* On Tuesday, D-backs manager Bob Melvin was watching a catchers drill in which the hand-eye coordination of Chris Snyder was being tested as whiffle balls were thrown in rapid-fire fashion towards him.

“You guys want to try this?” the manager asked, referring to those of us watching. I was half-tempted to do it just so I had something to do.

*Having been here in Tucson for the last few days the most overwhelming observation I have to make is that I have nothing to report. What a waste of KTAR cash this has been, right? The big burning issues of camp so far: The pursuit of Trot Nixon (as an insurance policy) and the absence of Tony Pena who is stuck in the Dominican with visa problems. And that’s it.

Byrnes: Next day or so on Nixon

Byrnes: Trot’s left-handed bat

*This time last year, there were issues galore. Eric Byrnes was entering his last year as a D-back, at least so everybody thought. The keys to the car were being handed over to a whole bunch of kids — Drew, Young, Quentin, Jackson. Were they ready, could they perform? Who would the fifth starter be? Can Randy Johnson be ready?

*Now the 25 man roster is virtually set, barring injury. There are likely no position battles that will play out in camp. This Spring Training is all about getting ready for a 162 game season and clearly the motivation is there. The position players weren’t required to be here until Wednesday but almost of all of them have been here since last Friday.

Melvin: Everybody is here practically

*The questions now aren’t about who wins a position battle or who is ready and who isn’t. The questions now are about improvement. This team won 90 games last year, they were four wins away from going to the World Series with an offense that was outscored by 30 runs over the course of the season.

Byrnes: Improving offensively

Byrnes: What kind of improvement can you expect?

*Nobody expects that to be the case this year. But where does the improvement come from? That to me is the most pressing question. Bob Melvin has singled out Connor Jackson. GM Josh Byrnes has pointed to Stephen Drew (who as my friend Nick Piecoro from the Arizona Republic pointed out, looks like less of a boy and more like a man this year) and Justin Upton. Chris Young has a very high ceiling. Mark Reynolds is a wildcard.

Melvin: Chris Young improvements

Melvin: Connor improvement

*Is Brandon Lyon capable of filling Jose Valverde’s shoes? I’m not worried if he’s not. The D-backs have two guys who can close in Pena and Chad Qualls. The bullpen was strong last year….I think it’s still strong this year.

*Randy Johnson? Yeah, if he’s healthy it’s a big boost and maybe that’s the difference between getting to the World Series and not. But they won 90 games last year with RJ making only 10 starts. I wouldn’t bet a mortgage payment on him making more than 20 starts this year. Brandon Webb is entering the prime years, as is Dan Haren (who, again, as Piecoro points out, didn’t seem to miss Snyder’s glove once during his bullpen session today). Micah Owings will be fun to watch, Doug Davis will give you numbers similar to what he has in the past. The rotation looks good.

*Thursday is the first full squad workout for the team. Typically, Ken Kendrick, Jeff Moorad, Derrick Hall, Josh Byrnes and Bob Melvin all take turns addressing the team before they hit the field. Melvin and Byrnes both provided previews of what they’ll talk about.

Melvin: His speech

Byrnes: His speech for tomorrow

*We’ll bring you more about what was said tomorrow.