Healthy Pollock plays key role in D-Backs’ success
Normally, when somebody asks you how you’re doing it’s received with a friendly nod and maybe some short but polite chitchat.
You’ll have to forgive A.J. Pollock, then, if he feels like punching you in the head.
The Diamondbacks center fielder has been asked “how you doing” and “how are you feeling” so many times that it seems to be getting tougher and tougher for him to bite his tongue and be nice.
“Yeah, a little bit,” he said, forcing a smile. “It comes with the territory, though. I know that.”
Discussing injuries is one of the last things a professional athlete wants to talk about, and for Pollock, the injuries and the dialogue have lasted long enough over the past three seasons.
In 2014, it was a broken hand, which limited him to 75 games. Last year, after an All-Star season in which he hit .302 with 20 home runs, 76 RBIs and 39 stolen bases, it was a fractured right elbow and a groin strain. He missed all but 12 games.
Another groin problem occurred this spring when on March 12 in a game against the Giants, Pollock felt a twinge while circling the bases following a leadoff home run, his first of the Cactus League season. The tightness caused him to miss 12 games until he finally returned Friday during a game against the Dodgers.
“I’m a bit happier because I’m in the lineup today,” Pollock said, “so that kind of tells you where I’m at.”
He played on Saturday, too, going 0 for 3 with a strikeout in a 7-4 loss to the Angels. He wasn’t in the starting lineup on Sunday, however, when the Diamondbacks met the Indians at Salt River Fields.
First-year manager Torey Lovullo has been extra careful this spring not to rush players back when an injury of almost any kind surfaces. As the old saying goes, he’d rather be safe than sorry. But when Pollock is asked about being handled with kid gloves by his manager and team trainers, his answer is a bit perplexing.
“When I’m not in the lineup,” he said, “sometimes it’s because I’m not feeling good. You’ll have to talk to Torey and the trainers and stuff because some days I feel great and it’s not really my call, so ...”
So is Pollock on the same page with Lovullo and the medical staff? Is taking extra time to make sure an injury doesn’t linger not to Pollock’s liking?
“Well, the theory of wanting everybody to be healthy isn’t an old approach,” Pollock said. “I think everyone’s on the same page about that. You want everyone to stay healthy, contribute to the team and be able to be out there every day.
“But he’s looking at it from a different angle, too, so it’s not my job to read into what he’s doing. If he thinks that so-and-so needs a day off and it’s a good time to throw another player in there, that’s his job to do that. I’m just another player on the team. If he wants me in there, I’ll do everything I can. If he thinks that’s the day I need to sit down, well, obviously I want to be in there, but it’s his call.”
The Diamondbacks had their share of injuries in 2016, but their players spent the eighth-fewest days on the disabled list in all of baseball. So why is Lovullo and new General Manager Mike Hazen being so cautious with all of their players, including Pollock?
“I think we always have to be careful of trying to force somebody in a situation when they’re not perfectly healthy to go out there and perform at such an elite level,” Lovullo said. “I’m a big believer in making sure the athletes are of sound mind and they’re sound physically before you put them into that environment. So if it takes an extra day-to-day to get through next week, we’ll take the extra day-to-day.
“I don’t want to force anything on anybody at any time at this point in the season. If it was September, it might be a different story.” And if it were June?
“I’d still follow these same guidelines, these rules,” Lovullo said. “I’m not going to force anybody in there until it’s time.”
Imagine what a healthy A.J. Pollock would mean for the Diamondbacks over a full season. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt can and he can’t wait to see it happen.
“It’ll be huge,” he said. “A.J.’s definitely one of the keys to this team, one of our leaders. He’s very versatile. When you look at the lineup, he can pretty much hit virtually anywhere in the lineup. He can do so many things – steal bases, hit for power, hit for average, draw walks. And then there’s his defense in the outfield. He just locks down center field and covers a lot of ground and we need that in our ballpark.
“Sometimes, he makes it look too easy out there.”
If you run into Pollock, try not to ask him how he feels. He’s been asked enough. Ask him how he feels about the 2017 season, though, and he’ll talk your ear off.
“Oh man, I just love playing, you know?” he says. “I love being able to contribute defensively and offensively and on the bases. I’m going to do everything I can. I don’t have any doubts about this year. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m going to be ready and we’ll see what we can do this season.”
Short hops
Outfielder Gregor Blanco has a strained oblique, an injury that “possibly” could hurt his chances to make the team, Lovullo said.
Blanco is in camp on a minor league deal, and the club faces a deadline Tuesday to tell him whether he has made the team or not. If not, Blanco then would have the option to opt out of his contract and become a free agent.
“We know we’re up against a timeline where we have to make some crucial decisions,” Lovullo said. “We’re sensitive to that. We’re pulling for him to heal as quickly as possible so we can make the best decision for this ballclub.”
» New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was in camp on Sunday, a guest of Diamondbacks executive Tony La Russa. At the team’s request, Belicheck addressed the players briefly before the game. “He delivered a great message of unity,” Lovullo said.
– Nick Piecoro