2015 Expectations: Right Field

The depth chart for right field for the 2015 Arizona Diamondbacks is pretty deep – a luxury that the club may rely upon come August and September of this new season. In this installment, we’re going to take a look at some of the possibilities for right field and the possible players who will fill that spot on the roster.

Arizona Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart has come out publicly to declare that Mark Trumbo will, in fact, hold the starting spot in right field for the club this year. Both Stewart and Tony LaRussa, the Diamondbacks Chief Baseball Officer (CBO) really like Trumbo.

Both executives recently expressed a clear desire for the team to adopt a more analytic attitude, sees a lot of potential in Trumbo. In an interview obtained by Jack Macgruder of Fox Sports Arizona, GM Dave Stewart explained his view on Mark Trumbo being a starter:

“You have to like him,” Stewart said.

“You have to like the potential. This is a guy who has 30-plus home runs in two seasons. You have to like that kind of player. And he’s a young player, so we should not be the ones to miss out on his potential.”

Stewart also suggested moving Trumbo from left to right field:

“He’s playing left field, which is a difficult position to play,” Stewart said. “At some point, we may have to see if he is a better right fielder. If he is a better right fielder, that may give him peace of mind and comfort, which will make him a better hitter. We have to look at all possibilities to put our players in the best position we can to get the best we can out of them.”

The move from left field helps Trumbo. He’s slower now that he’s recovered from a stress-fracture in his left foot. Changing positions will help him stay in the lineup, potentially creating a devastating 3-4-5 “heart of the order” for the Arizona Diamondbacks that could be a big equalizer against great pitching by opposing clubs. The foot injury last season cut short an effort that may have seen Trumbo hit 35 to 40 home runs while driving in over 100 RBI’s last season.

The depth chart certainly helps too. The Arizona Diamondbacks have Ender Inciarte, Cody Ross and David Peralta as potential back up players that can provide a break for Mark Trumbo. I think the plan that the Arizona Diamondbacks have in place is a good one, provided that Trumbo can stay healthy over the course of a long season. Having depth in the outfield will help take some of the fatigue off of a player especially in the later months of this year’s campaign.

What do you think?