Multiple local and national media outlets are reporting that the Diamondbacks have agreed to a two-year deal with Kevin Towers to take over as the new general manager.
Interim Jerry Dipoto made it to the final cut. No word yet if he will remain on Towers staff and be groomed for the job.
The choose of Towers means that interim manager Kirk Gibson should be feeling a bit less secure in his chances to keep his job. Towers could bring in his own guy having been around baseball since his days as scout for the Padres in 1989.
Keys for Towers will be an extreme makeover of the D-backs horrible bullpen and addressing the lineup that just set a new major league record in team strikeouts (with 11 games remaining).
That means fan favorites like Mark Reynolds or Kelly Johnson could be gone.
Five of the National League’s top 15 strikeout artists start everyday for the Diamondbacks: “King of the K” Mark Reynolds (202); Adam LaRoche (157); Justin Upton (152); Chris Young (134); Kelly Johnson (133).
One would think guys like Young and LaRoche could adjust their approach to reduce their strikeouts but that’s got to start with an attitude adjustment in the club house.
In a recent Nick Piecoro article in the Arizona Republic LaRoche was quoted as saying that “98 percent of the time,” a strikeout is the equivalent of a ground out or a fly out.
NL West Drama
John Gambodoro tweeted that Towers was thrilled to take this job so he can “stick it to” his former boss, Padres CEO Jeffery Morrad.
The Padres recently hired A.J. Hinch as their VP of Professional Scouting to complete the hate triangle.