{"id":34724,"date":"2020-07-18T14:30:34","date_gmt":"2020-07-18T18:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/?p=34724"},"modified":"2020-07-19T05:25:55","modified_gmt":"2020-07-19T09:25:55","slug":"arizona-diamondbacks-season-preview-2020-position-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2020\/07\/18\/arizona-diamondbacks-season-preview-2020-position-players\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona Diamondbacks Season Preview 2020: Position Players"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arizona Diamondbacks Season Preview 2020: Position Players<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It’s time for the Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> Season Preview!<\/p>\n

The Diamondbacks are hungry for a return to the postseason, just like any other team in baseball. For them, however, it seems to be more intense. There is nothing worse than being so close that you can taste it only to have it elude your grasp. In 2019, the team finished 85-77 \u2013 four games behind the wild-card Milwaukee Brewers<\/a> \u2013 but they lost several winnable games. They dropped five out of seven to the Brewers. Against the fourth-place Colorado Rockies<\/a>, they went 9-10. They also went 3-4 against the hapless Miami Marlins<\/a>, 2-5 against the New York Mets<\/a>, and 2-4 against the Chicago Cubs<\/a>. Those performances are what kept them out of the Wild Card Game \u2013 a game that would have come against a Washington Nationals<\/a> team that they took the season series from.<\/p>\n

In the offseason, general manager Mike Hazen addressed some of the team needs with some wise free agent signings and a big trade. This adds venom to a lineup that had the second-highest wins above average (WAA) rating in the National League for position players in 2019.<\/p>\n

Infield<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Catchers<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Primary: Carson Kelly<\/strong><\/h4>\n

111 G, 314 AB, 46 R, 77 H, 19 2B, 18 HR, 47 RBI, 48 BB, 79 SO, .245\/.348\/.478, .339 wOBA, 6.1 wRAA<\/p>\n

Carson Kelly<\/a><\/strong> returns for his second season as the first-choice catcher for the Diamondbacks. He saw about 2\/3 of the playing time for catchers in 2019, and he will probably do the same in 2020. Do not be fooled by his .245 batting average \u2013 48% of his hits went for extra bases. Defensively, he came in at the league average for runs saved (DRS), but that must be taken with a grain of salt. No defensive metric can possibly measure everything a catcher does. One area that can<\/em> be measured is caught stealing percentage (CS%). Kelly gunned down 32% of would-be base stealers \u2013 six percentage points better than the league average.<\/p>\n

Reserve: Stephen Vogt<\/strong><\/h4>\n

99 G, 255 AB, 30 R, 67 H, 24 2B, 2 3B, 10 HR, 40 RBI, 20 BB, 66 SO, .263\/.314\/.490, .331 wOBA, 2.8 wRAA<\/p>\n

Stephen Vogt<\/a><\/strong> came over via free agency after spending 2019 with the San Francisco Giants, signing with the Diamondbacks three weeks before 2019 teammate Madison Bumgarner<\/a><\/strong> did the same. (Author\u2019s Note: The two signings were in no way connected; they both chose to come to Arizona independently.)<\/em> He has a better batting average than Kelly, but Kelly is more likely to get extra-base hits, making his wOBA and wRAA higher. Vogt\u2019s locker room presence has been praised every place he\u2019s been, and an attitude like the one he has makes a team jell faster than it would otherwise. This more than makes up for his -4 DRS (four runs below the league average) and 17% caught stealing percentage.<\/p>\n

Third Base<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Primary: Eduardo Escobar<\/strong><\/h4>\n

158 G, 636 AB, 94 R, 171 H, 29 2B, 10 3B, 35 HR, 118 RBI, 50 BB, 130 SO, .269\/.320\/.511, .341 wOBA, 12.8 wRAA<\/p>\n

Eduardo Escobar<\/a><\/strong> had a breakout season in 2019, his first full season with the Diamondbacks. The switch-hitter led the National League in triples with 10. He also hit 29 doubles and 35 home runs, making him one of only four switch-hitters in major league history to have 20+ doubles, 10+ triples, and 30+ home runs. The others were Ripper Collins<\/a><\/strong> (1934), Mickey Mantle<\/a><\/strong> (1955), and Jimmy Rollins<\/a><\/strong> (2007). Collins and Escobar were the only ones to do so while driving in more than 100 runs, as Escobar drove in 118.<\/p>\n

Escobar also brings a strong glove to the field. Said shortstop Nick Ahmed<\/a><\/strong>, \u201cHe is really consistent on the routine ball. He\u2019s got a great arm going to his backhand down the line. He is athletic, and he can move to second base if we need him to. (Also), he can play there during the shift.\u201d Some say that Escobar would have a good chance at winning Gold Gloves if Nolan Arenado<\/a><\/strong> didn\u2019t play for the Rockies. Ahmed agrees. \u201cHe does a great job over there. I think he\u2019d have a good chance if one of the best third basemen of all time wasn\u2019t in our division.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reserve: Jake Lamb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

