The Diamondbacks announced 19 non-roster invitees to big league Spring Training on Friday. Those 19 players will compete with the players on their 40-man roster for the 26 roster spots on the Opening Day roster. The list of non-roster players include long-time veterans and top prospects competing for the final spots on the roster.
These two non-roster play.ers have the best chance to make the club out of spring.
Ildemaro Vargas is the potential frontrunner for the backup shortstop job
The Diamondbacks are familiar with Vargas, who played 144 games with them from 2017 to 2021. The switch-hitter came up Arizona's system before then and has settled into a nice utility infielder role.
In 420 games, he's a career .246 hitter with a .643 OPS. Vargas is an aggressive hitter who typically puts the ball in play. For his career, he has an 11.1% strikeout rate and a 5.4% walk rate. He is naturally a better hitter from the right side of the plate for his career, with a .701 OPS vs. a .607 from the left side, making him a natural backup to Geraldo Perdomo at shortstop.
What he brings to the table is defensive versatility, playing second base, shortstop, and third. His best defensive position is third, making him a suitable backup for Eugenio Suarez for a handful of games. The infield versatility could allow the Diamondbacks to use their remaining roster spots more creatively.
Shortstop depth played a critical role in keeping the Diamondbacks' 2024 season alive until the very end, which is why this camp battle is important. While Vargas hasn't graded out well at shortstop over his career, he is a sure-handed defender that should cause the team to move backward. That's what manager Torey Lovullo has preferred when discussing the backup shortstop spot.
Garrett Hampson's defensive versatility and speed could be a late-inning weapon
Hampson is a more recent minor league signing, with a different kind of defensive versatility. Coming up as an infielder in the Rockies system, he has played much more center field at the major league level. Given his versatility, he could not only serve as the primary backup middle infielder, but also a fifth outfielder/late-game pinch runner.
Hampson's best tool is speed, something the Diamondbacks have weaponized the most over the past decade under first base coach Dave McKay. In a tight ball-game, Hampson's defensive versatility and speed would be useful depth to the club where they can make an offensive play without losing too much defense. Since he can play second, short, or center, he can pinch run for slower runners such as Suarez or Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and come into the game defensively.
The downside for Hampson, like Vargas, is he carries a light bat. There is more on-base ability, with a 7.7% walk rate, but he also carries a lot more swing-and-miss with a 26% strikeout rate. For a player who relies a lot on speed, he doesn't make a lot of contact. However, it's not due to poor plate discipline, as his chase rate and whiff rate were better than the league average in 2024 according to his Statcast page.
He has solid career numbers against left-handed pitching, which makes him an ideal fourth outfielder candidate, but the team is still looking for more power impact to add in terms of that split. Against lefties, he owns a .254/.321/.398 slash and the solid on-base ability make him a potential starter against them in a platoon situation.