Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - If the 2009 Arizona Diamondbacks can get off to a hot start much like they did last season and stick to it this time, they could very well be back in the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

It's very important for ballclubs to open a season strong, and Bob Melvin's bunch did just that in 2008, racing out to a 20-8 record by May before imploding at the All-Star break. The hot start led many to believe that the Diamondbacks would represent the National League in the World Series. The National League West division was up for grabs at the end of the season, until the rival Los Angeles Dodgers added slugger Manny Ramirez and eventually came away with the division title en route to later reaching the NLCS.

General manager Josh Byrnes didn't do much in the offseason to bolster one of the lowest payrolls in the league, but the Diamondbacks are more determined than ever to prove that they are the cream of the NL West crop. Arizona possesses a strong rotation and a bunch of young sluggers such as Mark Reynolds, Chris Young, Stephen Drew, Justin Upton and Conor Jackson. The main ingredients, though, will be the right arms of Brandon Webb, Dan Haren and first-year D'back Jon Garland. Arizona has perhaps the best rotation in the division, with San Francisco right behind, and could produce at least 90 wins if its rotation can stay healthy.

The Diamondbacks have finished above .500 the past two seasons after three straight subpar campaigns. Arizona, which was 82-80 last year, will attempt to re-claim the glory from the 2007 campaign, when it went 90-72 before bowing out in the NLCS. The same-look Diamondbacks must stay consistent in order to do that.

Below we take a capsule look at the 2008 edition of the Diamondbacks, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2008 FINISH (82-80) - Second Place (NL West)

KEY OFFSEASON ADDITIONS: 2B Felipe Lopez, RHP Jon Garland, LHP Scott Schoeneweis, RHP Tom Gordon, LHP Travis Blackley.

KEY OFFSEASON SUBTRACTIONS: LHP Randy Johnson, 2B Orlando Hudson, OF Adam Dunn, RHP Brandon Lyon, RHP Juan Cruz, INF David Eckstein, INF Chris Burke, OF Jeff Salazar, C Robby Hammock, LHP Wil Ledezma, RHP Connor Robertson, RHP Edgar Gonzalez.

PROJECTED LINEUP: Felipe Lopez (2B), Chris Young (CF), Stephen Drew (SS), Conor Jackson (LF), Justin Upton (RF), Chad Tracy (1B), Mark Reynolds (3B), Chris Snyder (C).

PROJECTED ROTATION: Brandon Webb (RHP), Dan Haren (RHP), Doug Davis (LHP), Jon Garland (RHP), Max Scherzer (RHP)

PROJECTED CLOSER: Chad Qualls (RHP)

MANAGER: Bob Melvin

INFIELD

Slick-fielding shortstop Stephen Drew is back for his fourth major league season with Arizona and enjoyed a solid 2008 campaign in which he batted .291 with 21 homers, 67 runs batted in and 91 runs scored in 152 games. Drew has played at least 150 games in each of the past two years and has recorded a fielding percentage no less than .973 in each of the past three seasons.

Drew will anchor the middle infield with second baseman Felipe Lopez, who was acquired in the offseason after Orlando Hudson left for the rival Dodgers. The veteran Lopez spent last season with Washington and St. Louis, finishing with a .283 batting average, six homers, 46 RBI and 64 runs scored in 143 games -- 100 of which were played with the Nationals. The durable fielder and switch- hitter is making his fifth different stop in the majors.

Power-hitting third baseman Mark Reynolds is back for his third season at the big league level and boosted his power numbers in 2008. Reynolds appeared in 111 games in the 2007 campaign, hitting .279 with 17 homers and 62 runs batted in. He then returned last season to play 152 contests and batted just .239, but led the D'backs with 28 homers and 97 RBI. Reynolds, who is expected to bat near the bottom of the order, is one of the best young third basemen in the league, along with the Mets' David Wright and Washington's Ryan Zimmerman.

First baseman Chad Tracy will be back at first base for the first time since starting the 2005 season at the position. The former third baseman should be fully recovered from knee surgery that held him out of 50 games in 2008, when he recorded a .267 batting average with eight homers and 39 RBI. Tracy, who bats left-handed, appeared in just 76 games in 2007 after averaging 147 games played over his first three campaigns with the club.

Catcher Chris Snyder is coming off his best offensive season in 2008, when he posted career highs in home runs (16) and RBI (64). A strong defender and solid game-caller with the pitching staff, Snyder had an errorless 2008 season and threw out 31 percent of base stealers. He will be spelled by Miguel Montero at times.

OUTFIELD

Conor Jackson can thank Eric Byrnes for getting hurt last season, because the opening allowed him to become the team's starter in left field. Jackson played in a career-best 144 games in 2008 and hit a career-high .300 with 12 home runs and 75 RBI. The California product, who started last year at first base, is preparing for an even bigger year as the full-time starter in left.