78 G, 187 AB, 26 R, 36 H, 8 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 30 RBI, 32 BB, 55 SO, .193\/.323\/.353, .297 wOBA, -4.5 wRAA<\/p>\n

Left-handed-hitting Jake Lamb<\/a><\/strong> was an All-Star in 2017 but has struggled to stay healthy since then, playing in a combined 134 games in 2018 and 2019. These came due to shoulder surgery in 2018 and a quad injury in 2019. In spring training, he told this author \u201cI feel great<\/em>\u201d before hitting the field for a workout. He proved it on the field in spring training, batting .308 (8 for 26) with two doubles, two home runs, and heads-up baserunning. He provides solid defense at third, where he notched five runs saved in 2018 and one in 2019 in 464 1\/3 and 262 innings, respectively.<\/p>\n

Shortstop<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Primary: Nick Ahmed<\/strong><\/h4>\n

158 G, 556 AB, 79 R, 141 H, 33 2B, 6 3B, 19 HR, 82 RBI, 52 BB, 113 SO, .254\/.316\/.437, .315 wOBA, -2.8 wRAA<\/p>\n

We present the best defensive shortstop in the National League, back-to-back Gold Glove winner Nick Ahmed. From the time he arrived in Arizona in 2014, he saw how much the organization values defense. \u201cOur team prides itself on playing good defense, from catcher all the way out to center field and all across the field,\u201d Ahmed said in March. \u201cIt\u2019s not an accident that we have good defenders. We work at it, and our front office values it. It\u2019s a big part of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do not be duped into thinking that he\u2019s all glove and no bat, though. His hitting is improving, as he tied career highs in doubles and triples while setting new career highs in runs scored, hits, homers, RBI, walks, and wOBA. The coaching staff has mentioned that his approach at the plate continues to improve and that he has a hunger to constantly improve his hitting skills.<\/p>\n

Reserve: Ildemaro Vargas<\/strong><\/h4>\n

92 G, 201 AB, 25 R, 54 H, 9 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 24 RBI, 9 BB, 24 SO, .269\/.299\/.413, .300 wOBA, -3.6 wRAA<\/p>\n

The switch-hitting Vargas would normally be a valuable option for pinch-hitting and double switches, but with the National League using the DH in 2020, that will rarely happen if at all. Reports say that Vargas has been hitting the cover off the ball in summer camp, however. This gives manager Torey Lovullo<\/a><\/strong> a valuable option to keep his team\u2019s legs fresh for games. He is a tremendous step back defensively at shortstop, however, with 0 runs saved, meaning that his play at shortstop is right at the league average. Ahmed, by comparison, had 17 runs saved in 2019.<\/p>\n

Second Base<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Primary: Ketel Marte<\/strong><\/h4>\n

144 G, 569 AB, 97 R, 187 H, 36 2B, 9 3B, 32 HR, 92 RBI, 53 BB, 86 SO, .329\/.389\/.592, .405 wOBA, 46.1 wRAA<\/p>\n

Switch-hitting Ketel Marte<\/a><\/strong> had a monster year in 2019, setting a career high in batting average by 46 points, starting the All-Star Game at second base, and missing the batting title by one hit<\/strong>. Only one triple kept him from making the same accomplishment as Escobar. He has built on that going into the 2020 season, and if his showing at summer camp is any sign of things to come, the rest of the National League should watch out. Marte has abused<\/strong> the Diamondbacks pitchers, socking multiple homers. This does not mean that the Diamondbacks pitchers are performing badly. On July 10, after a two-homer performance in an intrasquad game, he told reporters through the team interpreter that \u201cthe pitchers look really, really good. I just feel very strong and feel very comfortable going into this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defensively, he and Ahmed should make one of the more formidable double play combos in the National League. In 2019, he only made two errors at second base in 203 chances. This netted him three DRS in only 462 1\/3 innings. He was also superb in center field, notching six runs saved in 687 2\/3 innings while making one error in 167 chances.<\/p>\n

Reserve: Escobar<\/strong><\/p>\n

First Base<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Primary: Christian Walker<\/strong><\/h4>\n

152 G, 529 AB, 86 R, 137 H, 26 2B, 1 3B, 29 HR, 73 RBI, 67 BB, 155 SO, .259\/.348\/.476, .346 wOBA, 13.3 wRAA<\/p>\n

Going into 2019, Christian Walker<\/a><\/strong> was to platoon with Lamb at first base. With Lamb hitting left-handed, it looked like Walker would typically face lefties while Lamb would typically face righties. That all changed when Lamb injured his quad in San Diego on April 3. Walker became the everyday first baseman at that point, making the most of his opportunity<\/a>. Defensively, he saved 11 runs above the league average \u2013 tops in the National League. One defensive highlight came on August 31 against the Dodgers in the top of the ninth with nobody out, the bases loaded, and the D-Backs holding a 6-4 lead. He made a diving stop to his right that not only prevented the game-tying run from scoring but also kicked off a crucial 3-6-1 double play. It turned out to save the game, as the next hitter grounded to short to end the game.<\/p>\n