SCOTTSDALE — The Arizona Diamondbacks want to see Pavin Smith “strangle” a starting platoon role against right-handers, in the words of general manager Mike Hazen.
The club has publicly shown faith in Smith’s ability to hit throughout the years as he’s bounced between the majors and minors, and he enters 2025 coming off the best stretch of his big league career.
His performance in the second half of 2024 and a hole left by Joc Pederson’s free agency departure set Smith up for a more prominent opportunity this season.
RELATED STORIES
Diamondbacks planning to start Corbin Burnes in spring training opener
D-backs looking at limited over-the-air packages as MLB continues broadcasting games
D-backs looking at limited over-the-air packages as MLB continues broadcasting games
“I think Pavin raked against righties last year. I would like to see Pavin strangle that spot,” Hazen said of the DH role last week. “I think there’s every indication he should go out and hit righties.
“He controls the strike zone as well as anybody we have on our team. He clearly has the power that he’s moving into a little bit here. I don’t think that’s who he is as a baseball player. I think he’s a really good hitter and gets on base and espouses a lot of the qualities we believe in that lead to offensive production.”
Arizona’s designated hitter platoon was a major win last year. They paired Pederson with outfielder Randal Grichuk to support one of the best statistical DH situations in MLB, ranking third with a .891 OPS.
Grichuk is back and expected to fill a similar role facing lefties.
Smith played 62 games in Triple-A Reno and 60 games in the major leagues last year, filling in as injuries impacted Arizona’s lineup. He finished the season with a terrific final six weeks with the Diamondbacks.
Pavin Smith aims to maintain form from strong second half
From Aug. 19 on, Smith slashed .270/.378/.595 for a .973 OPS with six home runs and 20 RBIs in 31 games. Three of those long balls came in one game against the Houston Astros on Sunday Night Baseball.
He seldom faced lefties, finishing with a .920 OPS against right-handers in 135 plate appearances. Out of minor league options, this is a massive opportunity for the 29-year-old to stick.
Can the D-backs receive the best version of Smith for a greater period of time?
“I’m not trying to put any added pressure on trying to fill Joc’s shoes or anything like that,” Smith told Arizona Sports on Monday. “I had limited opportunities last year, so you kind of almost have more pressure in those situations because you only have a few games to show what you got.”
Smith called his offseason refreshing. He found a rhythm at the plate last year that he’s worked on maintaining, as opposed to previous winters he described as going back to the drawing board.
For years, Smith has been a quality at-bat with the desired walk, chase and whiff rates. But he also hit .206 from 2022-23 at the big league level and had not produced enough to avoid trips back to Reno.
He felt there was something missing.
“I think it was just approach and mental approach that I’ve always been in between how I wanted to hit the ball, whether it was to swing more up into center field or try to get on top of balls,” Smith said.
“I just found that when I try to hit line drives off the batter’s eye, fly balls to center field, I don’t have to think about pulling when it shows up inside. … So just be able to stick to that not try to beat balls to spots.”
Smith hit the ball harder last year, setting a career-high with 90.2 mph exit velocity and 44% hard-hit rate. He also pulled it a lot more often, from 33% in 2023 to 41%, according to Statcast.
He described avoiding overcompensating when pitchers throw hard, which he felt in the past allowed hurlers to expose him with breaking balls.
Smith described it as “trying not to cheat” by keeping that center field approach no matter how frustrating an at-bat gets.
Trust in his approach is what hitting coach Joe Mather is looking for.
“We’re always searching in and out, especially when we first get up and go back down, but I think he found, ‘OK, this is who I am,'” Mather told Arizona Sports. “He let it happen. He let himself execute, didn’t try to do too much, because he can really hit.”
Will Pavin Smith play some first base?
Manager Torey Lovullo has uttered “Pavin can hit” for years, but he’s also watching his defensive work at first base closely.
Smith is not likely to see much time in the outfield, barring injuries. The Diamondbacks are moving forward without stout defensive first baseman Christian Walker, who left in free agency.
Arizona traded for first baseman Josh Naylor this winter, an impact bat not known for defensive prowess. Smith has not been a great defender at first baseman, but he’s had seasons with passable metrics.
“I envision him getting some reps at first base. I love what I’ve seen over there so far,” Lovullo said. “I like active infielders. Typically, you see the big bopper at first base that doesn’t move well. That’s not the case here for the Diamondbacks. We need guys to go out and perform at every position defensively.”
Lovullo also credited Naylor with his defensive intensity in camp, so they will compete for playing time with the glove in an otherwise strong infield.
Follow @alexjweiner
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Diamondbacks optimistic Pavin Smith can fill platoon role after 2024 improvements )
Also on site :
- Tips sought in Denver woman’s death nearly 40 years after her body was found in Weld County
- Bishops in Puerto Rico Push Back Against ICE Raids, Deportations
- The Undertaker Addresses Recent Heart Surgery: “It Was Terrifying”