On Friday, MLB.com’s D-backs beat reporter Steve Gilbert hosted an Ask Me Anything on Reddit with fans at r/azdiamondbacks. This mailbag contains questions and answers, lightly edited for clarity. The full AMA can be read here.
Has there ever been any discussion about moving Ketel (Marte) or (Gabriel Moreno) to 1B? The obvious lack of a true HR option at the position would be the first reason, but keeping them healthy and on the field would also seem to be a priority going forward. Part of me also wonders if Gabi’s bat would finally take off if he could stay in the lineup for a full season.
I understand the logic behind keeping Moreno healthy, and playing first base certainly presents less injury risk than catching (although you’d have a hard time convincing Tyler Locklear of that after last year), but it’s not something the Diamondbacks are considering right now. One of the main reasons for this is how good Moreno is behind the plate. Remember, he already has a Rawlings Gold Glove Award under his belt, and his ability to stop the running game is a huge plus for the pitching staff.
Hey Steve, thanks for doing this! With Ryan Waldschmidt invited to Spring training This year, are there any other young prospects you plan to cover this year for the Snakes? In your opinion, some could have an impact in the Majors in the coming years?
I’m glad you brought up the name Waldschmidt (listed by MLB Pipeline as the name of the club) Prospect #1). He’s in camp and he’s definitely someone you’ll want to keep an eye on. I’m not saying he’ll make the Opening Day roster, but with the Diamondbacks looking to fill infield spots, an impressive spring for him could force their hand. It’s more likely we see him at some point during the regular season.
With so many Diamondbacks players participating in the World Baseball ClassicThis will give a number of prospects a chance to get more playing time than usual this spring. I can’t wait to take a look at pitchers like Daniel Eagen (No. 13) as well as two of the guys they got in the Merrill Kelly trade, Mitch Bratt (No. 9) and Kohl Drake (No. 6). Second baseman Tommy Troy (No. 5) should also take a long time. This will be a good spring to look at prospects.
It seems like AZ has struggled to develop pitchers, especially relievers, over the last decade. How have you seen the organization’s pitching philosophy evolve over your time with the team?
The Diamondbacks realize they haven’t done a great job in this area under the current baseball operations department, and that’s one of the reasons they hired Jeremy Bleich as assistant general manager to oversee strategy and pitching development. He was most recently director of pitching development for the Pirates, who have had great success developing young pitchers of late. I will be interested to see what changes it makes and the results that follow.
Hi Steve! I really appreciate your work and welcome to the subreddit. With (Lourdes) Gurriel (Jr.) and now likely (Corbin) Carroll out to start the season, what do you think the everyday outfield will look like over the first few weeks of the regular season? I know it will probably depend on how the spring goes, but I would like to see (Jordan) Lawlar and Waldschmidt spend some time there. On paper, the team won’t have many opportunities like this to attract MLB reps to these young guys.
Thank you for the kind words and welcome. It sounds like, listening to manager Torey Lovullo, they want to keep Lawlar at center for the most part. The idea is that center is the “easiest” of the outfield positions to play because the ball is more often true right off the bat, while in each corner you’re dealing with hooked or tracked balls. So they could move Alek Thomas to one of the corners and also give Jorge Barrosa or Tim Tawa time. Waldschmidt will face a long examination this spring, especially with injuries.
