For one thing, you can find him in more than one place. Lately Vukovich has played in centerfield, at third base and designated hitter in the lineup, although there he’s been established in the prestigious No. 3 spot.
The numbers say there’s a good reason for that. Through Saturday, Vukovich was tied for the team lead with 12 home runs and led the Sod Poodles with 46 RBIs while batting a respectable .266.
In his first full season at Double-A, Vukovich has shown some of the promise that made him the Arizona Diamondbacks No. 11 prospect prior to the start of the season.
“The main things I wanted to learn going into this year were more pitch selection,” Vukovich said. “I feel like last year I just made it a little harder on myself just trying to do everything all at once at the plate. Some of the coaches talked about I don’t have to do that and that guys wanted to make me chase.
“My goal was just to do more damage on pitches in the zone and try to lay off those pitches in the dirt just to give myself a little bit of a better chance up there. I think it’s been a positive year up to this point because I’ve done those things a little bit, but I can do them better.”
There’s no doubt Vukovich has done those things well enough to establish himself as the No. 3 hitter in the Sod Poodles lineup. After spending the last 11 games of last season in Amarillo, Vukovich seemed like a lock to start this season with the Soddies.
That cup of coffee last year gave Vukovich enough of a taste to know how right-handed hitters like him can take advantage of the favorable conditions at Hodgetown.
“The thing that really helped me was that I just liked seeing the home ballpark,” Vukovich said. “Playing with guys who were playing at a really high level up here last season like Blaze Alexander and Tristin English and seeing what they did last season and what they’re doing now up at Triple A, kind of gives you a little bit of confidence.”
Sod Poodles manager Shawn Roof sees a high ceiling for Vukovich, who will be 22 on July 20.
“A.J.’s super talented,” Roof said.” He’s very athletic and was a big-time basketball player out of Wisconsin so you knew there a lot of expectations. He’s a five-tool player who can do a little bit of everything on the field. He moves really well for a guy who’s 6-foot-5.”
As a top prospect for the Diamondbacks, Vukovich went into spring training with some expectations. That experience prepared him for Double-A ball when the Sod Poodles opened their season.
“I feel like you can always look at the guys and sort of compare yourself, but I’ve come to the realization that there are so many good baseball players at this level,” Vukovich said. “Even in spring training we’re all playing with a lot of the big leaguers. They throw you in anywhere, and I just take a look in the mirror and sort of see where I can improve and use guys around me to my advantage, because they’re all such high level players and we drive each other so hard to get better.”
If there’s a hole which could be found in Vukovich’s approach at the plate, it’s his pitch selectivity. As an aggressive power hitter, it’s no surprise that Vukovich leads the Soddies with 75 strikeouts, a tradeoff which often comes for somebody with his power.
That might not be such a concern if Vukovich drew more walks, but he has only 20, giving him the highest strikeouts-to-walks ratio of any current Sod Poodles player with at least 200 at-bats. It’s something Vukovich is aware of but he doesn’t want to radically alter his approach.
“You can look at it a few different ways, but obviously you don’t want to strike out,” Vukovich said. “Every time you strike out you sort of take it personal and I don’t ever want to think it’s an OK thing. There are times in the game where I think it’s fine for a guy in my world to take a few more aggressive swings if we’ve got some guys on base or we’re down a couple late in the game.”
At the same time, he doesn’t want a player with Vukovich’s power becoming too passive at the plate.
“I think that’s something all of our players are working on,” Roof said. “I think everybody’s striving for better selectivity, plate coverage and discipline. He’s 21 years old and that continues to come with age. He’s always going to have some ebbs and flows, but the more times you put balls in play and swing at your pitch the more success you’re going to have.”
Vukovich acknowledges that being more selective at the plate is something the organization has emphasized to him, and he namechecks a couple of former Sod Poodles who are now in Phoenix.
“That’s definitely something that they’ve talked about, just because the Diamondbacks as an organization are really big on controlling the zone,” Vukovich said. “If you watch the major league team, guys like Corbin (Carroll) and (Jake) McCarthy just grind out at-bats and they do take a lot of pride in that. To be able to fit in you’ve got to be able to work within what the system wants you to do. If I can do that a little bit better there’s a level, I can do the most damage.”
What position Vukovich does that from remains in question. While he’s often played centerfield with some flair for the Sod Poodles, the Diamondbacks are loaded in the outfield, which would make cracking that unit in the big leagues a tough prospect.
Vukovich is more natural as an infielder, particularly at third base, but he knows he can’t pick his position regardless of where he plays.
“I feel like I can play wherever,” Vukovich said. “I wouldn’t have a problem if my whole career I was bouncing around playing different positions. I don’t mind the change of scenery from third to the outfield. It’s cool to know I can play anywhere.”
Before entering high school, Vukovich had a choice to make athletically. While he kept playing basketball in high school, he stopped playing it during the summer to devote more time to baseball.
That paid off, as Vukovich committed to play college baseball at Louisville, a plan which was scrapped when the Diamondbacks selected him in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. It was clear which sport Vukovich took more seriously.
“I sort of knew that baseball just felt a little different for me, but I love basketball too,” Vukovich said. “I did have to decide. I just decided to play basketball for fun.”
That’s been good news for the Diamondbacks and the Sod Poodles. Roof likes Vukovich’s prospects in the long and short terms.
“He’s got plus raw power,” Roof said of Vukovich. “He can hit the ball to all parts of the field. I’m anxious to see what he can do the next three months.”