PHOENIX — The pop of the glove and the crack of the bat are back! Spring Training is here with the Arizona Diamondbacks pitchers and catchers reporting in Scottsdale on Wednesday.
Manager Torey Lovullo is looking to take a big leap after a 74-win season last year with some new additions to the roster who are familiar faces within the organization. Former D-Backs catcher Miguel “Miggy” Montero and infielder Daniel Descalso are joining Lovullo as staff assistants and Arizona brought veteran left hander Andrew Chafin back to the desert.
“Miggy has been a semi-fixture here prior to this year,” Lovullo said. “We've officially hired him as a staff assistant, and I'm thrilled about that. He's just unbelievable mind to tap into and a resource for all of us to tap into. But he's invested at a different level to help us win baseball games and help us develop baseball players.”
Chafin was drafted by Arizona in 2011 and played for the organization until he was traded to Detroit in November 2020. The player known as “Big Country” is back on a one-year deal and while his game hasn’t changed much, the formerly clean-shaven D-Back showed up to camp with long hair and a massive beard.
Lovullo said he didn’t recognize Chafin when he walked into the training facility in Scottsdale, adding that he thought he saw Sasquatch, but familiarity is something Chafin is excited to experience this season in Arizona.
“I grew up here and so it's nice to come back somewhere familiar,” Chafin said “I haven't even had a chance to sit down and look at the roster fully. It's been kind of a whirlwind these last few days. From what I know and what I've seen, it seems like we got a great group of guys that are gonna go out and bust their ass to win ballgames. And you can't really ask for much more than that.”
The Diamondbacks open their schedule of Spring Training games on Saturday, Feb. 25.
Follow the conversation with Lina Washington on Twitter: @LWashingtonTV. If you have a sports story idea, e-mail Lina at LWashington@12News.com.
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