Spring training or not, Trey Mancini not taking walk-off home run for granted

SCOTTSDALE — Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Trey Mancini smoked a no-doubt, walk-off home run to dead center field against the Chicago White Sox to send the home fans at packed Salt River Fields home happy on Saturday.

Manager Torey Lovullo said it doesn’t matter whether it’s spring training, little league, high school or pro ball, hitting a walk-off home run is a special moment for ballplayers.

With a runner on first and trailing 8-7, Mancini attacked a sinker up in the zone from Garrett Schoenle and sent it 423 feet into the cactuses beyond the center-field wall.

“Obviously, it’s a spring training game, but you always appreciate getting to hit a walk-off home run or hitting a home run in general, and that’s something I definitely don’t take for granted,” Mancini said. “Definitely a cool moment.”

because you said please! https://t.co/oOi4KOya2U pic.twitter.com/JEEJfU1vc8

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) March 16, 2025

Mancini remember hitting a walk-off home run with the Baltimore Orioles as a rookie in 2017 and a walk-off single in 2022, so it had been a while.

The veteran had not homered in a major league setting since last spring training with the Miami Marlins, as he did not play last season and considered stepping away from the game.

He had already marched back after missing the 2020 season while undergoing colon cancer treatment, his surgery for which was five years ago from this week (March 12). He returned to the major leagues and contributed 21 home runs to the 2021 Orioles and a game-saving defensive play in the World Series for the champion Houston Astros.

After mulling his future, he decided to give his career another shot and landed in Arizona, where he has hit the ball very well this spring.

Mancini through 13 contests is 9-for-21 with two doubles and now a home run. He’s primarily played in the back half of games while continuing to get back into the swing of it, and beyond results, he feels he is on the right trajectory.

“I think I’m trending well,” Mancini said. “After not playing last year and everything, I know it’s going to take a little bit of time to just have good strike zone awareness.

“Results aside — on paper, like it’s gone well — but I think early on, there were too many three-pitch strikeouts and I’d get a hit in between. I know what a professional at-bat looks like, and that’s more what I’m looking for is putting together professional at-bats, controlling the strike zone, hitting pitches I can handle. I think early on I was a little over aggressive, which I’m an aggressive hitter, but you’re gonna have success if you swing at pitches you can do damage with.”

The 32-year-old said on the Foul Territory podcast this week he started hitting with former Orioles All-Star Brady Anderson in October, and he signed with Arizona shortly before camp started. Lovullo said the D-backs had interest in Mancini in the past.

Mancini told SI.com’s Jack Sommers this week he does not intend to opt-out if does not make the Opening Day roster — which appears likely given the club’s depth — giving himself a chance to contribute if called upon similar to Kevin Newman last year.

“We feel like he’s on a really good path,” Lovullo said on Wednesday. “Where it leads to, at this point in time, it’s yet to be determined, but if he wants to play the game, we’re going to continue to give him an opportunity.”

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