5 ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Enemy Lines

A RIVAL SCOUT SIZES UP THE DIAMONDBACKS

Chip Hale is sharp. He's a high-energy guy. But there are too many ifs in the pitching for them to contend.... There's no guarantee that Yasmany Tomas will be an everyday third baseman. He's a big-bodied guy—looks to me like he's 270. He's got enough arm, but his accuracy leaves something to be desired. He has power, but I don't see a lot of discipline in his approach.... I like Jake Lamb; he's going to grow into an above-average defender. Two of the better position-player prospects they have are Lamb and Brandon Drury, both third basemen. So why the urgency to play Tomas? ... Their catching is their biggest issue. Peter O'Brien is their prospect—they'd like to get his bat up there as quick as possible, but he's just been fair receiving. One game I saw him in this spring he had throwing issues, overthrowing the pitcher, short-hopping the pitcher.... Age is catching up with Aaron Hill. He doesn't move as well defensively, doesn't run as well. He's lost a little bat speed.... Jeremy Hellickson is a fly ball guy, low-90s. If they are hoping for anything more than back-end production from him, they're searching.... Chase Anderson has a plus changeup. One of his issues last year was home runs, and he's working to add a two-seamer to get more ground balls.... I'd say Trevor Cahill should be their fifth starter. He's now throwing from a higher slot to create more consistency in his release point, something he worked on with Mike Harkey, the pitching coach, all winter. The results have been promising.

Modest Proposal

One hundred sixty-nine players across the majors racked up at least 200 innings in the outfield last year. Among them, Mark Trumbo was in the bottom 25 in Defensive Runs Saved and UZR/150. Rate him for his entire five-year career and you get similar results, numbers that confirm the eye test: Trumbo can't play the outfield. Nevertheless, the Diamondbacks are going to try him out there again, this time in rightfield. Whatever edge Trumbo's low-OBP power provides he'll give back in outs turned into singles and singles turned into doubles, and that could be particularly damaging to the development of young starters Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster and Archie Bradley. Arizona, which has righthanded power in Paul Goldschmidt and Cuban import Yasmany Tomas, should look to move Trumbo to a team that can play him at first base or DH, and put Ender Inciarte in right—a move that would give the Diamondbacks one of the best defensive outfields in the NL.

LEAGUE RANK 14

MANAGER CHIP HALE 1ST SEASON WITH DIAMONDBACKS

2015 PROJECTED STATISTICS BY ROTOWIRE.COM

PHOTO

JUSTIN EDMONDS/GETTY IMAGES (GOLDSCHMIDT)

PAUL GOLDSCHMIDT