Prospective 2015 Diamondbacks' offense has power
Mark Trumbo and Paul Goldschmit got some help in the middle of the order Wednesday. (USATSI)The Diamondbacks have landed Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomas for six years and $68 million. Though we've seen very little of Tomas in America, my initial thought here is just how much power the middle of the Diamondbacks' order looks to possess in 2014.
This is from Baseball America's scouting report on Tomas:
A righthanded-hitting corner outfielder, Tomas can hit towering home runs thanks to the strength from his thickly-built 6-foot-1, 230-pound frame. Tomas has 70 raw power on the 20-80 scale, and with Jose Abreu already gone, the only player still in Cuba with more raw power than him was Alfredo Despaigne.
This is from Fangraphs.com's scouting report:
The carrying tool here is raw power, which draws anywhere from 60 to 70 grades on the 20-80 scale from scouts, but the question mark is how much he will hit. Tomas has a short bat path for a power hitter and quick hands that move through the zone quickly. The tools are here for at least an average hitter, but Tomas' plate discipline has been questioned and he can sometimes sell out for pull power in games (here's video of a particularly long homer in the WBC). Some scouts think it's more of a 40-45 bat (.240 to .250 average) that may keep Tomas from getting to all of his raw power in games, while others see a soon-to-be-24-year-old with the tools to hit and think the hot streak of Cuban hitters in the big leagues will continue with him.
Now, the Diamondbacks ranked 25th in the majors with 118 homers last season, but that was already going to go up next year, assuming full health to Paul Goldschmidt and Mark Trumbo.
Goldschmidt homered 19 times in 109 games before a hit-by-pitch ended his season while Trumbo missed almost half the season due to a stress fracture in his left foot. Goldschmidt is 27 and hit 36 homers in 2013. He's a good bet to top 30 next year. Trumbo had 32 homers in 2012 and 34 in 2013 and he'll be 29 years old next year. So, yeah, he's also a good bet to top 30.
On Tomas, 24, we can't be sure. His experience in America is limited to the 2013 World Baseball Classic. We do know that scouting outlets love his raw power and he's certainly capable of hitting at least 25 homers. Chase Field is a nice homer park, too. On the whole, predicting 30 homers for Tomas next year in light of the hit tool concerns the aforementioned scouting reports raised would be aggressive. I still don't think it's unreasonable to say that his ceiling is in the range of 30 home runs, though.
Just 11 players last season hit 30 homers and only two -- Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion -- were teammates. That the Diamondbacks have the chance for a trio of 30-homer guys has to be a pretty exciting possibility for new general manager Dave Stewart.
I don't think he could get there again, but it's worth mention that second baseman Aaron Hill has three seasons with at least 26 homers under his belt, too.
At the very least, this signing gives Diamondbacks fans a little extra reason for giving thanks on Thursday. A very talented 24-year-old player has been added to the fray.
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