Notre Dame Baseball: Five former Notre Dame players to watch in Spring Training
By Matt Clark
After a stellar collegiate baseball career at the University of Notre Dame that saw A.J. Pollock named as a Freshman All-American, Baseball America’s second-best baseball prospect of 2009, First-team All-Big East team in 2009 and Cape Cod League MVP in 2008, he was drafted in the first round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 17th overall pick.
A former outfielder and third baseman for the Irish, Pollock became only the second player in Notre Dame history to lead the team in batting average for three consecutive seasons. As a result, he was seen as the purest hitting prospect leading into the 2009 Major League Baseball draft.
Pollock would play for the Diamondbacks from 2012-2018. During that time, he would be named an All-Star and win a Gold Glove Award. Both of those accolades came in 2015 for Pollock. During that season, he would hit for an average of .315, have 20 home runs, 76 runs batted in and 39 stolen bases.
Injuries have plagued Pollock for a lot of his career. In his first spring training with the Diamondbacks in 2010, Pollock would break his elbow while making a diving catch, causing him to miss the entire season. In 2016, he would break his right elbow again in spring training. Pollock would also miss significant time due to a broken thumb, broken wrist, significant groin strain, and elbow infection.
Talent has never been a question in regards to Pollock. When he is able to stay healthy and be on the field, he has been an extremely productive player. However, years of significant injuries have begun to impact the abilities of the talented outfielder.
Pollock signed a four-year $55 million deal, with a club option for a fifth year, with the Los Angeles Dodgers in January of 2019. Last season he dealt with an elbow infection that forced him to miss all of May and June before finally returning to the Dodgers in July.
In an injury-shortened season, Pollock would have 308 at-bats with a .266 batting average, 49 runs scored, 47 runs batted in, 15 home runs, and five stolen bases with the Dodgers last year. This season he is slated to compete with Joc Pederson for the starting left field spot after the Dodgers trade with the Anaheim Angels for Pederson fell through. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated that the duo could platoon in left field in 2020.