After what they have shown in the first quarter of the season, the Arizona Diamondbacks have a great chance to be the surprise team of the National League. That's in part due to the new faces they have and in part because the National League West lacks a standout team.

Seeking a
quick fix
Near the end of April the Diamondbacks moved into first place by a half-game in the NL West.

It was the first time Arizona led the division since the end of the 2002 season, when the Diamondbacks won their second straight NL West crown.

Many who figured Arizona to be in a rebuilding mode didn't see this team getting to the top of the division in the first month of the season, especially not after a brutal 51-111 record in 2004.

But Arizona's plan was not to rebuild, but rather try and reload to again become competitive in its division.

Early returns indicate the blueprint for this season is producing the desired results.

It's way too early to declare the Diamondbacks locks to be divisional contenders all season long, but at the very least they are certainly a much better team than they were a year ago.

A busy offseason 
Two major reasons the Diamondbacks have come a long way from the woeful club they were last season are their solid free-agent signings and their trade acquisitions.

In the offseason the Diamondbacks signed four key free agents: starting pitcher Russ Ortiz, slugging third baseman Troy Glaus, shortstop Royce Clayton and infielder Craig Counsell.

The four-year deals given to Ortiz ($33 million) and Glaus ($45 million) took many by surprise since they came after one of the Diamondbacks' owners, Ken Kendrick, asked Major League Baseball's Executive Council to forgive $80 million in loans to keep the team out of bankruptcy.

But the finances aside, Glaus was a question since he was coming off shoulder surgery, but it appears he has healed.

So signing Glaus was a gamble but a good one since at 28 he's one of the elite young sluggers in the game.

Arizona also dealt Randy Johnson to the Yankees and got back two starting pitchers in Javier Vazquez and Brad Halsey.

And another deal brought them outfielder Shawn Green from the Dodgers.

A couple of other big plusses have been the returns from injury of outfielder Luis Gonzalez and pitcher Brandon Lyon, although Lyon after picking up 13 saves in 18 games was placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 19 with mild tendinitis in his right elbow. The move is retroactive to May 13.

Gonzalez got off to a red-hot start after missing the end of last season due to Tommy John surgery.

He hit over .300 in the first quarter of the season.

With Gonzalez, Glaus and Green there is plenty of punch in the middle of Arizona's lineup.

The Diamondbacks have pretty good players at all the positions, and there are no massive holes evident when looking at this team.

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