Mobile BayBears 2009 Review

The 2009 Mobile BayBears went 37-33 in the first half of the season before falling to a disappointing mark of 29-41 in the second half. Perhaps no other Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate suffered more from their star players advancing through the system, as new D-backs manager A.J. Hinch aggressively promoted some of his favorite prospects up to help him at the big league level.   Full Story

Matt Torra stole the show for the BayBears on Monday night at Smokies Park as he flipped a four-hit shutout and bopped a three-run homer, lifting the BayBears to a 6-0 walloping of the Tennessee Smokies.   Full Story

The North routed the South 7-0 in the Southern League All-Star Game, but three Mobile BayBears participants enjoyed solid performances, including surprise starter and promising Diamondbacks prospect Matt Torra.   Full Story

A look at the wide receiver competition may have uncovered a player ready for action according to Dolphins coach Tony Sparano.   Full Story

Matt Torra's early season struggles in Moblie this year were puzzling given how well he performed there in 2008 before holding his own in Triple-A. Torra has put those troubles behind him, as he tossed 16 shutout innings this week, making him the third BayBear this year to win Southern League Pitcher of the Week honors.   Full Story

Cyle Hankerd gave Matt Torra and the bullpen all they would need Thursday, as the Mobile BayBears edged the Jacksonville Suns 2-1 Thursday night. The victory keeps Mobile half a game behind the division leading Birmingham Barons, who also won Thursday.    Full Story

Finesse southpaw Evan MacLane will play for his third organization after being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. The Arizona Diamondbacks have not yet announced a replacement on their Triple-A Reno roster.   Full Story

Mobile BayBears opening day starter Matt Torra allowed just two hits, Gerardo Parra reached base five times, and Bryan Byrne knocked in three runs, but it was two incredible defensive plays that stood out in the BayBears' 5-4 victory over the Huntsville Stars.   Full Story

95% of the time, it's pretty easy to see where Josh Byrnes, A.J. Hinch, and Jack Howell are coming from when they assign a minor league player to a particular level. But every so often, a player finds himself at a level that appears either too easy or too advanced for him. Here are five such head-scratchers.   Full Story

A great curveball not only gives a pitcher a strikeout pitch, but it makes his fastball all the more effective. Ask Brandon Webb about that sometime. Inside, FutureBacks.com ranks the five Arizona Diamondbacks prospects with the best curveballs.   Full Story

The Arizona Diamondbacks have set their 40-man roster and have left a few prospects vulnerable to selection in the December 11th Rule 5 Draft. One in particular should draw serious interest from other organizations.   Full Story

The Grand Ballroom of the Downtown Marriot was rocking on Tuesday afternoon as the 2008-09 edition of the Louisville Men’s basketball team was introduced to the sold out Tipoff Luncheon crowd.   Full Story

Gary Kubiak and the Texans wasted no time making their final roster decisions as they released 21 players and are currently one away from the final roster number of 53.   Full Story

The Texans just signed former Arizona Cardinals running back Marcel Shipp. By simply looking at the stats, we can easily find out that Shipp gained 2197 yards with 11 touchdowns in six seasons in Arizona. But those generic stats don’t tell the whole story. Two experts give us their takes.   Full Story

The Texans made a couple personnel moves yesterday by placing guard Fred Weary on the injured reserve and signing former Arizona Cardinals running back Marcel Shipp.   Full Story

The Cardinals took a loss on their first organized game of 2008. However, don’t be disheartened; even though victory was not in the Cards, a few observations have revealed valuable information about the upcoming season. From quarterback battles to penalties, penalties, and more penalties, here are 10 facts that have come to light after Thursday’s game.   Full Story

After seven years, the Arizona Cardinals have decided to part ways with RB Marcel Shipp. The cut allowed the Cardinals to make room for free agent guard/center Jasper Harvey, which addresses the pressing concerns concerning injuries to the offensive line. The cut is good news for rookie Tim Hightower who possibly just landed a No. 2 role.   Full Story

Once voluntary practices and minicamp ended, the focus this offseason turned to GM Rod Graves, who faces several challenges.In addition to the usual tasks, such as signing draft picks, Graves must try to negotiate contracts with a handful of disgruntled veterans. Or, more likely, get them to understand that the team doesn't have the cap space to address all of their contracts this offseason.   Full Story

Tim Hightower is getting rave reviews, while Steve Baylark craves a chance to break onto the scene. Marcel Shipp looks to fortify his role, and J.J. Arrington needs to rebound from a rocky off-season. All know they could be the long-term replacement for Edgerrin James. Which competitor will be left standing in this game of musical chairs? Read on as AZRedReport.com gets the music gets started.   Full Story

How do you dethrone a player that has flirted with a .400 batting average from the top spot of the FutureBacks Power Rankings, which detail the 45 hottest prospects in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization? Well, flirting with an .800 slugging average is a good start.   Full Story

While the Cardinals main contributors this season will come as no surprise, there are several potential gems buried deep on the depth chart. With a healthy dose of young and talented prospects, a few could emerge from the shadows. Brad Wilbricht outlines which players could outperform their expectations in this AZRedReport.com exclusive.   Full Story

Five BayBears got selected to the South Division All-Star team, but only four of those players will appear at the game on July 14th: Matt Torra was promoted to Triple-A in June, and therefore won't make the trip to North Carolina.   Full Story

Cesar Valdez, ranked the 24th-best prospect in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization in April here at FutureBacks.com, earned a promotion to Double-A Mobile Wednesday after tossing a flawless inning in the Hi-A All-Star game on Tuesday.    Full Story

AZRedReport.com analyzed 49 players either looking for a roster spot or ready for their return to the lineup like Chike Okeafor. The rankings come complete with the key training camp battles to watch this summer. Looks like the fight for the No. 3 receiver is going to bring the heat, but the Cardinals will win either way. Discover spots 28-22 in the third installment of this series.   Full Story

The FutureBacks Power Rankings expand to the 30 hottest prospects in the organization, as for the first time ever, we include Dominican Summer League players on our list. Also, for the first time his year, someone other than Max Scherzer ranks #1.    Full Story