SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Jake Lamb's education at first base hit another checkpoint during Monday's initial full-squad workout when he went through bunt drills for the first time.
With Paul Goldschmidt gone to St. Louis, the D-backs are looking for Lamb to move from his usual third base over to first, where he has played only 29 innings at the professional level.
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During the bunt drills, Lamb initially began retreating back to first base when another player fielded the ball before being reminded that he didn't need to because the second baseman covers first in those situations.
"I've done a lot of work over there, but I haven't done the bunt plays," Lamb said. "That's what Spring Training is for. We work on bunt plays every day."
Lamb has gotten comfortable taking ground balls at first and is getting the footwork of turning double plays down, but other things will take game reps, such as positioning himself with no runners on and a right-handed hitter up.
"I want to get as far off the first-base line as I can," Lamb said. "Goldy did that really well, seemed to get halfway to second base. So that's not going to happen right away, but those are things that you can only really work on in a game and realize, 'Oh wow, I've got a lot of time to get back to first.' So those are things that I really want to work on once games start up."
Lamb will get his own first-base glove at some point, but right now, he is using one that Goldschmidt gave him. The black glove has Goldschmidt's name in red stitching on it.
Listen to your mother
While Lamb got a lot of tips from Goldschmidt in the three or four times the pair worked together this offseason, he also got an important reminder from his mom, Deonne.
"I'm usually the quiet guy," Lamb said. "Over at third, you don't have to talk to anybody. I have to give my mom a shoutout, she was the first one to say, 'You've got to work on your conversation skills.' That is a part of my game that I've got to work on."
Cloudy and cold
The temperature was 48 degrees with a light drizzle when the D-backs took the field for practice Monday. Not exactly the chamber of commerce weather one usually associates with Arizona this time of year.
"It was chilly and cold, which I don't mind, because we have to practice in those conditions to prepare for the season when we play in those conditions," manager Torey Lovullo said.
The D-backs got all of their scheduled work in and were not about to complain, given the heat they know is coming in a few months.
"This is not bad," shortstop Nick Ahmed said. "It's going to be hot soon enough."