Report: Diamondbacks Could Shift Yasmany Tomas to Left Field

Yasmany Tomas had an interesting rookie season with the Diamondbacks in 2015. He slashed .273/.305/.401 with 9 home runs and 48 runs batted in, but that wasn’t what caught our attention.

Out of the 118 games Tomas played in, 4 of them came at 1st base, 31 of them at third base, 6 at left field, and 57 in right field, as we saw the Diamondbacks move him around the defensive side of the game, leading questions to where Tomas will be used in 2016.

Per the Arizona Republic, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale told them on Friday that the Diamondbacks could shift around their outfield by putting Tomas in left field while David Peralta heads to right:

The Diamondbacks are considering rearranging the alignment of their outfield, potentially having left fielder David Peralta and right fielder Yasmany Tomas trade places, manager Chip Hale said Friday.

“We’re definitely talking about it,” Hale said. “(Outfield coach) Dave McKay and I, (General Manager Dave Stewart) and (Chief Baseball Officer) Tony La Russa, we think it might be best to switch them around.”

When the Diamondbacks first signed Tomas to a six-year $68.5 million deal last off-season, Tomas was listed as a third baseman that was a power hitter. Tomas isn’t the best defensive player, so that’s why their was a switch to the outfield to help keep his bat in the lineup.

Tomas didn’t showcase a ton of power last year, but the 25-year-old showed flashes, and projects to nearly double his home run total in 2016. It’s a very smart move for the D-Backs to keep him in the lineup night in and night out.

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Published by Tony Montalto

Twitter: @montalto_tony

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