PHOENIX - As he addressed reporters during a Major League Baseball All-Star media gathering, Chicago White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin asked a couple of times what Chase Field is called nowadays.
When he started out in the Diamondbacks organization in 2004, Chase Field was Bank One Ballpark.
Quentin left the Diamondbacks in December 2007 and has put his past well behind him.
He hit .230 in 138 games with the D-backs in 2006 and 2007 before Arizona traded him for infielder Chris Carter.
Quentin has gone on to earn two AL All-Star selections with the Sox, bringing him to Phoenix this week for the festivities at Chase.
Quentin, 28, said he harbors no ill feelings toward his former organization. As a former D-back, he played for the Tucson Sidewinders from 2005 to 2007. After moving to Chicago, he said he found the opportunity to play and was fortunate to be healthy.
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During his final season with Arizona, he dealt with a partial tear in the labrum in his left shoulder.
"I went to Chicago. I was relatively unknown there. I got a chance to get on the field," said Quentin, who played at Stanford. "I was really motivated to prove that I was a big-league baseball player. I was fortunate to do well."
As Quentin noted, the scenery has changed since he left the NL team. The Diamondbacks have changed managers, coaches and a slew of players. He pointed out his former teammate, Micah Owings, left the D-backs, then returned.
And the player who replaced him in right field for the D-backs - Justin Upton - grew up from being a teenager making his big-league debut to also being a 2011 All-Star.
"Another All-Star, Justin Upton, he needed some place to play," Quentin said. "That moment of time, the front office had their plans. It's baseball. They made a trade because they wanted to try to improve their team."
Quentin is hitting .251 with 17 home runs and 51 RBIs for the Sox. He has struggled lately, hitting .200 this month, and has been the subject of trade rumors.
Quentin also was an All-Star in 2008, when he hit .288 with 36 home runs before a broken wrist cut short his season.
Although his career took off after he left the desert, Quentin said he'll always remember his debut with the D-backs. His first major-league hit was a home run off the Dodgers' Mark Hendrickson.
Quentin said he looked forward to hitting at the ballpark now known as Chase Field.
"It's a quick infield, a lot of space out there," he said. "The ball carries to the lines. To hit one in the gap, you've got to really hit it. There's a good backdrop."
