Every year I half-expect Luis Gonzalez and Steve Finley to patrol left and center field, but I know that's not the case. It hasn't been that long ago, but already it's possible that, like a narrator in a 1940s talkie, this could be the Arizona outfield ... OF THE FUTURE.
Let's take a closer look.
CONOR JACKSON, LF — The move from first base always has to be a little insulting. Usually it means, "hey, I know your defense isn't great, but we have someone who's hitting for a little more power than you and we need the room" (way it like Bill Lumbergh for added flavor). In this case, Jackson moved to left field last season to make room for the maybe-not-injured-anymore Chad Tracy and will supplant Eric Byrnes' position. If he continues to hit .290/.370/.450, he'll be the above-average hitter everyone's accustomed to him being.
CHRIS YOUNG, CF — Yes, it's great that Young hit 32 home runs in his first full year, then 22 the next ... but then again, what outfielder doesn't possess that kind of power? Young's strikeout numbers and pull-hitting tendencies are not going to get him very far in this league, but his goal has been to work on his hitting mechanics and hit to all fields. Provided he reaches base more, that would be the fifth tool in his arsenal, along with his power swing, arm, speed, and defense.
JUSTIN UPTON, RF — He'll be 22 in August, which means it's probably not fair to chastise him for having a wickedly good April and September and be abysmally absent in between. Since he was a No. 1 overall pick and is in the big leagues today, he doesn't appear to have "bust" written on his face, but it might take a couple years before he can translate his athletic ability into results. For now, if he can grow into the rightfielder position and avoid striking out just a bit less, that's probably all the D'backs can ask of him this year.
Article comments
1 - Aaron Whitehead
Well said. I'm still optimistic about Young, though. He may never be more than a dead-pull guy, but for a center fielder with his defense, very few guys can hit like that. Hopefully, his OBP won't sink the ship.
As for Byrnes, I never really disliked him, I just wondered why he went from "fourth outfielder" to "franchise player." And what really sucks is his contract, which gave the team no room for Carlos Quentin (sigh).