A.J. Vukovich wasn't in the Diamondbacks original starting lineup. However, Randal Grichuk was scratched due to an injury and Vukovich was in the lineup at left field.
With an opportunity to make an impression, he did just that. Getting four at-bats on the day, he homered, doubled, and scored two runs in an 8-4 win over the Rockies. Both of his hits recorded an exit velocity north of 101 MPH, as his double was inches away from being a second home run.
In the second, Vukovich got a 96 MPH fastball up and out over the plate from Chase Dollander and drove it out to right field at 101.5 MPH. Dollander is the Rockies' top prospect and the No. 25 prospect according to MLB, who was throwing upper 90s heat in the game.
AJ Vukovich goes deep against the #25 prospect in baseball, Chase Dollander 😳@MiLB pic.twitter.com/FSNPwORlB2
— Reno Aces (@Aces) March 1, 2025
It caught the attention of Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen, who was participating in the DbacksTV broadcast at the time of the home run.
"He's an interesting player, he's very athletic. He can play all three outfield position, has a little pop."
In the sixth inning, he added another hard-hit ball, scorching a 98 MPH fastball from Angel Chivilli, who is likely to start the season in the Rockies bullpen, and drove it out to right field again. The ball was hit at 104.6 MPH and narrowly avoided going out. The hit helped the Diamondbacks score three runs in the inning.
Seeing Vukovich drive high velocity to the big part of the ballpark is an encouraging sign for the young outfielder. The 23-year-old's carrying tool is plus power to all fields, and he displayed that very well in both pitch selection and barreling up the baseball.
Hazen noted that the development for high school right-handed bats develop slower than their left-handed counterparts due to having to face breaking pitches from right-handed pitchers more. Originally drafted as a third baseman in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB Draft, Vukovich has made a position change to the outfield and on the door of the big leagues. He's expected to start the season with Triple-A Reno and could be a late-season call-up if he does well.