Arizona Diamondbacks: Depth fuels competition at shortstop

Three candidates remain in competition for the starting shortstop position of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

One of the objectives of the general manager Mike Hazen of the Arizona Diamondbacks is the creation of depth. Though all teams break spring training camp with 25 players, injuries and demotions increase the season-long squad number to around 35 to 40 players.

One area in which the Diamondbacks benefited from depth last season was middle infielder positions. When Brandon Drury, who essentially was the second baseman most of the season, was benched in the NLDS, manager Torey Lovullo went to veteran Daniel Descalso.

After both Nick Ahmed and Chris Owings went down at shortstop each with a broken hand, Hazen recalled Ketel Marte from the minors, and Marte finished with a strong season at shortstop.

Now at the advent of spring training, the depth issue again at shortstop seems paramount. With Owings, Ahmed and Marte all in camp and competing, the final decision will likely be based on “consistency.” That’s what Lovullo told Call to the Pen Monday on the opening day for full squad workouts at the Salt River complex.

“That’s a misleading term, constancy,” Lovullo said. “In fact, all shortstops need to be consistent. We’ll look at several things, like leadership because the shortstop is a leader. We’ll also look at how they cover plays without fear and various parts of their offense. That would not be as much as a batting average but pitch selection, how they hit throughout the count, bat speed and so many other things.”

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Of the three, Owings is the most versatility and joked with Call to the Pen after Monday’s workout that “Descalso and me have a special part of the dugout for all of our gloves.”

That would address Owings’ versatility and his ability to play all three outfield positions as well as in the infield. At this point in spring training, Lovullo told Call to the Pen he looks at Owings as a shortstop, and then consider options.

Just this past weekend, Owings was cleared by Dr. Don Sheridan, the club’s hand surgeon, to resume full baseball activity. Here in the preliminary stage of spring training, Owings told Call to the Pen that Lovullo has not discussed any role at this point, but only wants Owings to ease back into baseball actability.

Still, the specter of competition is evident. For this part, Owings told Call to the Pen he welcomes a competitive environment.

“This is my fifth year here, and nothing really changed,” he said. “It’s competition just like always. Right now, I’m not thinking about that. Torey said don’t worry about that and just take things easy.”

Owings went down last July 30 in St. Louis and Lovullo, at the time, was optimistic he could be back or the post-season. That did not happen, and now Owings is back in the mix with Ahmed and Marte.

Time to turn the page

Forget what happened last season because last season was last season. That was the assessment of first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on the opening day of full-squad activities.

What the Diamondbacks accomplished in 2017 is in the rear-view mirror and of no consequence to current conditions. Speaking with Call to the Pen, Goldschmidt pointed out that there is only one thought among his teammates.

“Every year is different,” he said Monday. “There is no carry over from one year to the next. We’re here now trying to get ready for opening day.”

Rule change

On Monday, Major League Baseball announced one method it believes will help speed up the game. Beginning with the 2018 season, there will be a limit of six mound visits per nine-nine innings without making a pitching change. This includes trips by a manager, coach or player.

From his perspective, Lovullo told Call to the Pen this may limit communication and in-game strategy.

“Many of our mound visits do not deal with the pitcher,” he said Monday. “There are discussions on strategy and defense. Looks like we will have to devise more hand signals to set the defense.”

Opening day …

The Diamondbacks open their spring slate Wednesday afternoon at Salt River against Arizona State University.

Next: DBacks expectations remain high

On Monday, Lovullo announced right-hander Taylor Clarke will start for Arizona. Last season, Clarke, a third-round pick in the 2015 draft, was 9-7, a 2.91 ERA in 21 starts with AA Jackson. Promoted to AAA Reno, Clarke, at 24-years-old out of Ashburn, Va., went 3-2, and a 4.81 ERA in six starts with the Aces.

The game against the ASU Sun Devils is slated for seven innings. The Diamondbacks open their Cactus League slate on this Friday at Salt River against the Colorado Rockies.