2023 Diamondbacks: Projected lineup against lefties
It always amazes me how a hitter performs based on the hand/arm the pitcher uses to throw the baseball. It is a guess at this point what the lineup will look like this season, but here is a projected lineup based on the numbers.
- McCarthy RF
- Marte 2B
- Carroll LF
- Walker 1B
- Longoria 3B
- Moreno DH
- Thomas CF
- Ahmed SS
- Kelly C
Quick Thoughts on this 2023 Diamondbacks projected lineup against lefties
It is no surprise that the owner of left-handed pitching on this Arizona ball club is Christian Walker. In 2022, Walker hit 9 doubles, 7 HRs, 18 RBIs, and slashed .261/.352/.493 against lefties. Also against lefties, he walked in 14% of his at-bats. Walker should be the main producer of runs for this D-backs ball club in 2023.
What might be surprising is having Alek Thomas in this particular lineup. In 2022, Thomas struggled against left-handed pitching. In 91 ABs, he slashed .198/.229/.242 for an OPS of .471. He also walked in less than 4% of his ABs. But there is hope. From 2021-2022, Thomas had 156 minor league at-bats against lefties. His numbers go as follows: 7 HRs, 22 RBIs, 1.039 OPS. The potential is there.
You could make a long list of things Evan Longoria has done well in his career. Near the top of that list of things, mashing left-handed pitching. Here are his numbers over the past couple of years against lefties:
2022: 6 HRs, 22 RBIs, .812 OPS
2021: 6 HRs, 13 RBIs, 1.087 OPS, 23% walk rate
2019: 6 HRs, 24 RBIs, .852 OPS, 13% walk rate
Like Walker and Longoria, Marte can really hit left-handed pitching. In 2022, Marte hit 4 HRs, 20 RBIs, and had an .812 OPS against lefties. In 2021, Marte hit 8 HRs, 23 RBIs, and had an OPS of 1.171. It is evident that this D-backs team can really hit left-handed pitching. If Kershaw is the opening-day starter for LA, look for this lineup to be rolled out onto the field…