Strong-armed center fielder Chris Young is back for another year in an Arizona uniform and is making the front office glad they signed him to an extension last spring. Young hit .248 last season with 22 homers and a career-high 85 runs batted in. In the previous year, he became made history by becoming the first rookie to record at least 30 homers (32) and 25 stolen bases (27). Young is also a doubles machine and is expected to bat near the top of the order.

Justin Upton will be a staple in right field for years to come and just completed his first full season in the big leagues. Upton, who appeared in 47 games during the 2007 campaign, catapulted himself on the map with 15 homers, 42 RBI and a .250 batting average last season. The 6-2, 205-pounder owns one of the longest homers ever hit in Arizona's Chase Field, a 484-foot bomb.

STARTING ROTATION

Staff ace Brandon Webb is coming off another sensational year in which he compiled a 22-7 record with a 3.30 earned run average in 34 starts. His 22 wins were a career best. Webb has won at least 14 games in four straight years -- all winning marks -- and won his first nine trips to the hill in 2008. The 2006 NL Cy Young Award winner has started at least 33 games over the past five years, and this season shouldn't be any different. Webb, a right-hander, will likely be in the running again for a Cy Young Award and a possible starting nod for the National League in the All-Star Game with his healthy mix of pitches.

No. 2 starter Dan Haren will also be trying to make more headlines for himself. Haren enjoyed his first season with Arizona in 2008, going 16-8 with a 3.33 ERA in 33 starts. The 16 wins were a career best and gave him at least 14 wins in four straight seasons. Haren, also a righty, and Webb did not miss a start a year ago and give the D'backs a true 1-2 punch on the mound.

Doug Davis is expected to be third in the rotation, and the only left-hander in among the starting group now that Randy Johnson is in San Francisco. Davis successfully battled thyroid cancer during the early part of last season and did not allow more than three earned runs in each of his last nine starts in 2008. The southpaw went 6-8 with a 4.32 earned run average in 26 starts a year ago.

New Diamondbacks right-hander Jon Garland is slated to pitch fourth in the rotation after one year with the Anaheim Angels. Garland was traded to the Angels in November of 2007 and posted a record of 14-8 with a 4.90 earned run average in 32 starts last season. He has spent his entire nine-year career in the American League. The veteran righty has made at least 32 starts in seven consecutive years.

Arizona's fifth spot will be a battle between Max Scherzer and Yusmeiro Petit, but Scherzer seems to have the inside track. Scherzer is the team's budding star, and the righty collected an 0-4 mark and a 3.05 earned run average through 16 games -- seven of which were starts -- last season. The winless record has no bearing on what he can accomplish this season and for years to come. Scherzer has a fastball that can reach 98 mph and will use it often.

Petit is entering his third season with the Diamondbacks and appeared in 19 games (8 starts) last season. He registered a 3-5 record with a 4.31 ERA.

Billy Buckner may also get a look for the No. 5 spot and went 1-0 in 10 relief chances last season. The D'backs don't have the diverse Micah Owings anymore after the team traded the right-hander to Cincinnati as part of the Adam Dunn deal. Dunn signed a deal with the Nationals in the offseason.

BULLPEN

The Diamondbacks will have a full house in the pen in order to keep arms fresh and avoid injury. Chad Qualls will be taking the mound in late innings as the team's closer and posted nine saves in 77 trips to the hill last season. The sinker specialist will take over full-time for the departed Brandon Lyon, who is now with the Detroit Tigers. Arizona will use both Tony Pena and Jon Rauch as setup men, while bolstering the bullpen with the addition of newcomers Tom Gordon, Scott Schoeneweis and Travis Blackley. Buckner will also mostly work in relief if he loses out on the No. 5 spot in the rotation. Lefty prospect lefty Daniel Schlereth should see some time at the big league level in 2009.

BENCH

Eric Byrnes is Arizona's top player off the bench with his no-fear style of play. The chiseled outfielder has played the last three seasons with the Diamondbacks, but only appeared in 52 games in 2008 because of an ongoing hamstring injury. He opted to rehab the leg instead of surgery, and his durability will be a big question. He had six homers and 23 RBI last year.

Alex Romero can play all three outfield spots and will be at Melvin's disposal, while infielder Augie Ojeda, first baseman Tony Clark and Montero are main reserves.

OUTLOOK

Arizona is pretty much running out the same team as it did a year ago, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. The offense struggled a bit towards the end of the 2008 campaign as Ramirez and the Dodgers stole the NL West crown, but this year the Diamondbacks should reach the 90-win mark for the fifth time in franchise history. Behind ace Webb and strong No. 2 starter Haren, the rotation will be an oiled machine, while Upton, Young, Jackson and Reynolds are expected to put up even better numbers this time around on offense. Melvin must avoid being outwitted by such counterparts as Bruce Bochy, Joe Torre and Bud Black in order to have the Diamondbacks back in position to make another run towards the playoffs. Melvin has a pair of steady right arms to rely on for that.