'Little things' show promise in D-backs' Spring Breakout

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. --Since being selected in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft, there has been a question as to where LuJames Groover is best suited to play. He¡¯s played mainly third, but the Diamondbacks have also tried him at first and second.

One thing that is without question is that Groover can hit.

His hitting skills were on display again Friday night when he doubled and tripled in three at-bats as the Diamondbacks beat the Royals, 5-2, in a Spring Breakout game at Salt River Fields.

Groover missed three months last season after breaking his wrist early in the campaign, but managed to slash .281/.367/.474 across three levels, earning a late-season promotion to Double-A Amarillo.

While in Amarillo, Groover dominated in the hitter-friendly environment with a .340/.400/.600 line in 13 games.

Groover continued to rake in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .339 with a .767 OPS in 18 AFL contests.

Invited to big league camp for the first time this year, Groover impressed manager Torey Lovullo and the coaching staff, despite hitting .118 in 13 games.

"He understands this game, he understands where he's at, and he doesn't get his own way,¡± Lovullo said. ¡°A lot of times, young players get their own way. That's not the case with him. He is very self-aware. He understands at this point in time where his development is at and he wants to make the most of his opportunity. And he is. He's definitely opened my eyes, and for those coaches that are seeing him.¡±

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While the offensive numbers weren¡¯t there this spring for Groover, the organization knows they will be.

"He¡¯s got a really short, compact swing,¡± Lovullo said. ¡°It's a limited movement swing that's going to be very productive. His defense is going to be very important to him as well.¡±

Former Major Leaguer Orlando Hudson, who works in the Arizona Minor League system and managed Thursday's game, said he thinks that Groover benefited this spring from watching D-backs veteran third baseman Eugenio Su¨¢rez on a daily basis.

Groover said he did learn from watching how Su¨¢rez approached his work at third base, but also benefited from conversations with Ketel Marte about hitting and spent five innings on the bench chatting with veteran first baseman Josh Naylor about not just baseball, but life off the field as well.

"Just being around the guys, they¡¯re the best of the best,¡± Groover said. ¡°That¡¯s obviously the level everyone wants to strive for, so just seeing how they work, the consistency that comes with it, I think that¡¯s the biggest separator -- they do it correctly all the time."

Doing the little things
Lovullo, who as a former big league infielder puts an emphasis on defense up the middle, no doubt was pleased with the move that shortstop Cristofer Torin (Arizona's No 14 prospect) and second baseman Demetrio Crisantes (No. 2) pulled in the third inning.

With Asbel Gonzalez on first base, Daniel Vazquez hit a fly ball to right field. Gonzalez was running on the pitch and when he got to second, Torin and Crisantes deked him into thinking the ball was in play.

They were so effective, Gonzalez even took a few steps toward third base before realizing the ball had been caught -- and he was easily doubled off first.

Two innings later, No. 24 prospect Gavin Conticello executed a delayed steal perfectly, advancing to third base on a throwing error by the catcher on the play.

Yasser Soler continued the standout moments with the final out of the game on a grounder to deep third base, leaving Kansas City's top prospect Jac Caglianone in the on-deck circle.

"There were a lot of things you saw there where we did the little things to win 90 feet,¡± farm director Chris Slivka said. ¡°Those are all things that we preach here and all things that were done very well by our young kids today."