Paul Goldschmidt back, has no ill will from WBC experience

If Paul Goldschmidt had any regrets about his decision to participate in the World Baseball Classic – or any complaints about the spot on the bench he occupied during the tournament’s final three games – he did a convincing job of saying otherwise.

Goldschmidt called the WBC not only one of the best baseball experiences he’d ever had, but one of the best life experiences. And he explained away his lack of playing time late in the tournament with his trademark humility.

He said he wasn’t as productive as he would have hoped. He said teammates “picked me up.” And he said that he tried to take his bench role seriously, being ready in case he was needed and staying upbeat and energetic even if he wasn’t.

Goldschmidt said he had a blast playing on a team that won a championship, even if he logged just 13 at-bats in official tournament games – plus three additional plate appearances in two exhibitions – and, by the end, was relegated to a bench role for the first time since his sophomore year in high school.

“Honestly, I just kept telling everyone while it was going on and afterward, people at MLB, the (players association), the media, that they need to grow that event,” Goldschmidt said. “Hopefully, more fans will go – I mean, we had great crowds. It was like a combination between an All-Star Game and the playoffs.

MORE: D-Backs starting rotation announced

“As a fan, I would want to be there. I was watching the other games. I usually never watch baseball when the other teams are playing.”

Goldschmidt opened the tournament as one of manager Jim Leyland’s everyday players, but after going just 1 for 13 he began losing playing time to Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer. Goldschmidt said he had some good at-bats and some bad ones, but he added that the tournament wasn’t about him.

“I wasn’t able to do as much as I would have liked,” he said. “That’s part of it. Luckily, teammates there picked me up and they played great. Our pitchers did good, good defense and we were able to get the wins.”

Goldschmidt returned to Diamondbacks camp on Friday morning to a locker that had been vandalized by teammate David Peralta, who covered it with athletic tape then affixed a life-size picture of Goldschmidt over top of it. Peralta also put portraits of himself on the Goldschmidt one.

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It was Peralta’s way of exacting a bit of revenge on Goldschmidt, who went on MLB Network’s Intentional Talk and made light of Peralta’s activity on social media.

With Goldschmidt back, the focus will be on preparing for the April 2 season opener, and he didn’t seem to have any doubt he’d be able to make up for lost time. He said he did all he could during the tournament to stay sharp, including standing in during bullpen sessions, hitting extra in the cage and off a machine.

“We’ve got seven, eight, nine days,” Goldschmidt said. “I’ll definitely be getting back after it and getting ready for Opening Day. I’ll be ready.”

Goldschmidt was back in the lineup on Friday against the Dodgers. He struck out in each of his first two at-bats, then reached on an infield single and left for a pinch-runner in the fifth. Manager Torey Lovullo said going to minor league camp to get extra at-bats is an option for Goldschmidt.

“We’re going to piece it together, day by day,” Lovullo said. “I talked to him about playing today with the idea about playing (Saturday), but he’s going to see how he feels after the game here and we’ll follow up with him in the morning. There is potential to make up some ground on the minor-league side of things and we’ll know that here in the next 24 hours as to what his road map will be.”

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Short hops

• There were no surprises in the official starting rotation Lovullo announced on Friday. Opening Day starter Zack Greinke will be joined by Taijuan Walker, Robbie Ray, Shelby Miller and Patrick Corbin, though Lovullo said the order after Greinke had yet to be finalized.
• Lovullo also announced right-hander Archie Bradley would open the season in the bullpen, a role Bradley said earlier in the week that he would welcome. Bradley’s first professional game – a one-inning appearance for rookie-level Missoula in 2011 – is the only relief outing of his career.
• The Diamondbacks returned their Rule 5 pick, right-hander Tyler Jones, to his original team, the New York Yankees. Jones, who cleared waivers this week, gave up five runs (three earned) in 6 2/3 innings in the Cactus League, with no walks and eight strikeouts. The team also sent four players to minor league camp: left-hander Brian Matusz, right-hander Erik Davis, catcher Josh Thole and outfielder Oswaldo Arcia. 

Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.