Who Could Platoon At First Base for the D-backs?

The Diamondbacks will have to likely fill the right-handed power void at first base. What are their platoon options alongside Pavin Smith?

Alex D'Agostino | Nov 25, 2024

Sep 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins first baseman Carlos Santana (30) hits a two-run home run during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images / Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images

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Arizona Diamondbacks

With Arizona Diamondbacks franchise first baseman Christian Walker set to depart the club for a deservedly large external deal in free agency, the team will need to address some of the lost power, particularly from the right-hand side.

The D-backs did benefit from a breakout season from Pavin Smith in 2024, as he slashed an impressive .270/.348/.547 with nine homers in only 158 plate appearances, good for a .895 OPS and 141 wRC+. He'll likely get plenty of looks at first base going forward.

With that said, Smith's average plummets to .200 against left-hand pitching. Arizona will likely look to platoon him, with a heavy-hitting right-handed bat alongside him at first.

With a bevy of options in the free agent market, here are some of the right-handed and switch-hitting options for the D-backs to pursue for a first base platoon:

SHB Josh Bell

The Diamondbacks are quite familiar with big switch-hitting first baseman Josh Bell, as they acquired him from the Marlins at the 2024 Trade Deadline for pennies.

Bell was quite serviceable for Arizona, hitting .279/.361/.436 with five homers over 41 games. He also improved his questionable defense a noticeable amount. He cost Arizona just $2.25 million, and FanGraphs estimates he'll receive around $8 million in 2025.

He is 32, and it seems that his pop has decreased a bit, but he is a versatile option as a switch-hitter, and he's a lower-cost option with a good work ethic, on top of being familiar with the D-backs' coaching staff and clubhouse.

In a limited role, he could see numbers come not too far below his short-season slash with the D-backs in 2025.

RHB Justin Turner

Veteran infielder/DH Justin Turner didn't have the most brilliant 2024 season, but he still hit a respectable .259/.354/.383 over 139 games.

He began the season with Toronto in a relative slump, but heated up as the year progressed, and slashed .264/.363/.403 with five homers in the latter half with the Seattle Mariners.

He actually hit right-handed pitching at a somewhat higher clip, hitting .261 against a .252 average facing lefties, but he slugged southpaws 28 points harder, and his ISO (isolated power) was .151 against left-handers, while only .114 against righties.

He is entering his age-40 season, and had one of the poorer overall seasons in recent history in 2024, so he's estimated to make $8 million in 2025, the same as Bell.

Though he's generally been a third baseman in his career, he did play 326.2 innings at first base in 2024, and posted an impressive 99.5% fielding rate, while picking up +2 Defensive Runs Saved. He's been known to play a variety of positions, even the outfield in a pinch.

A one-year deal in a platoon role could see a surge in his power numbers, and he'd be a steady, savvy veteran to add to the club.

RHB Mark Canha

Veteran first baseman and outfielder Mark Canha has bounced around a bit, playing for four teams in the last two years. Though he slashed just .242/.344/.346 in 2024, he hit for an impressive .288 to end 2024 with the Giants post-deadline.

Despite the contact-hitting ability, he still slugged quite low for San Francisco, with just a .329 slug percentage and .041 ISO.

But Canha could benefit quite heavily from a platoon role. He hit .275 on the year against left-hand pitching, while only managing .229 against righties. He slugged .394 against southpaws, while just .324 against right-handers.

He's 35, and is also projected $8 million in 2025. From a pure platoon standpoint, Canha has some of the more encouraging splits, though his overall 2024 numbers were quite weak, and he managed just seven homers.

SHB Carlos Santana

Switch-hitting pure first baseman Carlos Santana might be one of the more underrated hitters in baseball. Though he hit for an unimpressive .238 average with the Minnesota Twins in 2024, he slugged .420 with 23 home runs, good for a .182 ISO.

However, Santana's splits are quite eye-catching. He slashed just .219/.318/.358 as a left-handed batter against righties. Those numbers catapult to .286/.356/.578 as a right-handed bat against southpaws, good for a .934 OPS and 161 wRC+.

His homers were almost evenly split, with 12 against righties and 11 against lefties, but as an overall hitter, he was absolutely brilliant as a right-hander, and notably below average from the left-hand batter's box.

He profiles as a power-hitter, and while he isn't thought of as a defensive first baseman, he fielded at an excellent .996 clip, posted +8 Defensive Runs Saved in 2024, and has been an overall plus defender for most of his 15-year career.

At 38 years old, he's estimated to earn a mere $7 million in 2025 despite having just posted a 2.75 aWAR season. As a pure right-hand bat, he'd be an excellent value signing with the highest upside of the four.

Conclusion

Each of these hitters has proven to be a useful, serviceable hitter. Those with larger splits would look to benefit the most from platooning alongside Smith. While Turner and Bell would be good for the clubhouse, their respective gradual decline makes them a bit of a risk.

Canha has the lowest potential, but could be a value signing if his market is somewhat reduced.

Of course, former Diamondback legend Paul Goldschmidt is also a free agent. In a "down" year where he hit .245, he still slugged .414 and crushed 22 homers. He did, however, destroy left-handers to a .838 OPS, but only five of his homers came against southpaws.

But it would be difficult to imagine Goldschmidt agreeing to a platoon role, and he's estimated to make $14 million in 2025, which could be a hefty price for the return.

Diamondbacks On SI's Jack Sommers explored a Goldschmidt reunion in greater detail earlier this month.

Of the options mentioned in this article, Santana would have the highest upside as a platoon hitter, the most total power, and would still be a positive clubhouse addition.

In this writer's opinion, if his value really does remain around the $7 million mark, he'd be the best possible investment, and could post career numbers when facing left-hand pitching more exclusively.