Randal Grichuk's Recovery, and Dominance on the Diamond

Randal Grichuk has had a large impact on the Diamondbacks lineup even through injury struggles.

Diamondbacks Randal Grichuk (15) breaks up the no-hitter with a double in the fifth inning against the Tigers during a game at Chase Field on Friday, May 17, 2024. / Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY

Randal Grichuk has been a good hitter his whole career. He has a career 101 WRC+, with nearly 200 home runs and a .251 batting average. He has been a solid hitter, who is versatile in the outfield, and is a good fit to have in the clubhouse. The Diamondbacks however saw one thing when it came to Grichuk's stat page. He absolutely crushes left handed pitchers.

His career lines certainly look like those of a platoon player. He has a .270 career BA with a 117 WRC+ vs left-hand pitchers. He's somewhat diminished against righties with .243 BA and 93 WRC+. Career splits here. With the addition of Joc Pederson having already been made, Mike Hazen and the D-Backs front office saw Grichuk as a perfect fit to bring in, and to give them a powerful bat from both sides of the plate.

There was a slight hangup in the Diamondbacks plan, and it was a health concern. Grichuk had surgery in the offseason to remove bone spurs from his ankle. He wouldn't miss much time, but would end up missing all of the spring training games and not starting the season on the opening-day roster.

After some rehab games and lots of practice at-bats Grichuk finally got his first action in a D-Backs uniform, but the ankle wasn't done causing issues. "I was a little rusty for a few days," said Grichuk. "When I came back I felt it a pretty good amount for a while. I still feel it here and there now".

After a slow few days Grichuk turned up the heat and has not looked back during his time as a Diamondback. He has performed and in an effort to navigate injuries, and get his bat in the game more often has seen a good amount of outfield time. This also means that he has been facing righties a lot more than was originally expected.

The result was better than anyone could have hoped for. He has hit to a .313 BA with a 135 WRC+ against lefties and more increadibly, has a .323 BA with a 150 WRC+ against right handed pitchers.

In last nights opener against the Angels Grichuk saw some playing time, which he was missing a bit of during the San Diego series due to the pitching matchups. He proceeded to nearly hit for the cycle including both the home run and the triple, drive in 2 runs, score another two himself.

Randal Grichuk's additipon to the Diamondbacks has been a huge offensive spark that can fill the top, or bottom end of the lineup. His defense has been versatile and even through a painful rehab progress, he has been a key member of the D-Backs offensive core.