With the exception of a couple of lagging Venezuelans, everyone in now accounted for in the Diamondbacks’ Spring Training camp down in Tucson, and the games themselves start next Thursday. So it seems like a good time to take a look at ten issues which merit your attention over the next month or so, as we head towards Opening Day.

He’s back! But how’s his back? Expect every pitch thrown by Randy Johnson to be subject to scrutiny, during his return from back surgery. At time of writing, he still hasn’t taken the mound, so we’re still some way off seeing him throw in a competitive situation. Diamondbacks fans will be waiting on tenterhooks until then. Will we get the mediocre, semi-effective version seen in 2005. Or were his back problems the cause of his poor season? And if so, have they been entirely resolved? Only time will tell…

Who’s Number 5? If I’d to call it right now, it looks like Edgar Gonzalez will be the regular fifth man in the rotation, and it would probably take injury to derail him. He pitched very well at the end of 2006, and is an entirely different pitcher from the one who went 0-9, with an ERA above nine, back in 2004. Micah Owings still needs to work on his non-fastball pitches before he’s ready full-time, but could see some action at the start of the season, to cover us until Johnson is 100%.

Close(r) to the Edge Jose Valverde currently has the inside track on the closer’s job, but expect him to be on a fairly short leash early in the season. There could be an issue brewing over his pitch selection, with the team wanting him to stick to his fastball and splitter, while Jose would prefer to mix it up more. If you’re at any games, watch to see if Valverde is shaking off catcher suggestions, and what the results look like. If he falters, Jorge Julio, Tony Peña, Juan Cruz and Doug Slaten could all get the chance for saves.

Catcher in the Eye Speaking of the man behind the plate, Chris Snyder should get the Opening Day nod, but this will be one of the most interesting areas of the team, with Miguel Montero (left) clearly the long-term future of the franchise. If he lives up to expectations, expect him to get more playing time as the season wears on. It’ll be interesting to see how manager Bob Melvin uses these two, with Snyder right-handed and Montero a southpaw. That may affect their outings, but Melvin’s fondness for the “hot hand” will probably also be a factor.

Relief Workers To mis-quote Dirty Harry, “I know what you’re thinking. “Did he use seven relievers or only six?” Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself.” With the hope that our rotation will be better equipped to pitch deep into games, there’s suggestions we may go with only six men in the bullpen. However, that seems unlikely, at least initially: we need to see what we get, and the early schedule is brutal with only two days off in the first five weeks. An extra arm could certainly come in very handy, just to be safe.

Bench Press Assuming we go with seven relievers, that means only one spot open on the D-backs bench, with Clark, Montero, DaVanon and Callaspo looking solidly inked in. Could be difficult, with two of the contenders (Scott Hairston and Dave Krynzel) both out of options, meaning they have to be on the roster, or risk another team sweeping them away on waivers. Such considerations may trump performance or need: Robbie Hammock, who caught Johnson’s perfect game back in 2004, has been hampered by injury since but is now another contender, and his six-position versatility is a plus. Infielder Brian Barden seems an outside bet.

Trade Winds While most of the bullpen slots appear similarly occupied, Jorge Julio’s status remains in question. As a “proven closer”, whose 99 saves put him in the top thirty active players, he could command a nice bounty in trade. We saw spring deals last year, which brought us Callaspo, Jeff Bajenaru and Cruz, but we may wait until injury or ineffectiveness forces another team into action, at which point we strike. [Bwah-hah-hah!] Scott Hairston and prospect Chris Carter may conceivably also be packing their bags before Opening Day.

Can I take your order? The Diamondbacks have no obvious leadoff man, and no prototypical cleanup hitter either, so it’s going to be interesting to see who gets these jobs in Spring Training. Almost every spot from 1-8 is undecided, in fact, and expect Melvin to try a number of lineups on for size. Also, keep an eye out, to see how much he adjusts the card based on whether the opposing starter is a lefty or not. Some spots - catcher and the corner outfields position - seem like prime candidates for a platoon situation.

Youth movement Let’s take a look at the likely Opening Day lineup for your Arizona Diamondbacks, with their ages at that time, and number of MLB games played:

• C: Chris Snyder, age 26, 205 games
• 1B: Conor Jackson, 24, 180
• 2B: Orlando Hudson, 29, 619
• SS: Stephen Drew, 24, 59
• 3B: Chad Tracy, 26, 442
• LF: Eric Byrnes, 31, 652
• CF: Chris Young, 23, 30
• RF: Carlos Quentin, 24, 57
• P: Brandon Webb, 27, 130

It’s a young, inexperienced team, but one with huge potential. Patience is a keyword here; they will struggle, they will slump, but let’s hope management sticks with them, as the upside of the Arizona roster is among the best in the major-leagues.

It all counts for nothing Few things are as meaningless as Spring Training results: last year, the D-backs started off beating the World Series champ White Sox four straight times, by a total score of 41-15. And stats are equally misleading: infielder Jerry Gil almost replaced Andy Green on the roster after batting .385 in March 2006. But when the season started, that talent apparently evaporated: he hit .128 in Tucson, got sent down to Double-A, and was finally traded to the Reds in October for a High-A pitcher. Bear that firmly in mind for the next month - whether the results are good or bad.

[Jim McLennan writes with near-fanatical zeal about the Diamondbacks at AZSnakePit.com, part of the SportsBlogs Nation network, and also set up DiamondbacksBullpen.org, a forum for fans. He lives on the wrong side of the Scottsdale tracks, with his wife Chris, two children, and two dogs who think they're named "Down" and "Getoutofthedamngarbage". His D-backs column appears on AZ SportsHub every Friday.]

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