In every Spring Training, there's always one player who ends up surprising everyone with their performance. For the Diamondbacks, it is infielder Blaze Alexander who is turning heads this spring. In his first four Cactus League games, he's 3-for-7 with a double, a stolen base, and a litany of impressive defensive plays. His three hits have recorded an exit velocity of at least 97.7 MPH, with two of them hit over 105 MPH.
The impressive start to camp has caught the attention of manager Torey Lovullo.
"I think he's an impact bat, he can square up the baseball, I think he's learning still as a hitter," said Lovullo.
Alexander was selected by the D-backs in the 11th round of the 2018 draft and signed for $500K. He showcased impressive power and athleticism early in his career but struggled to find his footing as a hitter. It wasn't until a breakthrough 2022 season with Double-A Amarillo, that he put up an impressive .306/.388/.539 slash with 17 home runs in 88 games, and he jumped back onto the prospect map. Looking to build upon that in 2023, a fractured thumb suffered two weeks into the season kept him out for two months and affected him the rest of the way.
Now healthy in 2024, Alexander is biding his time for an opportunity to play in the big leagues. The D-backs plan to play him at second base, shortstop, and third base this spring to open up more possibilities to get him on the roster. He's made impressive defensive plays at both second and short so far. Lovullo describes what he's seen so far from the 24-year-old infielder on that side of the ball.
"A lot of athleticism, a nose for the ball, fearless, he's always in a good position to make the decision on where the ball is going. He's locked in defensively."
Even though the team has established starters at each position, having a reliable backup who can play multiple positions, especially shortstop, would be a huge boost for the team. He was considered a potential option at third base when the position thinned out with Evan Longoria on the injured list and Josh Rojas was traded to Seattle as part of the Paul Sewald deal.
Alexander may face tough odds to make the Opening Day Roster over Jace Peterson and Emmanuel Rivera, but so far in camp he's doing everything he can to earn a spot.
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