Arizona Diamondbacks: Answering Questions Heading into Spring Training

The Arizona Diamondbacks, under the direction of first-year guys Mike Hazen and Torey Lovullo, will have to answer some questions heading into spring camp.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are set to report to spring camp in roughly two weeks.

The team is practically set, and fans have a pretty good idea of what to expect and who will end up where when the April rolls around.

But, for now at least, there are some question marks heading into Spring Training.

First-year general manager Mike Hazen and rookie manager Torey Lovullo have to deal with the uncertainties of a starting catcher, who plays up the middle, and who gets left out of the starting rotation in just a few weeks.

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For now, we’ll take a look at those unanswered questions.

Behind the Dish

As I mentioned earlier, the Diamondbacks could very well send out a platoon featuring Chris Iannetta and Jeff Mathis. It may not be the prettiest, or the most productive, but it could work.

Both are veteran catchers and would certainly serve the young pitchers well. What is currently up in the air is the status of the Opening Day starter.

Will it be a platoon? Or does Hazen narrow it down to one candidate with a valid backup?

Also in the mix is Chris Herrmann, who has been with the Diamondbacks for the last several seasons. It appeared that he was emerging as the starter after Welington Castillo left, but things changed quickly. The D-Backs rotated through a catching-carousel that saw three of four legit options for the starter.

In my opinion, I think we’ll see Mathis and Iannetta in a platoon role for a majority of the season.

Up the Middle

Hazen also must deal with the current riddle-up-the-middle.

The Diamondbacks acquired a young, flashy middle infielder from the Seattle Mariners this off-season named Ketel Marte. They also have a slick fielding shortstop in Nick Ahmed.

But you can’t forget about Mr. Do It All, Chris Owings, who can seemingly play everywhere but just complicates the situation by being a primary infielder. Brandon Drury can’t be counted out, either, who is currently slated as the team’s starting second baseman according to the depth chart.

Personally, I’d love to see a duo of Ahmed at short and Marte manning the second base position. Hopefully it’d light a fire under Ahmed to pick it up offensively. Over his three-year career, the 26-year old is slashing .221/.268/.329. A little competition behind him would likely wake up his bat in fear of losing his starting job.

Odd man out

Like the situation up the middle, the Diamondbacks are also cluttered when it comes to starting pitching.

We all know Zack Greinke is the ace, and they have yet to give up on Shelby Miller, who is likely to slide in the second slot for the time being. They also have Taijuan Walker, who was acquired in the deal for Marte, who I would like to see as the team’s third starter.

After that though is one big question mark. There are five valid candidates who could fill the last two spots in the rotation. Robbie Ray probably gets one of those spots, considering the potential he flashed last season.

Patrick Corbin was once a lock for the rotation, but has been plagued by an injury. Archie Bradley might round out the rotation as the fifth starter, which would leave Braden Shipley and Matt Koch as the odd men out.

If it were up to me, I’d send out a rotation consisting of Greinke, Miller, Walker, Ray, and Shipley. I think these are the guys most deserving. It’s their spot to lose, as a handful of guys will be waiting for a spot to open up.

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The Diamondbacks have some depth at the major league level, which can be a blessing and a curse. As Spring Training nears with Opening Day to follow, these questions will surely be answered.

For now, we have 14 days to pass the time until our beloved Diamondbacks are back in action.

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