SCOTTSDALE — Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen described his club as one without many open seats, which is a good sign for any team.

Particularly with the position players, as most starting spots are pretty clearly marked.

Josh Naylor will take over the reins at first base, while Pavin Smith and Randal Grichuk are positioned to platoon similar to how Grichuk and Joc Pederson did so last season to great success. The rest of the infield is back from 2024, as is catcher Gabriel Moreno.

The outfield, meanwhile, is a deep position group the Diamondbacks will have to manage based on health and performance. How they balance playing time — specifically for Jake McCarthy and Alek Thomas — is not something manager Torey Lovullo is thinking about this early but will come up closer to the season.

Two roles that will require camp competition to sort out are backup catcher to Moreno and utility infielder.

With full squad workouts scheduled for Monday, let’s look into some early comments that peek into the club’s thinking.

Diamondbacks position competitions

Backup catcher

Jose Herrera has built up a lot of trust in Arizona’s clubhouse, someone Lovullo called a “true Arizona Diamondback.” He’s been with the organization for nearly a dozen years and has gone back-and-forth between the majors and minors over the last three. Herrera has experienced 126 major league games in that span.

Rookie Adrian Del Castillo crushed the ball when he first debuted last season while Moreno was on the injured list, providing much higher offensive upside. Herrera has a career .537 OPS as a switch-hitter. Del Castillo, a left-handed bat, worked an .893 OPS in 87 MLB plate appearances last year while slashing 1.002 in Triple-A Reno.

A pretty notable wrinkle in this decision, as Hazen pointed out, is that Herrera is out of minor league options. He has to make the team or else another can claim him.

“He’s done a great job for us, he fits into our clubhouse, great balance with Gabi,” Hazen said of Herrera. “Del carried us offensively last year in so many different ways. I still want to see from Del improvement from behind the plate. It’s the hardest position to play in the game, so that comes with time.

“I thought he held his own really well last year — obviously offensively, take that aside — but even defensively. But I would like to see from a defensive standpoint him take that next step forward.”

That has been the focus for Del Castillo this winter as he strives to improve as a thrower and pitch framer.

Herrera is not quite Moreno when it comes to defensive prowess, either, as few catchers in the game are. Lovullo described Herrera as someone who can manage the staff and maintain a level of stability.

“The thing I’ve continued to say about Jose, and I told him in his one-on-one (meeting), is that when Gabi comes out of the game, Gabi has a certain set of tools that is very rare in this game, but the game doesn’t go backwards,” Lovullo said. “Jose keeps the line moving and has a very good feel for his pitchers and does a great job behind the plate.”

Lovullo said the club has a great catching situation and Herrera is going to compete, but early indications suggest he has the inside track. Del Castillo continuing to make defensive strides will push his envelope.

Rene Pinto, Aramis Garcia and Christian Cerda are the other three backstops in major league camp.

Backup infielder

The backup shortstop and utility role Kevin Newman occupied last year will be fought for in camp by newcomers and incumbents.

The Diamondbacks will need someone able to move around the infield and fill in for Eugenio Suarez at third, Geraldo Perdomo and shortstop and Ketel Marte at second base when it is time to get them off their feet. Even though this is a backup role, Newman received over 300 plate appearances due to injuries as an important floor raiser.

The Diamondbacks brought in veteran Garrett Hampson on a minor league deal, who filled a utility role with the Kansas City Royals last year by playing everywhere except catcher and doing so at a high level. His ability to play outfield is a bonus.

Blaze Alexander is another competitor, a terrific athlete who will need to show growth and stability at multiple defensive positions.

Top prospect and shortstop Jordan Lawlar may be “one of the first people hopefully we call upon,” Hazen said, but starting off in a bench role after the time he missed last year is “probably not what’s in his best interest.”

“We are going to need somebody that can move around the infield,” Hazen said before spring training. “If they can go into the outfield, that’s a bonus, kind of a two-for-one. But I think it’s more we need someone that’s going to move around the infield, second, third, short, more than outfield field at this point.”

The Diamondbacks claimed utility infielder Grae Kessinger from Houston to compete for this role and brought in non-roster invitees Ildemaro Vargas and Connor Kaiser.

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