Matt Diaz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the U.S. Navy officer, see Matthew Diaz.
| Image:Ph 429841.jpg |
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|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves — No. 23 | |
| Left field | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| July 19, 2003 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2006 season) |
|
| Batting average | .305 |
| Home runs | 9 |
| Runs batted in | 44 |
| Former teams | |
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Matthew Edward Diaz (born March 3, 1978) is a Major League Baseball player with the Atlanta Braves. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 1999 amateur draft in the 17th round.
[edit] Career
Despite being among the Devil Ray minor league career leaders in hits and extra base hits, Diaz had a tough time in the majors, hitting only .167 in 30 at-bats over two years. After being released by Tampa Bay, Diaz signed with the Kansas City Royals where he hit .281 with 10 extra base hits (including 1 HR) and 12 RBIs in a back-up role in 2005.
On December 19, 2005, Diaz was traded to the Atlanta Braves for minor league pitcher Ricardo Rodriguez. Diaz earned a backup outfielder spot for the Braves during spring training. His surprising play in 2006 was one of the few bright spots for the team. Seeing a lot of starting time in left field, especially in the second half of the season, Diaz batted .327 in 297 at-bats.
[edit] Trivia
- On August 14, 2006, Diaz had four hits for the 2nd staight day and tied the National League record with ten straight hits. He grounded out in the 9th inning to end the streak.
- He endorses the Americanized pronunciation of his surname as DYE-az, rather than the more common Latin accented DEE-az.
- After several mediocre seasons with the Devil Rays and Royals, Diaz was given an eye test by the Braves and it was revealed that his depth perception was "virtually non-existent." The Braves issued him corrective lenses to balance his vision.
