Diamondbacks give Tomas a try at third base

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Yasmany Tomas’ crash course at third base began when he arrived at the Arizona Diamondbacks’ training complex in mid-January and officially began when position players reported last week. He fits the D-backs’ roster best at third base, and he will be given every chance to play there. While it is a work in progress, the D-backs have liked the early signs.

“It’s going OK,” D-backs manager Chip Hale said. “He’s working extremely hard. We are really not going to know how good he can be at third until we get in game situations and hitters hitting balls at him. Right now he can catch a fungo-ed ball. That’s not the problem. It’s just if he can react like as major league third baseman has to. He’s getting there.”

Tomas signed a six-year, $68.5 million free agent contract after defecting from Cuba in 2013, a team-friendly deal that includes $36 million over the first four seasons with player options in 2017 and 2018.

Tomas, 24, played more outfield than third base in the Cuban Seire Nacional, but the position is not completely unfamiliar to him. He played about 30 games at third base in his first season in 2008, he said, and sporadically during the rest of his time there.

“I’ve been working so hard because I want to be the third baseman on the team,” Tomas said through interpreter Ariel Prieto, a D-backs coach and former Cuban emigre. “This is my focus right now.”

At some point this spring, a determination will be made, in part to give Tomas some outfield time before the start of the regular season if that is the way it plays out. With A.J. Pollock in center field and Mark Trumbo in right, left would be the landing point in that scenario.

“First, we have to know if he is ready to play in the big leagues,” D-backs general manager Dave Stewart said. “Being in the big leagues is more than playing third base. We have to know he can hit here. Then the defensive part becomes a part of it. Then we’ll figure it out. We made a decision internally that we will not let him suffer offensively if the defensive part of it turns out to be too much. We’re waiting for game action. That’s when the real test is going to come.”

Tomas is accompanied during his drills by Prieto, who translates and explains. Prieto served the same role with Yoenis Cespedes in Oakland, where Hale was the bench coach the last three years.

“He is not afraid of anything. He has no fear,” said Prieto, a right-handed pitcher who emigrated from Cuba two decades ago. “What has happened with some (emigres) guys in the past, they fear this country, they fear the players. They fear a lot of things. This kid, so far, he has a great confidence in himself. So that might make him better. His mind is really open. I don’t think he is overwhelmed. He takes everything so easily, relaxed, and confident. He has a really strong mind. He believes he is going to succeed in everything. So who knows? I believe he is going to have a big season.”