Didi Gregorius is Swinging a Nice Bat
Didi Gregorius is developing into a pretty good hitter. Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
Although it was another perplexing defeat last night for the Arizona Diamondbacks, I still look forward to the rest of the season. We are going to see many players who will determine whether or not they have a future in Arizona. One of those players is Didi Gregorius, who has been mainly thought of as a good defensive shortstop with a limited offensive game. However, it appears that Gregorius is trying to change his image at the plate.
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The more he has played, the better his at-bats have been. He has hit in seven of his last eight games with three multi-hit games. Gregorius’s numbers are up slightly over his rookie season, particularly his OPS which up 83 points. When he makes contact, the ball seems to have a little bit more authority coming off his bat. He has four triples in 121 at-bats as opposed to three in all of 2013. Conversely, he had 16 doubles last year while only three this year. Nevertheless, it seems as though he projects more confidence with each plate appearance. He will never be Derek Jeter or Asdrubal Cabrera as a hitter but I believe he can be a .275/.335/.420 type of guy and with his defense, he will have an everyday spot in someone’s lineup.
Keep in mind Gregorius lost the starting shortstop battle to Chris Owings in Spring Training. While there is talk of dealing Aaron Hill and moving Gregorius over to second base, that is not guaranteed. One spot where Gregorius could become a semi-power hitter would be Yankee Stadium. Coincidentally, the Yankees need a shortstop next year. The better Didi Gregorius does at the plate, the more his value increases either in Arizona or somewhere else.