltimore last season, including six starts, and went 2-2 with a 5.72 ERA.

Jakubauskas is 8-10 with a 5.58 ERA in three major league seasons with Seattle, Pittsburgh and the Orioles.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Published: Nov. 9, 2011 at 5:03 PM

PHOENIX, Nov. 9 (UPI) — Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Willie Bloomquist agreed to a two-year contract with the National League club Wednesday.

Bloomquist hit .266 with 26 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 97 games in 2011 when he became the starting shortstop after a season-ending ankle injury to Stephen Drew in July.

He’s a .264 career hitter in 10 seasons with Seattle, Kansas City, Cincinnati and the Diamondbacks.