CARACAS, Venezuela, Dec. 30 (UPI) — Melvin Mora, who was released by the Arizona Diamondbacks in June, announced in Venezuela his retirement from Major League Baseball.

Mora, who was released from the Diamondbacks after hitting .228 in 127 at-bats and had earlier said he would return to baseball if the right opportunity presented itself, said while visiting his home country Thursday he will not be returning to the sport, The Baltimore Sun reported Friday.

Mora, 39, was traded to the Baltimore Orioles by the New York Mets in July 2000 and spent 1,256 of his 1,556 career games with the team, making two all-star teams and winning a Silver Slugger award and Most Valuable Oriole honors during his tenure with the team. He left the Orioles as a free agent following the 2009 season.

By Ryan Bafaloukos

– Intern

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Dec 29, 2011 – With 2011 quickly coming to an end SB Nation Arizona has decided to give out its first ever 2011 End of the year Awards or EOYAFSBNA’s for short. Over the next four days we will be giving out awards for the best of the best in Arizona Sports in the year 20111. First up is Arizona Coach of the Year.

The Choice: Kirk Gibson: Manager, Arizona Diamondbacks- Although there were plenty of outstanding coaching jobs done all over the state of Arizona in 2011, Gibby takes the cake.

In his first full season as the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Gibson went 94-68 and led the Diamondbacks to the NL West Division Title. Gibson led the snakes back to the postseason for the first time since 2007 and Arizona was one win away from advancing to the NLCS.

Gibson took a team that had been underachieving the past three years and got the best out of them. When their shortstop, Stephen Drew, was lost for the season, Gibson and his team did not miss a beat. Gibson knew when to be agressive this season, and he knew when to lay back and let his team play baseball.

The most impressive trait that Gibson showed in 2011 was the ability to get the best out of his players. Most would say the D-Backs did not have the most talent in the NL West. However, Gibson took what he had and got the most out of it. Guys like Ryan Roberts, Gerardo Parra and Ian Kennedy all had career years under Gibson. Even Aaron Hill put up major numbers after he was acquired from the Blue Jays.

It looks like Kirk Gibson will be with the Diamondbacks for many years to come which is a good thing for Diamondback fans. Right now, Kirk Gibson is the 2011 Arizona Coach of the year from SB Arizona.

Honorable Mention: Sean Miller, U of A Head Basketball Coach- Miller was a very close second. In his second season at the helm of the Wildcats Miller led the team to a 30-8 regular season record and was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year. Miller brought U of A back to basketball reverence in 2011 leading them to the Elite Eight, a loss against eventual national champion Connecticut 65-63. Miller is set up for years at U of A as he has the number one ranked recruiting class ranked by ESPN for 2012.

Who do you think is the 2011 Arizona Coach of the Year?

For all the latest AZ sports news, follow us on Twitter @SBNArizona and “Like” us on Facebook.

Read More: 2011 end of year awards, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondbacks

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The Diamondbacks declined to offer salary arbitration to pitchers Joe Saunders and Micah Owings, and although that doesn’t mean they won’t bring one or both pitchers back, they did add to their bullpen with the reported signing of veteran free-agent Takashi Saito.

General Manager Kevin Towers is out of the country and wasn’t immediately available for comment, but according to sources and various reports, the one-year deal for Saito was in the process of being finalized Tuesday.

The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, did offer salary arbitration to its remaining arbitration-eligible players – catcher Miguel Montero, third baseman Ryan Roberts and relievers Brad Ziegler and newcomer Craig Breslow.

The Diamondbacks traded for Breslow and starting pitcher Trevor Cahill last week. Acquiring Cahill could make Saunders expendable, although the team has had hopes of resigning him.

However, the Diamondbacks were not willing to pay Saunders the $8.5 million he likely would have been awarded in arbitration, which is why they declined the offer. They did extend a two-year offer to Saunders, but he refused it and made a counter offer that the team refused in turn.

Assistant general manager Billy Ryan told the team’s website that both Saunders and Owings could still be brought back, saying, “We communicated to them that we are still open to dialogue and encouraged them to keep the lines of communication open.”

The additions of Saito and Breslow would seem to make it less likely Owings will return, however.

If the Diamondbacks were going to go from 65 wins to National League West champions, it was not going to be with just who they had in the majors.

The Diamondbacks developed their young players on the fly to transform the team as the season went. Even with late-season rookie starter Wade Miley off the postseason roster, the Diamondbacks carried six rookies in the National League Division Series. At times, the rookies carried them.

Josh Collmenter went from spending 2010 at three minor-league levels and starting the 2011 season with Triple-A Reno to being a Game 3 winner, giving up two hits over seven innings. Paul Goldschmidt was a Double-A player until August but will be remembered for his decisive triple in a division title-clinching game and grand slam in Game 3 of the NLDS.

Collin Gowgill had a clutch pinch-hit in Game 4 after 92 big-league at-bats. Reliever Bryan Shaw was at his best in the series, making four appearances without giving up a hit. Joe Paterson struck out Prince Fielder. Jarrod Parker, a top prospect with 2012 rotation potential, made a playoff appearance after just one regular-season outing.

“When you get a group like this that can win so many games, go to the playoffs and be so close to reaching our ultimate goal, you can’t help but think, ‘If we keep these guys together, what could we do?’” Goldschmidt said, taking a break from packing his locker after the team returned from Friday’s Game 5 in Milwaukee. “But there are so many things that change in the future. Every team is going to be making moves.”

Diamondbacks Manager Kirk Gibson said during the series that the staff wanted to make each rookie understand the team’s aspirations and approach when they came up.

