Diamondbacks: Position battles to watch this spring

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Infield

The Arizona infield, outside of Paul Goldschmidt, was pretty underwhelming last season. Shortstop, second base and third base are all question marks and those positions will all be decided this spring. There are a lot of interchangeable players in these battles, due to many of these players being able to play multiple positions.

Nick Ahmed

Aug 25, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed (13) throws to first base against the St. Louis Cardinals at Chase Field. The Cardinals won 9-1. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

Ahmed was the starting shortstop for the Diamondbacks last year and while his defense is incredible, his bat has yet to produce. Ahmed only hit .226 with nine home runs and 34 RBI last season. Even if Ahmed’s bat only improves a little, his defense might be good enough to land him the job once again. None of the other infielders who can play shortstop have the range or defensive ability as Ahmed.

Chris Owings

Sep 4, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Chris Owings (16) hits an RBI double scoring Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Welington Castillo (7) in the fourth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports /

Owings was coming off of a bad shoulder injury at the beginning of last season and it affected his swing. Owings also said that he changed his mechanics due to the nagging injury, which caused him to become uncomfortable. In 147 games, Owings hit .247 with four home runs and 43 RBI. Owings claims that he is fully healthy this year and will be right in the middle of the competition for the second base spot.

Jean Segura

Mar 4, 2016; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Jean Segura (2) makes the throw for an out in the second inning during a spring training game the Oakland Athletics at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports /

Segura was acquired from the Brewers after having a couple down years in Milwaukee. Segura will be in line to either start at second base or shortstop. If Segura does get one of those spots, he will also bat leadoff for the Diamondbacks. In 2013, Segura was named an NL All-Star and hit .294 with 12 home runs and 49 RBI while also stealing 44 bases.

Brandon Drury

Mar 2, 2016; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Brandon Drury (27) makes the off balance throw in the first inning during a spring training game against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports /

Drury was a September call-up last season and he proved to have quite a bit of talent. He is currently a top-10 third base prospect in all of the MLB. Drury is actually in competition for both third base and second base this spring. He hit .214 with two home runs and eight RBI in just 20 games played in 2015.

Jake Lamb

Aug 4, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb (19) hits a single against the Washington Nationals during the fourth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

Lamb started off great last year before suffering a foot injury that put him on the disabled list. He was never able to regain his form after returning to the lineup, however. Lamb hit .263 with six home runs and 34 RBI in 107 games last year. The benefit of having Lamb in the lineup is that he would provide another left-handed hitter along with David Peralta.

At the end of Spring Training, my projections for the infield are as follows: Nick Ahmed at shortstop, Jean Segura at second base and Jake Lamb at third base.

Next: Sun Devil Basketball Gets New Jerseys

These battles should be very entertaining to watch throughout the rest of March. The one thing that Diamondbacks fans should remember about this, is that it’s always nice to have a lot of options.

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