D-backs GM Towers: Having Gregorius is ‘very comforting’
Apr 25, 2013, 12:17 AM | Updated: 12:35 am
Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers is not necessarily one to brag.
In fact, he is not going to point to the trade that sent Trevor Bauer to Cleveland and brought Didi Gregorius to the desert when people bring up Justin Upton.
However, that does not mean he’s not excited about what the 23-year-old shortstop has done in five games with the big league club.
“Didi Gregorius has been outstanding; I mean, just the base running, the heads-up play,” Towers told Arizona Sports 620’s Doug and Wolf Wednesday. “We saw it the other night, we saw it again [Wednesday]. Just big, big plays. Good defender, and a kid that hopefully is going to be here for a long, long time.”
Gregorius is hitting .400 with two home runs as a Diamondback, and has displayed the elite defense that attracted the team to him in the first place. The fast start has led many to wondering if a player who figured to still need a bit more seasoning in the minors is now ready for a full-time gig in the majors.
“We knew that he was ready defensively to be an everyday shortstop, and we knew that the bat wasn’t that far away,” Towers said, noting the team will have some tough decisions once Willie Bloomquist is healthy enough to play again. “It would be pretty hard to probably send the kid down, the way he’s playing right now.
“He’s probably come a little bit quicker than we thought, and we’re excited to have him.”
Towers, who also said it’s tough to find middle infielders of Gregorius’ caliber, said the player is “fun to watch,” and it’s tough to argue with that statement.
Of course, at some point Gregorius will go through a slump, but the GM is confident he’ll be able to push through it and emerge a better player.
“He’s got holes, like most big league players do, but he’s a smart enough kid that I think he’ll make the necessary adjustments,” he said, comparing him to what Paul Goldschmidt has done in his big league career. “Hopefully it’s a little bit shorter of a learning curve of hitting in the National League than most, but to have control of a good, young middle infielder is something we haven’t had in a while, probably since Stephen Drew when he was a young player.
“It’s very comforting.”
