SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Whenever a veteran player joins a relatively young team, the topic of leadership is sure to come up. Evan Longoria knows this and is more than willing to lend his experience in the D-backs’ clubhouse. But he’s not done making an impact on the diamond.

“My goal, first and foremost, is to be the best player that I can be as a baseball player, to try to help this team win,” said Longoria, who went 0-for-2 in the D-backs’ 8-5 Cactus League victory over the Giants on Wednesday. “And hopefully, as a secondary role, [I’m] able to help the young guys that we have be the best players they can be to help us win.”

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo raves about Longoria’s ability to help younger players, calling him an “unbelievable mentor.” But Lovullo agrees with the 37-year-old Longoria, who signed a one-year free-agent deal with the D-backs in January.

“Whether it’s a dinner off-site or in the batting cage, he’s going to help players get better every single day," Lovullo said. "But he’s still a good baseball player and I keep telling him this: ‘You’re going to hear me repeat this because I get asked about it a lot -- and I don’t want to discount it because you’re good in this area. You’re also a really good baseball player.’”

Longoria, who spent the last five seasons with the Giants, has had an easy adjustment to the D-backs because he already had a home a short drive from Salt River Fields. He likes what he’s seen from his new team.

“I think it’s a really promising group of young players. The staff has been great,” Longoria said. “I’m excited to continue getting spring going and getting the year going with these guys.”

Jameson shows fire in scoreless outing

Drey Jameson turned in another scoreless outing on Wednesday with two strikeouts in two perfect innings in his second Cactus League start. The 25-year-old right-hander is competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, and so far he’s pleased with the results.

Jameson, who walked one in two innings on Saturday, said eliminating free passes was a point of emphasis on Wednesday. He was tested on that front in the second inning against Giants catcher Roberto Pérez.

Jameson fell behind 3-0 and Pérez took a big rip at Jameson’s next pitch. The foul ball lit a fire under Jameson, and he battled back for a strikeout to end his outing.

“Don’t swing on me 3-0,” said Jameson, the D-backs' No. 9 prospect. “That puts fire in my blood and something clicks when that happens. So it’s more like, ‘I’m not going to walk this guy.’”

Situation over spot

Lovullo said he’d like to settle on a consistent lineup this season but noted that the modern player doesn’t mind moving around.

“The new wave of player doesn’t care where they hit; they just want to hit,” Lovullo said. “The newer, younger player just accepts hitting fifth one day and sixth the next day.”

Regardless of where a player hits, Lovullo wants them to take their same approach.

“We go over that in our meetings,” Lovullo said. “I tell them, ‘If you’re hitting first today, it doesn’t mean you need to be up there with the mentality of trying to get on base by thinking small or changing your zone. And if you’re hitting fifth the next day, it doesn’t mean you have to drive the ball and try to hit home runs. I want you to be the same hitter no matter what.’”

Lovullo would rather see the players make adjustments based on the game situation, and that’s a point of emphasis this spring.

“We believe in situational hitting. If it’s the seventh inning and we’re up by a run or if we need an extra point, of course I’m going to have somebody try to advance that runner,” Lovullo said. “But if we’re a couple runs down or five runs up, I’m not going to expect somebody to just cash in a single run. We need to play for a big inning.”

Camp notes

• Lovullo said he’ll look to get Kyle Lewis into a game this weekend. The outfielder, acquired by the D-backs in a trade with the Mariners in November, has been slowed this spring with general soreness.

• Wednesday was the last day at camp for a while for center fielder Dominic Fletcher, catcher Dominic Miroglio and right-hander Mitchell Stumpo, as the trio was set to fly to Taiwan to join Team Italy for the World Baseball Classic.