Vasgersian: GM Towers molding D-backs into SF Giants

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ trades of two high profile players in the offseason has MLB Network’s Matt Vasgersian thinking that the D-backs are looking to a division rival as an example of how to build a winner.

Vasgersian told Arizona Sports 620’s Burns and Gambo that general manager Kevin Towers’ offseason moves are an attempt to become like the San Francisco Giants.

“This is probably what Kevin has looked at, he needs to only look at the team that has won two of the last three World Series that plays just north of (Phoenix) in San Francisco,” he said. “They share a division, he sees what they have there, and they have had a collection of that type of player win for them the last few years.”

The MLB network personality compared one of San Francisco’s key acquisitions at the trade deadline last year to Arizona’s most recent get.

“Marco Scutaro, versatile — hits everywhere in the lineup and plays multiple positions — that’s your Prado type,” he said.

Vasgersian highlighted the type of character the Giants’ players possess that Towers is trying emulate in his clubhouse.

“When Hunter Pence became a Giant he brought more of that ‘dirtbag baseball’ guy mentality to that city — fight, scrap, scratch and grind,” Vasgersian said. “I think that the guys that run that team in Arizona have looked at the Giants and said ‘here’s part of their success and that’s something we can probably execute too’.

“And if in fact that’s what they’re doing, I think they’ve looked at the Giants as a prototype there.”

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