Arizona Diamondbacks: Lamb in Position to Build off 2016’s Power Surge
Jake Lamb, the Arizona Diamondbacks young third baseman, displayed some impressive power numbers in 2016. He must do so again, but more consistently.
After Jake Lamb’s 2016 season in which he flashed some jaw-dropping power, the Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman could be poised for another big year.
In just his third year in the league last season, Lamb launched 29 home runs and drove in 91 RBI. His .249 batting average wasn’t very pretty, but his .509 slugging percentage was.
For the 26-year old infielder, Lamb has positioned himself to be one of the game’s most underrated players if he picks up right where he left off in 2017. If he’s able to hit at a more consistent pace this upcoming season, he will certainly be a threat to opposing pitchers.
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His potential rise to stardom has already gotten the attention of his new manager. According to Steve Gilbert, Torey Lovullo said that Lamb would be the team’s everyday starter at third base in the 2017 season. This likely excites the fans, as former manager Chip Hale seemed to limit Lamb to a platoon role when it looked like he was deserving of more.
If Lamb really wants to make a name for himself, he’ll need to play well into the second half into the season. At the All-Star break last year, Lamb was on a roll. He had already swatted 20 home runs, had 61 RBI, and was hitting .291 and slugging .612.
After the San Diego festivities last July, Lamb slumped for the remaining three and a half months. His batting average nearly dropped 100 points, and was .197 in the second half. He could have hit 40 home runs if he continued that dominant stretch, but only hit 9 more the rest of the way.
If Lamb wants to build off of his 2016 campaign, he must hit lefties better. He averaged .271 against righties last season, but just .164 against southpaws. Four of his 29 homers came against left-handed pitchers, which is something he must improve in 2017.
It’d be nice to see Lamb play that well all season long, but frankly it’s too much to ask for. Players will surely struggle over the course of 162 games. It was a good sign to see the third baseman enjoy such a successful first half, but it’d be an even better sign if he were to keep it up all year.
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If he’s able to mimic those stats or something close to it for all of 2017, Lamb will quickly emerge as one of the game’s most feared hitters.