D-Backs, with low bar, seek relevance, momentum

A gust of wind is filling the sails. The Cubs are reigning World Series champions, a feel-good story 108 years in the making. Team USA won its first World Baseball Classic, providing a jolt of national pride and heightened awareness during the hazy days of spring training.

It almost feels like Major League Baseball has real momentum entering the 2017 season, where anything seems possible, where all dreams begin at home plate.

The Diamondbacks are another matter.

They are a team in transition, from manager to methodology. They have a pitching rotation that could surprise or sputter. They have an infield that could be grooming budding stars Jake Lamb and Brandon Drury. They have an MVP candidate, Paul Goldschmidt, who should be motivated like never before.

They are blessed with low expectations.They are hampered by Zack Greinke’s contract, a luxury item that average teams simply can’t afford. They are cursed to be playing in a division where the Dodgers and Giants both have payrolls exceeding $200 million. And while their concession stands will be stocked with dynamic new attractions, their bullpen might be full of dirty-water hot dogs.

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“I’m hopeful,” Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick said. “You have new leadership and so that gives you optimism, because a change with leaders that I think are very able makes you hopeful. But we have a long road and a very tough competitive environment.”

Truth is, nobody knows what to expect. But there are two powerful takeaways that should follow the Diamondbacks into what will likely be their sixth consecutive season without a playoff berth, helping this team find relevance over the long, hot summer ahead.

Start with Goldschmidt, previously known as America’s First Baseman. That perception has taken a recent hit, as he didn’t even play for Team USA in the last two games of the WBC, benched in favor of the Royals’ Eric Hosmer.

Egregious slight? Not necessarily. Hosmer was swinging a hotter bat at the time, which is always a critical factor in determining starting lineups in tournament play. Hosmer had more big-game experience. But Goldschmidt is considered one of the better players in baseball, and he chose to represent his country at a time when most major stars did not.

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Goldschmidt is as steady as he is humble, and not one to complain about anything, whether it’s his contract or lack of playing time. But his decision to participate in the WBC may have backfired, robbing him of Cactus League at-bats and bonding time with his teammates. It’s also a bad look. Do you think Bryce Harper or Mike Trout would’ve been benched for any reason?

“I flew out to San Diego with my son to see Team USA play the Dominican, and I can tell you, there were a lot of ticked off Diamondbacks fans,” former Diamondbacks star Luis Gonzalez said. “I told them, ‘Hey, I don’t make the lineups.’ I think the exposure he got was great, but I would’ve liked to see him play more.”

Goldschmidt had a decent season in 2016, but not the kind of year expected from a player with monstrous talent. Perhaps the WBC snub will fuel him even further in the coming months.

Goldschmidt’s absence from the Diamondbacks also magnified a different kind of spring training at Salt River Fields. Unlike last year, when the team shined in Cactus League exhibitions, this team has been flying under the radar, where Greinke and A.J. Pollock have been preparing slowly and cautiously.

This much is certain: No matter where they finish in the National League West standings, the Diamondbacks need to resonate with their audience. Maybe Valley fans were robbed of perspective, spoiled after watching their franchise win a World Series in its fourth year of existence. Or maybe the playoff drought and previous bouts with incompetence have damaged the team’s credibility and standing in the community.

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These Diamondbacks need to break that cycle, exhibiting a passion and love for the game that will bring a new energy to their stagnant stadium.

As evidenced by the WBC, this is a touchy subject in baseball. Teams from Latin America are not afraid to show emotion on the field. Their fans display a level of engagement rarely seen in Major League Baseball. The culture clash has created a lot of friction inside the game from U.S.-born players who take great offense to showboating and style points.

“I hope kids watching the WBC can watch the way we play the game and appreciate the way we play the game as opposed to the way Puerto Rico plays or the Dominican (Republic) plays,” Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler told the New York Times. “That’s not taking anything away from them. That just wasn’t the way we were raised. They were raised differently and to show emotion and passion when you play. We do show emotion; we do show passion. But we just do it in a different way.”

The Diamondbacks don’t need to emulate the Dominican national team or bleach their hair in solidarity like players from Puerto Rico. But they would be wise to show some personality and joy that seems to be taboo in Major League Baseball, a sport that really needs to lighten up.

“I love hard-nosed play,” Kendrick said. “But I admire the way the international fans get into the game. It almost makes baseball a different sport than the one we’re used to. How you balance that in a way that’s not over the top, I’m not sure I have the magic formula for that.”

At this point, Kendrick would gladly settle for a good team and a fast start. It’s been too long since we’ve seen either at Chase Field.

Reach Bickley at [email protected] or 602-444-8253. Follow him on twitter.com/dan.bickley.  Listen to “Bickley and Marotta” weekdays from 12-2 p.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.