Diamondbacks off-season: What are the new guys best at?
The Diamondbacks added many new faces to the organization this offseason. 3 key position players that are new to the team are Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Gabriel Moreno, and Evan Longoria. Here is each of their biggest strengths on a baseball field...
OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr.: Slugging
Diamondbacks fans should be very excited about this 29-year-old outfielder. Coming over in the Varsho trade, Gurriel Jr. can hit and hit with power…
Over the past two seasons, Lourdes has racked up 89 extra-base hits, hit 26 HRs, and drove in 136 runs. Gurriel Jr. has finished every season with a slugging percentage over .400 and his career-low OPS for a season was .743. As I said, this guy can hit. Before the all-star break a season ago, Gurriel had 36 RBIs and was slashing .306/.356/.431 for an OPS of .787 mid-way through the season. Look for Gurriel Jr. to slot into the 5th spot in the lineup and look for him and C Walker to drive in many runs this season…
C Gabriel Moreno: Getting on base
Another piece of the Varsho trade, Moreno has the potential to become one of the best catchers in the league here soon. In 253 career minor league games, Moreno hit 27 HRs, 189 RBIs, and slashed .310/.365/.479 for an OPS of .844…
Moreno has not been in the bigs long. In fact, he has only played 25 MLB games; all coming with the Blue Jays. In those 25 games, he recorded 22 hits, walked 4 times, knocked in 7, and scored 10 times. He finished his short big-league stint with a .319 batting average and a .356 OBP. For being so young, Moreno can get on base at an elite level. Despite this, it is likely that he will not be the starting catcher to begin the season. Carson Kelly is still the guy, but don’t be surprised if Moreno slots in as the DH…
3B Evan Longoria: Slugging
There are a lot of things Longoria does well on a baseball field, but one thing he can do exceptionally well is hit for power…
Now I know, Longoria isn’t hitting 30 bombs a year or knocking in 100 runs. But that doesn’t mean he can’t hit and hit with power. Longoria has played 170 games in the last two seasons combined. In those 170 games, he has hit 27 HRs, 88 RBIs, 30 doubles, and he has a slugging percentage of .467. For Longoria, it is all about staying healthy. As you can see, if he were to play a full season, it is safe to say that he could hit at least 20 HRs, 80 RBIs, and 25 doubles. If he could produce those kinds of numbers for Arizona he would be a massive upgrade to a lineup that did not find their power stroke a season ago. Big things are coming for the veteran infielder…