Conversation: Willie Bloomquist reluctantly easing up

I’d have to check with the Boone and Crockett Wow Factor Record book…but I think a trophy bull elk has more abnormal points than Bloomquist has normal taters.

Bloomquist, who has been Arizona’s starting shortstop for most of the past two seasons — a lower back injury did cost him the last month and a half of the 2012 season — is also representing Team Weatherby. Weatherby, a gun manufacturer, even offers a rifle with a custom signature series “Willie Bloomquist” floor plate. The avid hunter and outdoorsman bagged a trophy bull elk in New Mexico during the offseason.

Q: After basically serving as the Diamondbacks’ everyday shortstop and leadoff hitter most of the last two seasons, the club still went out and acquired Didi Gregorious from Cleveland and signed free-agent Cliff Pennington to a two-year deal. What goes through your mind when you see those moves?

A: If I were GM, I’d do the same thing, but it doesn’t make it any easier for me to swallow. I’m sitting here thinking I can do the job. From their point of view, I broke down and got hurt last year. They need some depth there. The whole offseason, it’s been, ‘We need a shortstop, we need a shortstop.’ For me I use it as fuel to the fire. OK, they’re obviously not thrilled with me getting hurt and not thrilled with what I did. The approach and mindset I’m taking is bring in whoever you want. It won’t change the way I play. Either my game will be good enough or not. The past couple of years they’ve wanted me in there when push comes to shove.

Q: Gibson has a reputation for filling his roster with hard-nosed players, so-called throwbacks like yourself. What’s he meant for your career?

A: I owe a lot to him. He trusted me enough to continue giving me at-bats. You’d have to ask him what he sees in me that he likes or doesn’t like. I’m just grateful to play for a manager that kind of gets my personality and gets how I play the game. ... Last year I started slow. I was hitting a buck something in May. He stuck with me. He kept running me out there. Before I got hurt I was hitting over .300. Obviously, he liked having the .300 part in the lineup, but he appreciates what I do and what I bring to table more than other managers who just look at stats and the ‘wow factor’ I guess. I don’t have the wow factor, but I do know how to play this game pretty well. I put together good solid at-bats, I move runners, I think he appreciates that.