Varsho does it all: 'He's a very special talent'
D-backs youngster homers, drives in 4 runs, makes stellar diving catch in RF
Both at the plate and in the outfield, Daulton Varsho showed how versatile he can be on Saturday night.
Varsho provided a pair of timely swings and collected a career-high-tying four RBIs -- all of which came with two outs -- and displayed his defensive skills in the D-backs' 7-3 win over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Varsho's biggest knock was his two-run homer that capped a four-run fourth inning.
D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said Varsho’s performance showed how he's bounced back offensively in the second half of the season.
“It was a terrific night for him, and those are the things that we've been seeing for the better half of these past couple months,” Lovullo said. “He seems to really be on the baseball, impacting the baseball and doing it at really critical times. And that's what we ask our players to do -- to be at their competitive best when it's needed most.
“He made a terrific play in right field. He just was all over the diamond, and that's what he's capable of. He's a very special talent, and the more opportunity that he's getting, the more he's learning, the more he's helping us win baseball games.”
Varsho flashed his speed and his ability with the leather on a fly ball hit by Jake Bauers with two outs in the fourth. Varsho covered 107 feet and reached a sprint speed of 28.9 feet per second, per Statcast, to make a diving catch in right-center field that elicited a celebratory fist pump from starter Humberto Castellanos.
“Right off the bat, I looked to my right and saw that [center fielder] Ketel [Marte] kind of went back, and I knew I probably had an opportunity to try to go catch it,” Varsho said. “It was good communication between me and him out there. It's pretty cool to have that to keep building momentum for the team and keep being able to push it forward for everybody."
Varsho's second two-RBI hit of the night came in the sixth, when he followed back-to-back walks from Seth Beer and Nick Ahmed with a double to center.
In the first half of the season, Varsho batted .143 with one home run in 35 games. Since the All-Star break, he's batting .309 with nine homers, 23 RBIs and a 1.010 OPS.
Lovullo said Varsho has proven he has the qualities it takes to be productive in the Majors.
“He is making quality adjustments,” Lovullo said. “[He's shown us] that he is learning and growing day by day making good decisions at the plate. He has shown some unbelievable defensive versatility and is just continuing to push forward and show us what he's capable of doing on a very consistent basis. That's really what a Major Leaguer does. He knows how to do it every at-bat, every night.”
Varsho appeared to find his form after he was optioned to Triple-A Reno on May 24. Varsho batted .313/.368/.750 with nine homers and 25 RBIs in 80 at-bats over 18 games with the Aces before returning to the Majors on June 20.
Varsho said the improvements have been more mental than physical.
“I just think I'm taking it one day at a time, having fun and the rest just kind of takes care of itself,” Varsho said.
Varsho provides some unique flexibility for the D-backs with his skill sets as both a catcher and an outfielder. He has started 33 games at catcher this season, along with 21 starts in center field, nine in left and eight in right.
The 25-year-old Varsho said he relishes the opportunity to do both. He said his primary focus, though, is on catching, adding that he still goes down to watch pitchers' bullpen sessions before games on days that he is scheduled to play outfield.
And on days like Saturday, Varsho's focus is doing what he can to positively impact the club.
"I just try to think about the win, and I helped the team win tonight,” Varsho said. “Just being able to do that is pretty cool, and hopefully we can keep doing it as a team.”