Batting Order: One of the best top-to-bottom lineups in baseball, Arizona is deep enough to bat an OB 10 last! While the top of the order lacks potent power hitters (although Justin Upton and Jay Bell will hit their fair share of HRs), the consistency found in spots 1 thru 6 is incredibly. Luis Gonzalez is a great 3 hitter. The power is mainly found in the 7 and 8 spots, with two truly powerful bats. With the great OBPs the DBacks are expecting will be above them, count on plenty of 3 run or grand slam HRs coming from Finley and Williams. Montero's valuable enough for his +8 arm, but he should get on-base a ton too, giving Arizona an extremely dependable offense.
Rotation: One of the best in the NL, Arizona brings three aces into the 2014 season. Randy Johnson is a strikeout machine and is supported by high control, high success pitchers like Ian Kennedy and Wade Miley. Anderson is a relatively inexpensive tier 3, control 5 pitcher to round out the rotation.
Bullpen: A weakness, as it's thin and not great, but certainly not a glaring hole in the DBacks armor. Putz should be a solid closer and Ziegler is a very capable set-up guy. Swindell has a low control but he doesn't give up doubles. They'll also be helped by Johnson and Kennedy's high IP totals.
Overall: Arizona is, on paper, a serious contender for the NL pennant. While they've had a history in past simulations of flopping and not living up to their potential, expect them to break the curse this year with consistent, solid hitting and great pitching. They'll certainly be up against stiff competition in the NL West, but they should be considered the preseason favorites to emerge on top.
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