PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Tyler Locklear sat down with manager Torey Lovullo when he first joined the ballclub at the trade deadline to review standards and what it means to be a D-back.

Over the final two months of the season, his stated goal is to put the team in a good spot to win every night and see where he goes from there.

Locklear was traded by the Seattle Mariners to a club where he’ll have ample opportunities to secure an everyday role, which started as soon as he arrived. The D-backs traded first baseman Josh Naylor and needed someone to fill that role.

For Locklear, developing into a complete player who takes pride in hitting, defense and baserunning is the focus, and his coachability in those areas has been evident.

Locklear has received a lot of praise for his adjustments at the plate, and for good reason.

After hitting .250 with one home run and a .638 OPS in May with Triple-A Tacoma, Locklear went through a brainstorming session in the batting cages with Tacoma hitting coach Shawn O’Malley and manager John Russell.

They decided to lower his hands in his set up, and he’s found a rhythm with the change. He starts with his hands below his right shoulder, at his chest, with a slight wiggle of the bat and even feet.

Swinging it like a wiffle ball bat became a mental queue that allowed him to relax and swing more freely.

“We were just trying to figure out ways to get the ball in the air more, slug a little bit,” Locklear told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Tuesday. “The numbers were fine, but the kind of hitter I wanted to be wasn’t really happening out on the field at the time.

“So we were just finding ways to kind of slug a little more and drive more runs in. We just messed around in the cage and that was comfortable. It was the most consistent thing we had. So we went out the one night and did it, got two hits, and then we just tried to build on it from there and get my reps in every day to keep it as consistent as possible.”

Locklear hit seven home runs with a .998 OPS in June and followed that up with a 1.297 OPS and eight homers in a blazing July. His launch angle increased from five degrees in April/May to 11 in June/July, while his exit velocity climbed from 86.8 mph to 94 mph.

The Pacific Coast League is typically hitter friendly, but Tacoma as a home ballpark is the exception.

Now with the Diamondbacks

Locklear, through four games, is 3-for-17 with a home run and four walks as he gets acclimated. His at-bats with the Diamondbacks so far, especially over the past two games, have looked quality, particularly a walk against San Diego All-Star reliever Jason Adam on Tuesday where he took some tough breaking balls.

Defensively, Locklear was drafted as a third baseman, and he continued to split time between the two corners when he first entered the minor leagues. Since 2023, he’s been played exclusively first base.

Along with working on footwork, being athletic over there (helped by yoga, it turns out) and being sharp with picking the ball, playing first base involves building chemistry with the rest of the infielders. That’s a process he’s undertaking.

“It’s getting to be more comfortable, just getting the reps in every day,” Locklear said. “Learning my teammates’ throws, just getting to work every day has really helped a lot.”

Finally on the base paths, Locklear made an early impression that he won’t be afraid to take off having stolen a base and been caught stealing once already. Locklear stole 18 bags in Triple-A this year.

Corbin Carroll said his new teammate had some sneaky speed, plus Locklear now gets to work with first base coach Dave McKay.

“I’m not one of those guys that’s gonna swipe one every time, but I’m gonna pick my moments,” Locklear said. “(McKay) has got a good report for us every night, helps us out with that, trying to see little things that can give us a little bit of an advantage. I’m gonna steal mine when the time presents itself. I’ve just been really hard working on my base running. It’s a really important part of the game, so just trying to be as complete of a player as I can.”

The Diamondbacks don’t have a crystal clear outlook at first base. Pavin Smith is working his way back from the injured list and is expected to get reps at the position, but the D-backs can start him and Locklear with one of them as the designated hitter.

“I’ll figure out that piece of the puzzle with the playing time at first base between Pavin and Locklear,” Lovullo said. “But they’ll both play. We have a DH spot available.”

Arizona has a recent history of stability at first base with Paul Goldschmidt (2011-18) and Christian Walker (2019-24). Locklear becoming that next long term starter would be a significant win for an organization that sold at the deadline.

But this is an audition for him, which he’s appreciative of.

“We’re a fun young team,” Locklear said. “This is a really cool clubhouse to be a part of. They welcomed me with open arms and it’s really cool to see the guys you played against in Triple-A kind here … see how they go about their work, all the success they’ve had. Just trying to keep this thing rolling and have fun.”

“This is a really cool clubhouse to be a part of and they’ve welcomed me with open arms.”

Diamondbacks first baseman Tyler Locklear details his experience with the team so far on @BurnsAndGambo.

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— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) August 5, 2025