You might not have particularly noticed at the time, but first-base was something of an issue for the D-backs this year. In overall production by bWAR, the position came in at 2.2 wins below average, which ranked Arizona 26th in the majors (as a yardstick, the Diamondbacks’ bullpen were 25th). Josh Naylor’s production at the plate, where he had a 122 OPS+ helped paper over things, but his defensive issues (which became apparent early) meant he was worth only 0.8 bWAR over 93 appearances. After he was dealt to the Mariners, it was a bit of a revolving door, with Pavin Smith, Tyler Locklear, Tim Tawa, Ildemaro Vargas and Tristin English all starting over the final third.

Locklear, in particular, appeared to be acquired from Seattle with the intention of him being a long-term replacement at

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