Arizona Diamondbacks GM: Expect more of a set lineup in 2014
Mar 31, 2014, 6:15 PM | Updated: 6:23 pm
Along with the strip of dirt between the pitcher’s mound and the pool in right-center, an Arizona Diamondbacks staple has been the consistently changing lineup card.
One through eight would seem to always be in flux, with changes made based on matchups as well as how a player was performing at a given time.
To wit: Last season, only Paul Goldschmidt was entrenched in one spot, tallying 543 of his 602 at-bats from the third spot in the order.
Whether the shuffling style is a good thing or a bad thing is up for debate, because while it is not without its merits, there are a lot of players who would prefer stability.
A guest of the Doug and Wolf Show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Monday, D-backs GM Kevin Towers said the plan is to have more of a set lineup this season.
“I think the only thing that will probably change is Pollock and Parra, depending on if we’re facing a lefty or a righty at the top and the other one near the bottom,” he said. “Our hope is that Miguel Montero continues to swing the bat the way he has, and if he continues to swing that bat well you could probably see him kind of tucked in between both big right-handed power bats in both Trumbo and Goldy.
“I think Prado probably will be our four-hole hitter, Hill our two-hole hitter where he’s been comfortable. A lot of times you change lineups due to injuries, and we had a lot of injuries last year.”
Towers said the hope is the lineup can get through most of the season unscathed. Last season, projected regulars Aaron Hill, Cody Ross and Montero all missed a significant amount of time due to a variety of ailments.
“This year we’ve had injuries to our pitching staff, which certainly has changed within the bullpen and the starting rotation,” Towers said. “But if our core players are out there, I think you’ll see probably only minor adjustments and probably a little more of a set lineup.”
