Luis Gonzalez: 'Don't see the sense of urgency' from Diamondbacks players

SAN DIEGO — As the Diamondbacks continued to stumble toward the All-Star break, club legend Luis Gonzalez made critical remarks about the team on the broadcast on Sunday afternoon, calling out players for displaying a lack of “urgency.”

Filling in for analyst Bob Brenly, who was off during the final road trip of the first half, Gonzalez suggested that Diamondbacks players might be feeling too comfortable with their place on the team.

“For me, watching from the outside — I don’t know a lot what’s going on in the clubhouse — I just don’t see the sense of urgency from a lot of these players,” Gonzalez said. “The comfort factor for me: Everybody feels really comfortable. There’s not, like, ‘Somebody may take my job behind me.’

“A lot of times when you’re not playing well, you may lose that opportunity, you may lose your job. I just don’t see that sense of urgency from guys.”

Gonzalez said he sees players working to get better but seemed to suggest something was missing.

“It’s hard to explain it sometimes as a player,” Gonzalez said. “I just think tough love sometimes — some of these guys need a little tough love.”

Gonzalez also directed criticism toward second baseman Ketel Marte, saying his first half of the season “has just been kind of a mystery to everybody.”

“He can’t stay healthy,” Gonzalez said in reference to the hamstring injuries that cost Marte significant time last season and have limited him to designated hitter duties in recent weeks. “He struggled out of the gates. He has showed signs of being that All-Star player, but he really needs to come out the second half of the season with just a strong surge if he can.”

Marte entered Sunday with a .272/.366/.453 line. His .813 OPS was the highest on the team.

“He’s shown those sparks of being a superstar player,” Gonzalez said. “And then, of course, he’s had those days where he just feels like he’s taking a day off out there.”

Gonzalez played parts of 19 seasons in the majors, including eight with the Diamondbacks, whom he helped to win a World Series in 2001. He fills in on the team’s broadcasts regularly throughout the season while working with the organization as a senior advisor to Derrick Hall, the club’s president and CEO.

The Diamondbacks finished the first half with 16 losses in their past 24 games.

Short hops

Double-A slugger Leandro Cedeno made headlines for crushing a 527-foot home run for the Amarillo Sod Poodles on Saturday night, a shot that landed in a parking lot beyond the center-field wall. The shot is longer than any home run recorded in the major leagues since Statcast began tracking balls in 2015. Cedeno, who turns 24 next month, signed with the Diamondbacks as a minor league free agent during the offseason.

*Manager Torey Lovullo said he expects right-hander Ian Kennedy will return from the injured list when the season resumes on Friday. Kennedy, who is out with a blood clot in his leg, made an appearance in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League over the weekend.

Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Luis Gonzalez critical of D-Backs on television broadcast