Mike Hampton Retires; Russell Branyan Makes Club

With only a few days left until Opening Day, a few big moves were made that will effect the look of the Diamondbacks when the season opens up on Friday. Mike Hampton, who was fighting for a spot as a lefty specialist in the bullpen, has decided to retire after a 16-year career. Hampton’s carer includes stints with the Mariners, Astros, Mets, Rockies, Braves and most recently with Diamondbacks last season. A reason for his sudden retirement could be because of his struggles this spring. His ERA was over 11 in nine spring appearances. Jordan Norberto and Joe Patterson are now the two favorites to earn that spot in the bullpen. In another move to shape the roster, Kirk Gibson announced on Thursday that Russell Branyan will make the big league club after his huge spring. Branyan was brought in last month simply for some competition down at first, but Gibson and the staff loved what they saw out of him over the last couple of weeks. The veteran has hit .457 with four home runs and ...