Third baseman Jake Lamb of the Arizona Diamondbacks could attract teams at the upcoming winter meetings.
Throughout the past season, manager Torey Lovullo of the Arizona Diamondbacks continued to sign the praises of Jake Lamb, his third baseman.
So dramatic and effective was his words that Lovullo expressed no sense of benching Lamb nor entertain the thought of giving the significant All-Star time off. As the season reached a conclusion, and the Diamondbacks became assured of a spot in post-season play, Lamb was eventually rested, and that was primarily the case against left-handed pitching.
It’s no secret that Lamb, who was edged out as an All-Star write-in candidate in 2016 but earned a spot on the NL team last season, has trouble against left-handed pitching. Yet, there are other issues.
Another is his fielding, and pundits believe Lamb has more difficulty going to his right than his left. Plus, he seems to catch everything with one hand, and that is considered a burden. Some may refer as liabilities, and that lays in the notion that Lamb may be expendable.
At the winter meetings next week in Orlando, Lamb’s name could surface. As his tradition, Mike Hazen, the club’s GM, remains tight-lip about any potential trade. Still. Lamb’s production, after the All-Star game, declined and caused some concern.
By the time the Diamondbacks entered post-season play, Lamb had finished the season with a .248 batting average, and that was nearly the same (.249) as the prior season.
Just before the 2017 All-Star game, Lamb sported a .285 batting average on July 6. That included 20 homers, 67 RBIs and a spot as one reserve on the NL All-Star team. At the commencement of post-season play, Lamb finished the season with a drop of 37 points in his batting average. His power production also declined.
The native of Seattle ended with 30 homers and drove in 105 runs. That meant he slammed only 10 homers and drove in 38 runs over the second half of the season, and that was during the critical pennant race drive.
Strikingly, Lamb struck out 152 times in 536 times at bat. Compared with 2016 numbers, Lamb fanned 154 times in 523 plate appearances. His penchant for striking out with frequency also remains a concern.
In the field, Lamb finished eighth in NL fielding percentage. His mark of .959 was behind NL-leader Anthony Rendon of the Nationals (.979) and committed 14 errors.
What possible concerns Hazen, who relies heavily on analytics, could be Lamb’s range factor. His number of 2.31 was the lowest of the 10 NL regulars at third base last season.
All of which may, or may not, concern Hazen.
Aside from numbers, Lamb is a solid teammate, well-liked and a positive influence. In the clubhouse before games, he is usual exchanging hitting notes and techniques with several players. Citing the 2017 season as a successful, Lamb told Call to the Pen at the end of last season that numbers are superfluous.
"“This was a fun ride, and we had so much fun,” he said. “I also know there is room for improvement. I want to improve every part of my game. Plus, playing for Lovullo was amazing. His communication skills are off the chart and he was a major reason how and why what we did.”"
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If the Arizona Diamondbacks are positioned to continue their assault on the NL West Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers, second-half production from Lamb remains critical.
If Hazen decides to move Lamb, one scenario could have Brandon Drury, who struggled at second base in 2017, could take over at third, his natural position.
Ketel Marte could emerge as the everyday second baseman, and Nick Ahmed, coming off a broken hand that sidelined the native of Longmeadow, Mass. for the second-half of the season, as the everyday shortstop.
That could put Chris Owings in an infield/outfield utility role, or leave Owings exposed to a possible trade.
Up-coming talks
At the advent of the winter meetings for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Hazen had the immediate task of signing 15 arbitration-eligible players. That number was reduced by two when Hazen announced relievers J. J. Hoover and T. J. McFarland would not be offered contracts.
Next: Does Brad Boxberger add value?
Among those whom Hazen must sign are outfielders David Peralta and A. J. Pollock along with crucial pitchers Archie Bradley, Taijuan Walker, and Robbie Ray.
The Arizona Diamondbacks must keep pace with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and even the Colorado Rockies. Accomplishing these aspirations would be a great start.