Hall hosts Instagram chat with fans

D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall interacted with fans during a chat on Instagram today. Hall answered questions about Randy Johnson's new role with the club, where Tomas will start the season, and who will be catching for the D-backs in 2015.

Hall: Welcome to today's chat. We are excited to again coordinate one through Instagram.

@jor_cal: If you could, summarize Randy's new role, such as his responsibilities and his primary objectives for the upcoming year, etc.

Hall: Randy will wear several different hats, helping the business and baseball sides and will attend our major events throughout the year. Where he will contribute most will be in uniform working with our young pitchers in Spring Training and throughout the summer.

@colbystratten38: What stood out about Coach Hale amongst the rest?

Hall: Definitely his organizational knowledge, having cut his teeth here and managed with tremendous success. But what stood out amongst the candidates was his energy, passion and unparalleled leadership.

@tygy1996: When are you guys planning to retire Randy Johnson's number?

Hall: We plan to honor his Hall of Fame induction this summer and are looking for the ideal date to retire #51, hopefully this season.

@mikey_ford_27: What is the pitching rotation gonna look like this year and what trades are you going to try to execute?

Hall: It's nice to have options and depth there with Collmenter, Cahill, Hellickson, Nuño, De La Rosa, Webster, Ray and Anderson. And we look forward to Arroyo and Corbin coming back from surgery as well as the potential arrivals of Bradley, Blair and Shipley.

@calebm1tch: Yoan Lopez cleared, are we going after him?

Hall: We have been scouting and watching him intensely of late. He is an extremely talented international pitcher with seemingly huge upside.

@jacob_gionet: Who do you think is most likely to be the D-backs starting catcher?

Hall: It is an area that we continue to discuss with other teams to see if there is another fit. However, we have Gosewisch and Hernandez ready for spring and O'Brien getting closer. But we will continue to kick the tires on improving there.

@perez122089: The D-bat dog coming back this season?

Hall: The D-bat will most definitely be back for 2015. It was one of our most popular food items, having sold 10,000 times.

@gaverdine: Is Randy going into the Hall as a D-back?

Hall: We certainly hope so and should learn very soon. It makes sense with him having his best years here. And if there is to be one player to become our first in the Hall, it should be R.J.

@screenscreams: What are the "ticket holder" road trips this year?

Hall: Those haven't been identified yet, but we hope to have an answer in the next few weeks. Please stay in contact with your ticketing representative for further updates.

@imdback82: What are the plans with Tomas? Minor Leagues at first or no? Do you want him preferably in the outfield or at third base?

Hall: We do not want to put pressure on him at this point and would be comfortable with him starting in the Minors, as many of his colleagues from Cuba have as well. His spring performance will dictate where he goes. We know he can play the outfield corner positions and were recently impressed with a workout at third base.

@joeyhernandez12: The one thing that I feel like this organization is missing is an arm at the top of the rotation. Are there any free agents that you are interested in?

Hall: We had our effective ace who unfortunately got injured in Patrick Corbin. Difficult to find and replace. For teams like us, aces are usually developed within the system, signed internationally or acquired through trade at a young age.

@edminty84: As your biggest UK fan, I am still hoping to make it to the Valley of the Sun someday soon. Anyway, I know last season wasn't what we hoped, but we also know anything can happen in 162 games. With all the changes happening on and off the field this off-season, and HoF Randy Johnson's return to the organization, do you feel we can finally contend again this year or are you looking at long-term investment?

Hall: Appreciate your support from the other side of the pond! We plan to do both. With moves that we've made and players getting healthy, we believe we can compete and we are trying to create a roster that will develop into a sustainable winner.

Hall: Unfortunately we are out of time for this month's chat. I sincerely thank you for joining us and look forward to next month's, which I will conduct from Salt River Fields.