The Arizona Diamondbacks’ prized acquisition from the offseason has had a nice start to his Spring Training. It’s not much of a story but regardless, it’s a baseball story. After a nightmarish tenure in the Bronx, Johnson had to have been stoked when he was traded to the Diamondbacks for a few prospects.
“I’m feeling a lot better than I did the last time I picked up a ball, let’s put it that way,” the 43-year-old Johnson said. “For the first step, off the mound today, I felt very pleased and I think I’m heading in the right direction. I’m very happy about that.”
Johnson may be 43 but heading to a weaker division in the weaker league, I like his chances of rebounding nicely. He started his time in New York by shoving a cameraman and it never got better from there. Sure, he won 17 games both seasons. But he got hit around in the playoffs in both 2005 and 2006, while posting a career high ERA of 5.00 last year.
His 2006 also sucked for another reason: being named 2nd Unsexiest Male Celebrity in America by the a Boston newspaper, The Phoenix. What, you don’t like 6′10 pitchers with a mullet, mustache, and rocket arm?
While we’re not set to start our MLB preview until later this month, I actually see big things from the Diamondbacks this year. There’s lots of good, young players coming through that system and in the National League West, it may not take much more than 84-85 wins. With a rotation that includes Johnson, Brandon Webb, Livan Hernandez, and new acquisition Doug Davis, it could be an exciting year in the Desert.
