Reddit AMA: Thoughts on Druw Jones, Lovullo, Trade Deadline and more

Recently, I did a Reddit AMA. You can read the entirety of the AMA here. Below is an excerpt of it. Some of the questions have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

Hi Steve, love your work. What is your opinion on Druw Jones? Do the Diamondbacks still believe in him? Also, are there any prospects -- other than the ones we have seen come up already -- that we should be aware of, as a potential guy in the next few years?

Appreciate the kind words on my work, thank you.

As for Druw Jones, yes, the Diamondbacks still believe in him. Sometimes, it takes players a little longer to make their way through the Minors for a variety of reasons, but he's got an OPS of .744 after a really good June so he's bounced back from a tough start. His defense is still elite in center, so from a defensive standpoint he could play in the big leagues today.

As for others we could see in the next year or so, keep an eye on infielder Demetrio Crisantes. David Hagaman, who came over in the Merrill Kelly trade, is someone they are extremely high on. Right-handers Ashton Izzi and Daniel Eagen are a couple of pitchers in Double-A that have a bright future.

There are more, but those are some of the ones that you haven't seen up here yet.

What’s your take on the “fire the manager” play? I never liked it, because at the end of the day it’s the players who are out there who need to put balls in play and get outs. I don’t know why everyone wants the manager to suddenly make a pitcher throw strikes.

Managers have always wound up being the fall guys for teams that struggle and I think the only time making a change is the route to go is if there is a lack of effort by players or if the manager has lost the clubhouse -- players tuning him out, disrespecting him, etc. That is not the case with the Diamondbacks, in my opinion.

Love reading your work. A lot of people here on Reddit and social media are always mad at Torey for lineup and game decisions. Many people like to bring up his losing record as the D-backs skipper and how he continues to start players like Pavin Smith, Adrian Del Castillo, Jose Herrera and Jorge Barrosa even when they continue to be bad. I personally love Torey, but I wanted to ask: How much job security does Torey have as our manager? I just wonder if Mike Hazen has had thoughts about firing Torey and getting a fresh voice in the clubhouse.

I know that Torey seems to take a lot of grief at times from fans and I understand it's out of frustration because they want the team to play better. That being said, some of the criticism that I hear about playing some players who are struggling … you've got to look at the roster he has and the other options he may or may not have. For example, the Diamondbacks haven't had much production out of the first base position this year. Torey has tried a number of different players there who just have not clicked. But he can only play the players he has on the roster.

Hazen is well aware of what he's given Torey to work with, and while no manager is perfect, Hazen appreciates the way Torey communicates with players and keep the ship afloat during tough times. Last year, when Hazen sold at the Deadline, the team didn't pack it in, but they were actually above .500 after the Trade Deadline. To me, I think that shows Torey still had a really good hold over the clubhouse. This is the last year of Torey's contract, so we'll see what happens, but I don't get the sense that Hazen has any desire to change managers.

Hey Steve! Thanks for doing this again. With the Trade Deadline coming up, there’s been reports of Hazen wanting us to be buyers. Any ideas on who the D-Backs may target, and who they potentially would be comfortable parting ways with?

And to keep things light, what’s your favorite stadium food at Chase Field?

Hazen would definitely like to be a buyer. It kills him to be a seller. Now, where the Diamondbacks are three weeks from now is going to be what determines what he can do. First base seems like an obvious need, and we'll have to see what happens with the rotation between now and then both in terms of health and performance to see if he's going to have to add a starter as well. The bullpen looks good at the moment, but he typically always likes to add arms down there. I think Hazen is willing to deal from a good farm system, but typically, he will only do that if it's for a player that has more years of control as opposed to just a rental.

As for food, I'm a big fan of the meatball sandwich from the Hungry Hill stands.