Arizona Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed, Ketel Marte appear likely to lead middle infield

Analysis

Last month’s trade for outfielder Steven Souza Jr. brought clarity to the Diamondbacks’ outfield situation. In a roundabout way, it also seemed to define the club’s middle infield.

With infielder Brandon Drury shipped to the New York Yankees, the Diamondbacks were left with Nick Ahmed, Ketel Marte, Chris Owings and Daniel Descalso as their primary middle infield options.

And though the team’s decision-makers have talked during spring training about wanting to see competition at those two positions, it seems clear the way it’s likely to shake out – or, at least, the way the club would like to see things unfold.

More than likely, the Diamondbacks appear to be preparing for Ahmed to get the bulk of the time at shortstop; Marte to play mostly second plus a little at short; and Owings and Descalso to bounce around the infield, mostly at second and third.

There are a variety of reasons for this conclusion. Start with Ahmed. When he went down last season in late June with a fractured hand, the Diamondbacks proceeded to play some of their worst baseball of the season, going 17-29 over a 46-game stretch.

People around the team didn’t think the timing was coincidental; Ahmed, they believed, had been an instrumental player, particularly when it came to the defensive stability and leadership he provided at shortstop.

And though some defensive metrics indicate a decline in Ahmed’s range last season – a reasonable concern given that he was coming off hip surgery the previous year – team executives don’t buy it, saying the numbers likely dipped because of more aggressive defensive positioning. Ahmed passed the eye test last year and has continued to do so this spring, last week making a difficult play in the hole look relatively easy.

With Marte, there’s no denying the upside he flashed in the second half of last season. He took over the everyday shortstop duties in August after both Ahmed and Owings went down with injuries. The Diamondbacks didn’t miss a beat.

Marte had struggled on both sides of the ball with the Seattle Mariners the previous year, looking overaggressive at the plate and inconsistent defensively. He looked better all around last year.

The on-base skills Marte exhibited as a rookie in 2015 resurfaced, and he was far more dependable in the field. He credits better focus and a stronger mentality for his improvement.

“He had a really good year when he came up in 2015, and, honestly, he got a little comfortable, I think,” said Diamondbacks right-hander Taijuan Walker, who was traded from the Mariners along with Marte. “He didn’t really have that edge he did when he first came up. That happens with a lot of young players when they come up. I know it happened to me. I came up, had some success and that next year I kind of got lazy a little bit.”

If Marte can play as well as he did at shortstop, there’s likely no reason he can’t be just as good, if not better, at second base, where he started on Saturday in Glendale.

As for Owings, the Diamondbacks seem to be preparing for him to hold down a super-utility role. He’s already played second and short this spring; he’ll likely move to third base and the corner outfield spots next, although he might not see as much time in the outfield as originally expected following the Jarrod Dyson signing.

Owings also has been a less reliable defender at short in recent years, and given the emphasis the organization puts on defense, he could well be the team’s third option there.

Both he and Descalso have the ability to bounce around the field, and seem good fits to do so depending on matchups.

If they’re facing a right-handed starter and the club doesn’t want to have both Ahmed and catcher Jeff Mathis in the lineup, perhaps Descalso would go to second with Marte shifting to short. Or, say they’re facing a left-hander, Owings can slide over to third to replace Jake Lamb, who typically struggles against lefties.

Besides, the idea of a spring-training “competition” seems odd when it involves three players who each have nearly 1,000 career plate appearances or more – or, in the case of Descalso, more than twice that number. Are the Diamondbacks really going to base playing time off spring-training results?

Of course, if one of them looks completely overmatched this month, that’s different, but all things being equal, the Diamondbacks should know what they have with these players.

And, it seems, they do. They have a great defender, Ahmed, who can do some damage against lefties. They have an exciting player with upside and on-base ability, Marte. They have an athletic, versatile option with Owings. And Descalso gives them a veteran who can put together consistent, tough at-bats with sneaky power.

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Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.