Randal Grichuk's Selfless Opportunism Becomes D-backs' Success

Arizona's platoon outfielder and designated hitter has struggled to find playing time, but it's what he's done with it that has impressed.

Sep 1, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Randal Grichuk (15) runs the bases after hitting a three run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

In baseball, it's not about how many opportunities you're given - it's what you do with those opportunities.

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder and designated hitter Randal Grichuk is the embodiment of that principle.

The D-backs signed Grichuk to a one-year, $2 million deal in the offseason, as part of a move to address their DH position. With lefty counterpart Joc Pederson facing the right-handers, there hasn't been a major opening for Grichuk to see significant at-bats.

At least, until now.

With Lourdes Gurriel Jr. taking a stint on the Injured List with a left calf strain, there's a hole in the outfield. But Grichuk's surge began during the Mets series.

On August 29th, the veteran outfielder started a game with the Mets, having posted a .261/.321/.414 slash prior, with just four home runs on the season.

Of course, he was seeing extremely limited action, coming in with an even 200 at-bats so far in 2024.

He began his surge by going 2-for-3 with a two-run homer in that contest, notably recording Arizona's only two runs of the game. Since then, Grichuk has been a weapon at the plate, despite still not getting everyday playing time.

But it was in the following series against the Los Angeles Dodgers that he truly kicked it into gear. In a crucial game three, down 0-2 in the series already, Grichuk put up a monster day, going 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and four RBI.

His homer - a three-run blast - capped off an unbelievable eight-run second inning, as the D-backs went on to defeat their California rivals 14-3.

But he wasn't done there. On Tuesday night, playing in left field with Gurriel out, Grichuk worked an impressive nine-pitch at-bat against San Francisco lefty Kyle Harrison in the first inning. The result? A two-run blast to center field, spotting the D-backs a 3-0 lead.

“I saw everything, I saw his heater, his slider, his changeup. I knew that if I can just see a pitch out over [the plate], stay within myself that I’d find a barrel," said Grichuk, speaking to D-backs TV's Todd Walsh postgame.

And he wasn't done there. He followed it up with a solo home run in the fifth - this time against a right-hander - and the D-backs needed every run they could get, as they went on to scrape out an 8-7 victory.

He finished his night 3-for-5 again, with two homers and three RBI, part of an incredibly 9-for-14 stretch over his last five games.

In that short time, the veteran raised his slash to .284/.342/.486, doubled his home run total, and raised his OPS nearly 100 points, going from .735 to .828.

But it hasn't been easy for Grichuk to get into his rhythm, especially with such limited time. Diamondbacks ON SI had a chance to catch up with him during the homestand, following the Sunday win against LA.

“There’s been a lot of ups and downs, obviously not playing every day is tough," said Grichuk, "so you have to stay mentally in a place where… not saying you’re okay with not producing, but not beating yourself up just due to the fact of playing a couple times a week is a tough role in this game. Pitchers are nasty, if you’re not getting those everyday at-bats, it’s tough.”

It's a tough role, for sure. But the veteran is taking it in stride. He's been a consistent force against left-hand pitching throughout his career, however, this is the first season he's been fully platooned, and sanctioned away as a southpaw specialist.

“Not a lot of guys have had success [in that role] in the past, and the guys that have, have played long careers doing it," said Grichuk. "But you know, [I've] just got to go up there confident, and when the mechanics are clicking, then games like [Sunday] happen.”

Manager Torey Lovullo addressed Grichuk's playing time after the win over LA on Sunday.

“I know it hasn’t been easy for him. I’ve had some conversations with him, I know that he’s hungry to play more. He could probably get right-on-right at-bats and be very productive. And what I’ve said to him recently, is in the model that we have, this is his role, this is where he is, this is what he does best to help us win games,” Lovullo said.

Grichuk has traditionally been mostly good against left-hand pitching. This year, he's had 161 plate appearances against southpaws, while only 79 against righties. He's smashing lefties at a .308 clip, good for an .855 OPS and 136 wRC+.

But, strangely, despite his average taking a dip, Grichuk has actually produced fairly well against right-handers. He's hitting .240, but actually slugging 10 points higher (.493) against righties, while producing at a 108 wRC+, 8% above league average.

That factor might be surprising from an analytics standpoint, but not when considering Grichuk's approach. The outfielder noted that blocking out the noise, and not dwelling too hard on the specifics of his role, or even the in-game situation is key.

“There’s a term that we say in the cage, and it’s ‘F it.’ You’ve got to let it go, you can’t overthink it, and you’ve got to go with what feels good that day and just go up there and compete.

"Some days mechanically you don’t feel good but you’ve got to go up there with the mindset of 'I’m still going to come after you,'" Grichuk said.

“I would love to give him more [at-bats]. I would love to be able to say here’s a pile more, but we have some really good players that are handling the workload in other areas," said Lovullo.

Of course, this was prior to the Gurriel injury. That elusive opportunity came, offering Grichuk more playing time in the outfield, and, of course, more plate appearances.

What he'll do with that opportunity is yet to be seen, but if it's anything like the past week, the D-backs will be in good shape with regards to their outfielder and DH. Regardless, Grichuk has selflessly fought through the difficulty of inconsistent playing time to deliver in big moments for Arizona.

"He’s accepted his role, he knows what’s there for the good of the team, and that to me is a sacrifice, and a commitment to what’s going on here,” Lovullo said.