The D-backs have a DH Problem

Awkward roster construction and a poor platoon advantage mix resulted in poor production at DH

Coming into the 2023 season D-backs management would often explain their philosophy around the Designated Hitter  position by pointing out that while it would be great to have a David Ortiz to plug into the lineup, they didn't have that luxury. Therefore they'd need to be creative and use a rotation. At the same time they indicated they would try to use the position to get everyday players "off their feet", as Torey Lovullo likes to say. 

This philosophy ignored perhaps the difficulty of being a DH. Sitting in between innings, it can be difficult to stay sharp and focused mentally, as well as physically loose. It's harder than most people think.  At the same time things were  also complicated by roster construction. The D-backs opened the year with three left hand hitting and one right hand hitting outfielders, including Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas, Jake McCarthy from the left side and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. from the right. They opted to place RHB Kyle Lewis on the roster to DH against left hand pitching, and against right hand pitching Gurriel, got most of the DH at bats. That's how things started out. So what was the result?

The Stats

In all 12 different players have gotten at least two starts at DH for the D-backs this year.  The net result unfortunately has been one of the weaker performances in the league. As a team The D-backs have hit just .226/.290/.410, .701 OPS from the DH position. League average is .246/.326/.429.  Arizona ranks 22nd in both batting average and OPS at DH. Here are the individual performances, sorted by plate appearances, and highlighting the OPS. 

Fangraphs

Player Comments

Lourdes Gurriel Jr  RHB has gotten the most playing time at DH but has not hit well as a DH. Perhaps that is due to the Diamondbacks lineup construction. Despite being a right hand batter, 178 of his 200 PA at DH have come against right hand pitching.  When a left hand pitcher is on the mound Gurriel played left field typically. Overall when playing LF he's hit far better, .278/.332/.489.  It's difficult to sort out if Gurriel's poor DH numbers are due to him needing to be more engaged on the field or if it's due to the platoon split of facing mostly RHP

Kyle Lewis RHB  was only with the team for a little over a week before being placed on the injured list with an undisclosed illness on April 8th. He had a big pinch hit homer on March 31st against the Dodgers, but otherwise got off to a slow start, going 3-for-18 with nine strikeouts. He had abbreviated five game stints back with the MLB club in both July and August, but failed to hit in those opportunities. He's crushed the ball in Triple-A but there is no spot for him on the current roster.

Pavin Smith  LHB was called up to replace Lewis and was getting a lot of DH appearances earlier in the year. He did well in that spot initially, batting almost exclusively against right hand pitching when he was the DH. While his batting average and slugging were merely league average for the position, he took his walks and had an excellent OBP.  Unfortunately Smith was unplayable in field, due to poor defense, and when he had to play the field it might have impacted his hitting. In 128 PA compared to 100 as DH, he hit .147/.26/.239. Smith has been optioned out to Triple-A Reno twice this year. His future is likely as a left hand DH and backup first base option whose defensive innings must be limited. 

Evan Longoria RHB was brought in to play primarily against left hand pitching primarily, splitting time between 3B and DH. But just 46 of his 85 PA at DH have come against left hand pitching. He's hit .279 vs. LHP at the DH spot, but just .139 with two homers when forced into being the DH against right hand pitching. 

Tommy Pham RHB joined the team at the trade deadline and has gotten 55 of his 159 PA at DH, with the rest of his playing time coming in RF and LF.  Here again we see the awkwardness of the roster construction, as just 15 of the 55 DH PA have come against left hand pitching, and 40 of them have come against RHP.  Much like Gurriel,  Pham's .159 average and .552 OPS at DH is in stark contrast to his 104 PA when playing in the outfield where he's hit .323/.365/.552.

Dominic Canzone LHB  was called up to replace Smith as a left hand DH and occasional outfielder, potentially providing some more power against right hand pitching than Pavin Smith did. He hit very well in his limited opportunities at DH. But he was traded to the Mariners for Paul Sewald. 

Beyond that you see a smattering of DH plate appearances here and there. Ketel Marte and Christian Walker have not done much at DH while "getting off their feet"  Corbin Carroll and Emmanuel Rivera had somewhat better results. 

Conclusion:

74% MLB plate appearances come against right hand pitchers. The Diamondbacks roster construction resulted in 305 of their DH PA going to right hand batters, and just 144 going to left hand batters. Those right hand batters have compiled a .218 batting average with a .686 OPS at the position. 

If the Diamondbacks are not able to go with a more traditional full time DH, they should at least consider finding a left hand bat that can take the lions share of plate appearances against right hand pitching, regardless of how many left hand hitting outfielders they have.