“You try and put people in situations and try to motivate them to believe in themselves and fight through some of the negative things and maybe some of the labels or stereotypes,” Gibson said. “The sky’s the limit.”

Collmenter began the season in the minors and moved to the Diamondbacks’ bullpen before his deceptive delivery and pitch command earned him a rotation spot for 24 starts. He went 10-10 with a 3.38 ERA, saying he learned from the staff how to prepare for games and force the issue on the mound with an aggressive style.

“Knowing I didn’t have to change anything to have success here,” Collmenter said of his best lesson. “That’s one thing that I wanted to make sure I didn’t do, to try to pitch outside what I was capable of or what I had done to get me to this point.”

He said it was a point of pride to see friends that had come through in the minors rise through the organization and to the occasion.

Shaw, Collmenter’s teammate last year in Double-A Mobile, was sent back to Triple-A Reno at one point this season, where he said he captured his fastball command and stopped overthrowing. His slider remained his go-to pitch and he struck out the side in Game 5 on Saturday with each batter going down on a slider. He faced 13 batters in the postseason, getting 12 outs and walking one.

“We had an extreme amount of rookies this year that contributed very well to the team and the success that we had,” Shaw said. “It’s just great to contribute to the farm system and all the guys we have coming up. Obviously we were doing something right to get as many guys up here as we are.”

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The Arizona Diamondbacks fell 3-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night, snapping the team’s two-game win streak. Arizona drops to 87-73 on the season.

The Dodgers came out swinging and put points on the board right away, scoring two runs in the very first inning. Matt Kemp and Jerry Sands both hit singles to drive in runs, and the Diamondbacks gave up four total hits in the inning.

The game turned into a defensive showdown from there, with both teams failing to score again until the eighth inning. Geoff Glum grounded out to the short stop and brought Ryan Roberts in to score in the top of the inning, pulling the Diamondbacks within a run at 2-1. The Dodgers, however, countered with a run of their own in the bottom of the eighth on a single by Aaron Miles. A single by Miguel Montero in the top of the ninth gave the Diamondbacks one more run but left Arizona with a 3-2 loss.

Pitcher Daniel Hudson (16-10) pitched seven innings, allowing five hits and two runs while striking out four batters. The pitcher had led his team to victory in each of his past four wins but fell just a little short in this one.

The Diamondbacks fall to 87-73 on the season and move into a tie with the Milwaukee Brewers for second place in the National League. Arizona leads the San Francisco Giants by seven games with 12 games left in the season.

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Late-inning deficits are no problem for the Arizona
Diamondbacks.

Chris Young scored the go-ahead run on a bases-loaded walk in the 10th
inning, lifting NL West-leading Arizona to a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles
Dodgers on Tuesday night. It was the Diamondbacks’ 44th comeback victory, tops
in the majors.

“We get frustrated sometimes, but overall just a good game,” said manager
Kirk Gibson, a former Dodgers star. “We felt the pressure, but we performed
well. We didn’t make any big mistakes and finally got a run across.”

Gerardo Parra(notes) sparked the Diamondbacks with a tying homer off Hong-Chih Kuo(notes)
with two out in the seventh, then a leadoff single in the 10th.

After Aaron Hill(notes) sacrificed and Justin Upton(notes) struck out, Javy Guerra(notes) (2-1)
issued consecutive walks to Miguel Montero(notes), Paul Goldschmidt(notes) and Young, helping
Arizona win its second in a row and sixth in seven games. The D-backs are 8-4 in
extra-inning games.

“It’s a pressure situation,” Young said of Guerra’s jam. “He had been so
successful at home and he has great stuff. He lost control. It happens every now
and then.”

Micah Owings(notes) (7-0) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win and J.J. Putz(notes)
finished for his 40th save in 44 chances.

Arizona starter Ian Kennedy(notes) was denied his 20th victory. The right-hander
gave up four runs and seven hits, struck out four and walked one in six innings.
It was his most runs since July 3, when he allowed seven in a 7-2 loss at
Oakland.

“I wasn’t commanding it as well. It wasn’t as sharp as it had been,
especially with two strikes,” said Kennedy, who was getting over a cold bug
that has hit the team. “I kind of let the team down. It was tough.”

Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley(notes) allowed three runs and four hits in 6 1-3
innings, struck out two and walked three in his fourth straight no-decision.

“The past few starts have been a rough stretch,” he said. “I’m trying to
find my delivery again and trying to figure it out, I guess. I’m just going to
keep working.”

Matt Kemp(notes) was hitless in five at-bats, including three strikeouts, for the
Dodgers a day after going 2 for 4 with a homer in the series opener. Los Angeles
has dropped three in a row.

Montero drove in three runs, including a two-run homer—his career-best
16th—in the first that gave Arizona the lead. His sacrifice fly in the third
trimmed Los Angeles’ advantage to 4-3.

The Dodgers scored four runs on five hits off Kennedy in the bottom of the
first.

Kemp hit a sacrifice fly, then James Loney(notes), Aaron Miles(notes) and Jerry Sands(notes) had
two-out hits. Loney doubled into the right-field corner, Miles singled to center
and Sands doubled into the left-field corner to complete the scoring in the
34-minute inning.

NOTES: The Dodgers lost their first extra-inning home game of the season and
fell to 8-2 in extra-inning games. … Kennedy has allowed one run or less 15
times this season. … The Diamondbacks are 7-2 at Dodger Stadium with one game
remaining. … The Dodgers have gone 14-5 in RF Juan Rivera’s(notes) 19 starts in the
cleanup position. He went hitless in four at-bats.