Arizona Diamondbacks Spring Training: Five Battles To Watch For

SETUP MAN

Jul 31, 2013; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher

(40) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 7-0. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Diamondbacks brought in Addison Reed to be their closer, so that role seems pretty well set. However, the 7th and 8th innings are still in question. They’ve got situational extraordinaire Brad Ziegler, the fireballer David Hernandez and the old veteran J.J. Putz. While having options is nice, having a specific role tends to be a lot easier to manage.

Putz was good when he wasn’t injured in 2013, Hernandez was as shaken as we’ve seen him as a pro and Ziegler is excellent, but he’s probably best used in specific spots. That leaves Putz and Hernandez, realistically.

I’d hate to see Hernandez go down the drain here, because he needs a jolt of confidence. When he’s right, he’s the perfect kind of setup man. In fact, it appeared as if they were grooming him to become the future closer. With that said, Putz is right for the role to start the season. We’ll see how Gibby plays this one out.

Michael Dunlap is an NBA credentialed writer who is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief for the Sports Illustrated/Fansided NBA site HoopsHabit.com and the Arizona Sports site HeatWaved.com. He also covers high school sports for The Arizona Republic. Follow me on Twitter @DunlapNBA.