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New manager A.J. Hinch said Saturday that, "to name a starter, I don't think that's fair to either Whitesell or Tracy at this point. I believe in both of them, and we're going to use both of them. We'll evaluate it based on a lot of different things, certainly matchups and when they start to catch their rhythm. And we'll play the hot hand."

It's also worth noting that Mark Reynolds is starting to take pregame grounders at first, and Conor Jackson can still play there when the D-backs want to go to an outfield of Eric Byrnes, Chris Young, and Justin Upton. Still, Whitesell started four consecutive games entering Sunday.

The D-backs claimed Whitesell off waivers from the Nationals last March (and to this day some members of the organization are still wondering why Washington let him go for nothing), and though he had put up a couple of seasons of slugging over .500 in the minors for the Nats, he took it to another level with his new organization.

As my good friend Nick Piecoro, D-backs beat writer for the Arizona Republic, points out, since July 1 of last year the 27-year-old left-handed hitter had hit .388 with 24 doubles, one triple and 13 homers in the Pacific Coast League, including .356 with a .477 on-base percentage in 87 at-bats this season. Granted, it's in the hitters' haven that is the PCL, but impressive numbers nonetheless.

"It's having a better idea of how to approach different pitchers," Whitesell said, "and have a consistent approach day in and day out and not worry so much about the long haul. It's just progressing as a hitter day by day, just quieting the approach down, and making sure you swing at strikes and don't expand the strike zone. You do that and you're not doing yourself any favors."

That said, I have noticed that Whitesell's swing, which used to be a very long stroke, has shortened somewhat over the past year, allowing him to use the whole field better, which has helped propel him to some bigger numbers.

"I'm still trying to improve it," Whitesell acknowledged. "It's a thing I've fought my whole career -- overswinging and getting long. Being able to shorten it up and keep a short, compact swing has really helped me, and I'm going to continue to try and keep it short and just put the barrel on the ball."

Although he's "much more controlled and within himself" than he used to be, according to another scout that sees him regularly, overswinging has always been Whitesell's biggest issue, which Hinch is well aware of from his time as the team's farm director.

"He controls the strike zone, hits in a lot of deep counts, and he's understanding that 80 percent swing level for him is terrific," Hinch said. "If he goes to 110 percent and pushes the throttle, he tends to overswing. I think understanding about controlling his body and controlling his emotions has helped."

If Whitesell continues to get some playing time, will he produce? There's clearly some power and an understanding of the strike zone there, but from a scouting perspective I have some concerns.

His defense is still rough at first base, and while the stroke is a bit shorter, the overswinging still pops up from time to time, and it's been evident in a few big league at-bats already. When he's not in as easy a hitting environment and can't count on as many mistakes from pitchers, will he fall back into bad habits? There are still questions about if he can hit big league lefties. There's a small hitch in his stroke, as he drops his hands, and he can likely be jammed on the inner half. If you miss that jam spot, you're right in his wheelhouse, but big league pitchers will do a better job of locating than Triple-A hurlers.

As that other scout put it, "he can help a big league team, but does he have the bat speed to pull off a more quiet approach against that level of pitching?"

Whitesell's ultimate big league role may be as a lefty bench bat, but he deserves some strong consideration in NL leagues given his recent minor league track record and that's he's been getting an extended look in the lineup. Just be aware that the playing time situation is likely still in flux in the Valley of the Sun.

Potential pickups

Based on the examination of deep AL- and NL-only leagues, here are some thoughts on players who could be in your free-agent pool whom you may be considering picking up this week that I haven't mentioned in previous columns.

American League

Clete Thomas, OF, Tigers: The lefty speedster could see quite a few at-bats in the short term with Carlos Guillen on the DL. He's absolutely devoid of power and has had trouble getting on base at Triple-A despite a decent 40-game stint in the big leagues last season. If you're absolutely desperate for speed, he's a consideration simply because he looks like he's going to get some at-bats, but otherwise he can be safely avoided.

Matt Tolbert, 2B, Twins: Tolbert could see a good amount of at-bats in the shot term at second base for Minnesota in a platoon with Brendan Harris, and even more at-bats if the team decides to move Harris to short in place of the slumping Nick Punto. That said, Tolbert doesn't bring much to the fantasy table except the potential to maybe hit for an empty batting average. There's very little upside here, but admittedly sometimes you're just looking for at-bats.

Sean Gallagher, SP, Athletics: Gallagher made a spot start for Brett Anderson (out with a blister problem) on Saturday night, and didn't necessarily acquit himself well. I think Gallagher has a future in the back of a big league rotation, and that he will be taking the ball for this team every fifth day at some point this year, but I can't recommend picking him up unless you have a deep reserve list and can stash him away for later in AL leagues, because the value just won't be there in long relief.

Bob McCrory, RP, Orioles: Anything is possible in the Orioles' 'pen, and McCroy has some closing experience in the minors with some nice raw stuff. His fastball dials up into the high-90s, and his slider has good bite and has been improving. That said, he's had issues with both command and control at the upper levels of the minors, so it's hard to see him working his way into the late-inning mix.

Matt Harrison, SP, Rangers: Harrison's thrown 14 straight shutout innings, all against the White Sox, including a complete-game four-hitter on Saturday. That said, the soft-tosser's inability to miss bats and his almost 1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio point to this good run of pitching being short lived. He's one of those guys that seem like a good pickup right up to the point where he gets bombed in his first start on your roster. Not that any of us have any experience with that. The same goes with teammate Scott Feldman, although I like him better than Harrison. They tease with you a couple of good outings before they drop the hammer.

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