Diamondbacks' Blaze Alexander: Doing what's asked of him

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Alexander started at designated hitter and went 2-for-3 with a double and a stolen base in Saturday's spring game against Cincinnati.

Alexander has responded to a spring training challenge from Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, who gave the shortstop areas on which to focus in camp, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports. "Show us that you're versatile and can play more than one position. Control the at-bats, control the zone, don't worry about hitting home runs, [focus on] gap-to-gap," the manager said at the start of camp. Alexander has played shortstop, second base and third base in Cactus League action, hit to all fields, and compiled a 1.035 OPS over 29 plate appearances. Arizona general manager Mike Hazen, who was effusive about the prospect's spring performance, prefers that Alexander get regular at-bats in the minors, but the 24-year-old infielder could force decision-makers to rethink their plans.