Snake Bytes 3/7: Pour a Shot

Diamondbacks News:

[MLB] Jameson changes it up; Ahmed makes spring debut

SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Arizona coaching staff really wanted to get a good look Monday at Drey Jameson as competition heats up for the fifth spot in the D-backs’ rotation.

So much so that manager Torey Lovullo used the Spring Training rule instituted in 2021 that allows pitchers to reenter a game after being lifted. Hence Jameson’s two stints against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium in his third Cactus League start.

The 25-year-old righty — a first-round Draft pick in 2019 — made his case for a rotation spot in at least one of his stints during the D-backs’ 10-1 loss to the Royals. Kansas City hitters reached Jameson in the second, and when he was pulled after two mound visits in the inning, he “for sure” thought he was done for the day.

[AZC] Diamondbacks’ shortstop watch begins as Nick Ahmed makes spring debut

Ahmed’s return to action on Monday afternoon marked a sort of unofficial beginning to a possible position battle worth monitoring, not just this year but into the future.

The Diamondbacks’ primary shortstop might be different in April than it is in August or September, and the season could provide clues as to who holds it down over the next half-decade or so.

The club has a veteran in Ahmed, a young big leaguer in Geraldo Perdomo, a potential phenom in Jordan Lawlar and a high-level prospect in Blaze Alexander. Ahmed and Perdomo both are expected to open in the majors, Alexander in Triple-A and Lawlar in Double-A.

Baseball News:

[MLBTR] Revisiting The Best Fits For Jurickson Profar

Thankfully Arizona is not on their list. I think we have enough aging veterans slated to teach the young ones “how to act” and the like don’t you?

[MLBTR] Justin Turner Removed From Game After Being Hit In Face With Pitch

RIP Ish who just drafted Turner in a fantasy league... But good news for him and Boston fans, he appears to be ok, with no fractures! Long live the Red Devil! ...so long as he plays in a different league, that rarely sees Arizona.

Max Scherzer Tests the Limits of the New Pitch Clock Rules

Pitchers, hitters, and the rest of us have spent the first couple weeks of this exhibition season adapting to the new pitch clock, but few players have set out to test the boundaries of the rule the way that Max Scherzer has. The future Hall of Famer’s search for an advantage has called to mind the philosophy offered by a hurler he’ll eventually join in Cooperstown, Warren Spahn: “Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing.” And the 38-year-old righty’s first two starts of the spring have demonstrated some ways in which a pitcher might weaponize the clock — and how such efforts might backfire.

Going to have to be short one today to start guys, I’m sorry. I got home late and have an early morning. If I see any really good articles before noon Eastern, I’ll add them.