Blaze Alexander is Focused on Slowing the Game Down Out in the Field

The young shortstop is working on his footwork and glove presentation while staying focused when on the dirt.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and Manager Torey Lovullo still believe in Blaze Alexander as an MLB-caliber shortstop. He got another shot to prove it on Sunday which included a rare start against a RHP on the mound. He only had two chances on defense during the game but he made the most of it. In the third inning, Paul Goldschmidt hit a grounder towards Alexander who fielded it cleanly while moving towards second base. He cleanly underhand tossed it to Ketel Marte who tagged second and fired a throw to first base to complete the double play.

An impressive play for a shortstop who had been "benched" the previous three games for defensive reasons.

It was exactly the kind of play that the D-backs wanted to see out of Blaze, a calm, collected defensive play. He made another play in the 9th inning by cleanly fielding a ball and throwing the runner out at first. These were the plays that the D-backs needed to have happen, plays that were calm and cleanly done by their young shortstop.

This is even more paramount with the team having Geraldo Perdomo and Jordan Lawlar out for the foreseeable future due to injuries. They need to have Blaze Alexander performing at least with strong defense. After all, Manager Torey Lovullo needs his backup infielders to just "pick up the ball" when they play.

So far for Alexander, that hasn't panned out as he already has accumulated a starking -4 DRS in just 44 innings. That's truly kind of impressive, but Alexander has the tools to reverse this trend. Plus, he has the support of the D-backs coaches who are working with him and maintaining great confidence in him.

Lovullo said, "I can't run from players and Blaze is a good young talented player that's growing. I have to give him these opportunities to go out there and log innings and log moments where he's going to figure himself out and figure out his game. He's a very talented player. He's going to be real good."

As for what Lovullo is looking for out of his young shortstop, "At the end of the story, he's going to have a really good year, not a doubt in my mind. It's just what am I looking for? The consistency, the ability to pick up a baseball and get routine outs."

As for why Blaze Alexander has sat more recently with Jace Peterson and Kevin Newman playing more, "I don’t want to give him too much too soon. It’s a big responsibility to play shortstop for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he’s figuring that out. I want to help him figure that out, and I don’t want to give him too much to figure out at one time."

So, how is Alexander working on improving his defense? He's seeking to improve his glove positioning and his footwork on the dirt. Along with those, he's seeking to slow the game down as he spoke numerous times on that being such an important factor for him to achieve.

What's the key to slowing the game down?

Alexander says it's "Take more game-like reps pre-game. TP (Tony Perezchica) has been really good in the past week working with me, getting Torey's trust to keep throwing me out there, go out there, field the ball like you know how to do, and just get the out. Don't do anything crazy, just make the routine play and help your pitchers out."

As for what drills he's doing with Perezchica, who coaches the infielders, "We were doing footwork and glove presentation. Went to a kind of machine foam balls. A lot of stuff I'd been doing years prior in the Minor Leagues and I'm in a really good spot."

There has been one change in terms of equipment as Alexander switched from an 11.5-inch glove to a 12-inch glove that was gifted to him by Jace Peterson. The utility infielder who plays nearly every position on the diamond has plenty of gloves for every spot. Peterson and Perezchica both think this new glove will help Alexander.

"Usually, I use an 11.5 inch but my man Jace got a bunch of gloves and he gave me a 12-inch glove and it feels really good. [It's helping] glove presentation, the pocket's bigger." Glove presentation helps with collecting the ball while helping one to have better footwork. It will allow him to have his glove straight towards the ball and out in front.

One thing is certain, the D-backs players and coaches are going to support him throughout the entire time the process takes as Alexander becomes the defender that everyone knows he can be. "They know I'm a really good defender, that I wouldn't be here if I wasn't and they keep saying just slow the game down...Be present, be focused, and catch the ball, throw it over to first base, that's it."

However, his defensive struggles have not yet impacted his offensive approach. He's still hitting quite well for a rookie infielder, albeit most of his at-bats have come with the platoon advantage. Still, over 12 games, he has hit .286/.359/.457/.816 with six runs, two homers, and four RBI to go with four walks.

He's displayed an all-fields approach that Alexander credits to his work with Reno Aces hitting coach Travis Denker. Denker has worked with him on that approach for a while in Triple-A and it's paying off in the Big Leagues.

It's made an impression on Lovullo who said "He made some mechanical adjustments with his setup, with his starting point, with his hands, and I think it’s really translated for him...I like most about it is he knows how to toggle between pitches and his approach. He’s gonna look left-center, he’ll push it off to right-center. He’s got half of his hits to the right side of the diamond. That to me is a very impressive feat for a young hitter."

If Blaze Alexander can maintain his hitting with an improved version of his defense, then the D-backs might've just found their utility man of the future who can provide excellent coverage at numerous positions and carry the infield at shortstop until Perdomo can make it back from injury.