D-backs GM: A.J. Pollock is a player who ‘just grows on you’

A.J. Pollock was not supposed to be a fixture in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ lineup.

A fourth outfielder at best, the team most certainly would have preferred to begin the season with some combination of Jason Kubel, Adam Eaton, Cody Ross and Gerardo Parra in the outfield, leaving no room for the former first round pick.

Yet, injuries to Eaton, Kubel and Ross have forced the team into playing Pollock, and all he’s done is deliver to the tune of a .308 average with two home runs and eight RBI.

As Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers told Arizona Sports 620’s Doug and Wolf Wednesday, this is why he has brought in outfielders the last two seasons when it seemed like there was no need at the position.

“You need depth, and depth is really big,” he said. “I think that’s what’s kind of kept us afloat, is our depth.”

Enter Pollock.

“He’s a great player,” Towers said. “He’s one of those guys, they always talk about our top prospects and they usually never bring his name up. Not from us, he’s kind of always been on our radar screen, we’ve just had so many outfielders, it’s been tough to get him the time up here and the at bats.”

Towers said Pollock is the type of player who “just grows on you,” because he can do a little bit of everything at the plate and is as solid as they come defensively.

Then again, this was not necessarily in the plans.

Pollock hit .247 with two home runs and eight RBI last season in 81 at bats, and while he is with the big league club for a reason, there were no designs on having him be an every day contributor. But circumstances have dictated a different course, and it’s worked out pretty well so far.

“It’s just nice that he’s gotten an opportunity, he’s taken great advantage of it,” Towers said. “I think this experience up here, playing and performing, is only going to make him better in the future.”

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