Prospect O’Brien getting chance to play every day
The Diamondbacks made the move for which many of their fans had been clamoring, recalling Peter O’Brien from Triple-A Reno, installing him in left field and saying the slugger will get a prolonged look at the major-league level.
“We’re going to give him an opportunity,” Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said on Friday. “He’s earned it.”
From an offensive standpoint, O’Brien has little left to prove in the minors. He’s hitting .330 for Reno with a .670 slugging, and in parts of five pro seasons he owns an .882 OPS in the minor leagues. His 17 home runs are the most in the minor leagues.
His defense has long been cause for concern, but, by all accounts, he has shown significant improvement this season in left field, the fifth position he has played in his career.
The Diamondbacks are not expecting a Gold Glove defender; what they’re hoping for is an impact bat for the middle of their lineup. While O’Brien has been torching the Pacific Coast League, the big-league club has received scant production in left field.
Diamondbacks left fielders own the fourth-worst batting average in the National League (.220), the third-worst onbase (.275) and the sixth-worst slugging (.392), and the club’s sources for production have begun to run dry.
Yasmany Tomas was hitting .195 in his past 23 games entering Friday. Brandon Drury was hitting .186 since May 18. Michael Bourn had just five hits in his past 35 at-bats. The Diamondbacks are hoping O’Brien can provide a lift.
“This is where the best of the best are for a reason,” O’Brien said. “I’m not saying I’m the best, but I think I’ve definitely, over the last couple of years, put together some good seasons. I’m looking forward to hopefully being an everyday big leaguer.”
Two weeks ago, the Diamondbacks brought O’Brien to the majors for three days. He received one at-bat, striking out on three pitches, before being returned to the minors, where he hit .436 (17 for 39) with five homers in nine games before Friday’s call-up.
“Sometimes you’ve got to keep knocking on doors,” Hale said, when asked why the club waited until now to give O’Brien a chance.
“We felt like if we are going to bring him, we want to bring him and let him play every day, and, obviously, if you bring him here and commit to this, you’re going to take playing time away from other guys.”
To that end, Hale did not spell out what the ramifications would be, but he made it sound like an answer could come on Saturday, when the club will make a roster move to create room for starting pitcher Zack Godley. (O’Brien took the place of left-hander Edwin Escobar.)
One factor is the health of infielder/ outfielder Chris Owings, who has been bothered this week by plantar fasciitis. Hale said Owings has shown improvement, to the point that he could return to the lineup on Saturday. But he also said Owings might be a candidate for the disabled list.
“That would be an option for us,” Hale said. “We’ll have to see.”
Hale acknowledged it would be “very tough” to find enough playing time to satisfy the developmental needs of Drury, Tomas and O’Brien, particularly with David Peralta and Owings also in the mix for starts in the outfield.
O’Brien began his pro career as a catcher but has since seen time at third base, first base, right field and left field. He abandoned catching last year when he developed throwing issues. He wound up giving it another shot in spring training this year but has played only first and left for Reno this season.
Club officials and coaches say O’Brien has been a dependable presence in left, appearing far more reliable on routine plays than he did last season.
“I’m never going to talk bad about the guy, but he’ll tell you, his outfield play when he first started wasn’t the best,” Diamondbacks pitcher Archie Bradley said.
“But, from playing with him in Reno last year to this year, he’s a big-league outfielder now. I truly believe he can play outfield in the big leagues and play it well. He’s not just a guy you hide out there.”
Hale said O’Brien would play “close to every day,” though he wouldn’t say just how long he would have to produce.
“Obviously, you’re not going to say after five games if he doesn’t do great, you’re out,” Hale said. “That’s not fair to him. He needs to get a good sample size to see what he can do. Is that a month? We’ll see.”
Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.