Diamondbacks spring training: 3 Non-Roster position players to keep an eye on
1. OF Dominic Canzone
The great Ty Cobb once said, “Every great batter works on the theory that the pitcher is more afraid of him than he is the pitcher.” It wouldn’t surprise me if Diamondbacks prospect Dominic Canzone reads this quote before every game…
Being a professional athlete, Dominic Canzone is probably good at a lot of things, but he is especially good at hitting a baseball. In 106 minor league games a season ago, Canzone hit 22 home runs, 89 RBIs, and scored 81 times. He also slashed .299/.367/.541; bringing his OPS to .908. No wonder he is getting invited to spring training…
Unfortunately, the D-Backs outfield is already crowded with Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Alek Thomas. But if Canzone has a strong spring training, there is a chance he could make the opening-day roster over some familiar names.
2. IF Jordan Lawlar
I think Jordan Lawlar and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Wiit Jr. might be the same person... Both are 6'2 200 pounds, both are right-handed hitters and throwers, both are great at getting on base with the ability to steal bags, the ability to turn singles into doubles, and doubles into triples. Oh yeah, not to mention that they were both born and raised in Texas...
Diamondbacks fans should be thrilled about top 5 prospect Jordan Lawlar; Lawlar is a shortstop who can get on base at an elite level which is something they haven't seen in a while. In 100 minor league games a season ago, Lawlar posted an impressive .401 OBP. Let me compare that to the everyday shortstops for the Diamondbacks over the last 5 seasons…
2022: Geraldo Perdomo (.285 OBP over 148 games)
2021: Nick Ahmed (.280 OBP over 129 games)
2020: Nick Ahmed (.327 OBP over 57 games)
2019: Nick Ahmed (.316 OBP over 158 games)
2018: Nick Ahmed (.290 OBP over 153 games)
Don't get me wrong, Nick Ahmed is an elite defensive shortstop but as you can see, Lawlar could be a significant addition to the lineup. If you ask me, he would nicely fill out the leadoff spot. Lawlar and Marte up the middle, the Diamondbacks future is beaming like the hot Arizona sun...
3. IF Deyvison De Los Santos
Age is just a number, right? Well if we are saying yes, still being a teenager hasn't slowed down De Los Santos a bit…
It is funny to think of what I was doing at 19. Getting an invite to spring training was certainly not on my radar but for De Los Santos who is 19, that is all that is on his mind right now. In 126 minor league games a season ago, De Los Santos hit 22 homers, 106 RBIs, and scored 72 times. He also slashed .306/.348/.499; bringing his OPS to .847. It is hard to put into words how impressive that is for someone that hasn’t even turned 20 yet. The sky is the limit for this young kid…
I wouldn’t be surprised if De Los Santos struggles a little this spring due to his inexperience. On the flip side, I wouldn’t be surprised if De Los Santos crushes it, like he has been his whole baseball career…