This Power-Hitting Outfielder is Making a Case to Debut This Year

The ball traveled 366 feet and would've been a home run in 24 of 30 MLB ballparks. Plus, it was his latest hit with an exit velocity over 100 mph.

Speaking on it, Vukovich said, "That's just something that I've been working on. One of my strengths is hitting the ball up, for sure, with some velo. Everything I work on in the cage is working from the top down. I've been getting a lot of machine work in, working at the top of the zone, just being ready. I trust my hands.

"That's kind of where I was looking, honestly, because that's where I hit the ball pretty well most of the time. I like to work from the top down. And I knew the first pitch of the inning, he'd probably give me something similar. So, I was just ready for it."

Manager Torey Lovullo shared his thoughts on the homer, "Yeah, I've seen him do it before. I've seen him handle pitches up there in BP. When pitchers climb just a little bit above the strike zone, it can become a little bit of a challenge. So, when you can handle that pitch at the top of the zone. When you can handle it, put yourself in a good situation.

"He's working hard to stay behind the ball. He's a young kid who's still coming and still learning. And he's got to find a way to barrel up the baseball in different counts and different situations. Anytime somebody gets an opposite-field home run, it really charges me up because I know a lot of hard work goes into establishing the ability to do that. Your body has to be in the right place at the right time."

Vukovich shared that he looks for upper third pitches depending on the pitcher and whether they are a sinker pitcher or a guy who has good spin. Being able to do that is a major skill to be able to utilize agianst MLB pitchers who often pitch high to strike hitters out.

As for when he was told that he was going to be starting by bench coach Jeff Banister, Vukovich said, "I kind of got some butterflies, just really excited because you want those kind of opportunities. But then I was able to use practice to know that I was going to be in there. So really just get into that mindset. I'm glad it wasn't too late of a notice or advance. But it was good."

Despite reaching Triple-A last year and hitting 29 doubles, 17 homers, batting .270, and having an OPS of .800 in Double-A, he wasn't satisfied with the results. Vukovich discussed how he's preparing this Spring Training and how it's going so far in big league camp as he prepares for Triple-A.

"I feel like I've been doing well. I try to keep things simple, especially from last year. It didn't necessarily go the way I wanted, but I just wanted to make adjustments and show that I can be competitive and be aggressive up there at the plate and do the right amount of damage.

"And I feel like it's going well. Anytime you can get out here and compete against this caliber of players, it's a good thing. So baseball is definitely a slow process, and it's good to feel a little bit of success out there to kind of get momentum going."

One other aspect that Vukovich has been working hard on improving is his defense in the outfield. He transitioned there shortly after being drafted as a third baseman.

Plus, the D-backs place a high value on defense especially with coaches such as Dave McKay or Peter Bourjos coaching. They have a high standard and McKay is especially known for improving every player's defense.

Vukovich credited his travel ball coaches when he was younger for making him learn all the positions so that it made for an easier transition out of his tool bag for when the D-backs had him move to the outfield.

He further expounded that "With me having a little bit of basketball background [He's 6'4, was a star high school basketball player in Wisconsin], it helps in the outfield because it feels like I have a little bit more freedom room to run. Like, I feel like I can chase down the balls. I kind of treat the outfield like you're a safety, and you go and make plays."

"I feel really comfortable out there. I think it feels like second nature. And the coaches do a really good job. McKay and Peter Bourjos are two of the best outfield coaches in all of baseball. I just try to learn from them. And there's still a lot I need to work on. It's good to be around such good players and coaches to help me out."

This was put on showcase in the game on Saturday when a hitter laced a ball into the left field gap and Vukovich cut it off in time to hold the runner to just a single. The following batter hit into a double play and that ended any potential of a threat happening.

That's something that Lovullo took notice of, saying "That's set up because Vuk digs hard over into the left field corner. I don't know if it was the same batter or the next batter, right? Whenever you keep a runner at first plate, it makes you have the potential for something like that to happen.

"So, we talk about shortest angles of the ball in the outfield, in the infield, and when they're taking ground balls, that's what they're doing. He did a really good job of digging hard, cut it off, and kept that runner at first base. Those are little things for us."

It certainly sounds like Vukovich made a big impression on the Diamondbacks and Lovullo's coaching staff thus far into Spring Training. That's especially notable after Lovullo mentioned in his pregame presser on Saturday that he was looking for Vukovich to show him what he can do.

Considering the Diamondbacks' outfield depth, it will be difficult for Vukovich to reach the majors and make his debut, but not impossible. That's certainly true if he hits as well as he has the ability to. Also true is that his bat is far ahead of his glove.

Should anything happen to the DH combo that the D-backs currently employ, it wouldn't be a huge stretch for Vukovich to be one of the contenders to get called up to work as a platoon DH or outfielder during any injury.