Aledmys Díaz

Aledmys Díaz
St. Louis Cardinals – No. 36
Shortstop
Born: (1990-08-01) August 1, 1990
Santa Clara, Villa Clara, Cuba
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 5, 2016, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics
(through June 14, 2017)
Batting average .285
Home runs 24
Runs batted in 83
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Aledmys Díaz Serrano (born August 1, 1990) is a Cuban professional baseball shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Cardinals signed him as a free agent on March 9, 2014. He made his MLB debut for the Cardinals on April 5, 2016. He previously played for the Naranjas de Villa Clara in the Cuban National Series from 2007 through 2012 before defecting to the United States. A right-handed batter and thrower, Díaz stands 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) and weighs 195 pounds (88 kg).

From Santa Clara, Cuba, Díaz' career accomplishments in the Cuban National Series include a .307 batting average, .397 on-base percentage (OBP), and .439 slugging percentage (SLG) over 342 games. He played briefly in Mexico City prior to playing in the United States. As a rookie in MLB, he became the first player in history to sustain a .500 batting average after 50 at bats, and was named an All-Star for the National League team.

Early life

While growing up in Santa Clara, Cuba, Díaz lived on the same street as, and was friends with, future Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher José Fernández. They played for the same youth baseball team, and Díaz' father and uncle encouraged Fernández' mother to bring him to the ballpark. Fernández commented that had Díaz' uncle not been an influence early in his life, he would not have pursued a professional baseball career.[1][2]

Baseball career

Cuban National Series

Díaz played in the Serie Nacional de Béisbol (Cuban National Series), the primary amateur baseball competition in Cuba, for the Naranjas de Villa Clara, based in Santa Clara. He debuted in the 2007–08 season by going nine for 32 in a utility role. At age 19 in 2008–09, Díaz batted .301 with a .403 on-base percentage (OBP) and .482 slugging percentage (SLG) but fielded only .930 as a regular infielder. He was third in the Serie Nacional with 24 errors.

The next season, Díaz batted .282 with a .348 OBP, .363 SLG and fielded .950 as Villa Clara's starting shortstop. He tied for fifth in the Serie Nacional with 18 errors, having improved his defense. During his 2011–12 season, Díaz' offensive production continued to climb, as he batted .315 with a .404 OBP and .500 SLG. He hit 12 home runs in 270 at bats.[3][4] From 2008 to 2012, Díaz, batted .308 with a .401 OBP and .444 SLG.[4]

In his Cuban National Series career, Díaz totaled 342 games, batting .307, .397 OBP, .439 SLG, 193 runs scored, 54 doubles, 27 home runs and 165 runs batted in (RBI) in 1125 at bats.[5] He defected from Cuba in 2012 while playing with the Cuban national baseball team in a tournament in the Netherlands.[6] He was declared ineligible to sign with any MLB teams until February 19, 2014, due to lying about his age.[7] He spent the interim 18 months from defecting from Cuba playing in Mexico City.[8]

Minor leagues

To audition for a contract with MLB clubs, Díaz held a showcase with fellow Cuban defector Odrisamer Despaigne on February 13, 2014.[3] Although Díaz was initially projected to command a major league contract with a similar level of pay to other Cuban defectors such as Alex Guerrero and Erisbel Arruebarrena, his performance in the showcase did not leave the impression that he merited such a level of salary, and, further, many clubs passed on him altogether. He had left Mexico City effectively out of shape to play professional baseball.[8] He signed a four-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals worth $8 million on March 9.[9]

The Cardinals first assigned Díaz to the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League in 2014, and he was promoted to the Springfield Cardinals of the Class AA Texas League that season. While playing for Springfield, he battled injuries before he was designated for assignment on July 8, 2015.[10] While he had benefited from talent alone while playing in Cuba, his lack of preparation had caused his performance to suffer after playing the minor leagues. However, he diligently began to prepare more and proactively ask more questions.[11]

In the last 45 games of the 2015 season after his removal from the 40-man roster, Díaz batted .333, .404 OBP, and .574 SLG. The Cardinals reinstated him to the 40-man roster after the season.[10] Over the full 2015 campaign, Díaz batted .278, .339 OBP and .445 SLG.[12] He batted .239 against right-handed pitchers, .371 against left-handers, .329 in road games and .222 in home games.[13] He played in the Arizona Fall League following the regular season, registering a .616 SLG and .987 OPS.[14]

St. Louis Cardinals

2016

Díaz playing shortstop in 2016

Originally planning for Díaz to spend the 2016 season in Memphis, the Cardinals eventually moved three veteran players to accommodate him becoming the starting shortstop.[15] On April 5, 2016, the Cardinals recalled him to the major league roster to take the place of outfielder Tommy Pham, who had departed on Opening Day two days earlier with an injury.[16] Díaz debuted on the same day as his call-up. In his first major league at bat in the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he singled off Jon Niese for his first hit in a 6–5 loss.[17] Initially, Díaz' presence on the roster gave the Cardinals a capable hitter with upside who could play shortstop[8] and fill a void until the return of Rubén Tejada, who had injured himself late in spring training. Tejada himself was a replacement signed as a free agent during spring training to replace the already-established starting shortstop Jhonny Peralta, who also had injured himself and was projected to be unable to play significantly longer than Tejada.[18]

On April 8, Díaz's first major league home run contributed to the Cardinals becoming the first team in major league history to hit three pinch hit home runs in the same game. Jeremy Hazelbaker and Greg Garcia were the other pinch hitters as the Cardinals defeated the Atlanta Braves, 7–4. The previous record of two pinch hit home runs by the same team in one game was previously accomplished on 57 occasions, most recently in 2011.[19] Tejada was reinstated from the disabled list on April 18, However, Díaz' hitting had led the Cardinals to instead retain him as the starting shortstop, thus assigning Tejada to be a utility infielder.[20]

In an 11–2 win over the San Diego Padres on April 23, Díaz garnered his first five-hit game.[21] After collecting two hits in his first two at bats in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 25 to give him 26 hits in 52 at bats, he became the first rookie in MLB since 1900 to carry at least a .500 batting average at any point after accumulating 50 at bats, per the Elias Sports Bureau.[22] Meanwhile, past defensive liabilities reemerged: in Díaz' first 31 games of the season, he committed nine errors.[8] However, he garnered early attention for the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year Award; as of June 6, he was third in the NL in batting at .328 and had hit eight home runs and 30 RBI.[1][23] When Peralta returned from the disabled list on June 7, Díaz' sustained level of play convinced the Cardinals to displace Peralta to third base and third baseman Matt Carpenter to second base.[15]

As the season progressed, Díaz' defense notably improved; in the remaining 51 games leading up to the All-Star break, he committed six errors.[8] On July 7, he was selected to his first MLB All-Star Game to replace Carpenter, who had been injured two days earlier.[24] Díaz appeared as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded against Will Harris in the eighth inning, and struck out looking as the American League defeated the National League, 4−2.[25] On July 21 against Padres in a 5−5 game, Díaz batted against Carlos Villanueva with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning and, this time, singled home the game-winning run for his first career walk-off hit.[26]

After sustaining a hairline fracture of his thumb during a game against Miami, the Cardinals placed Díaz on the DL on August 1.[27] He missed all of August and the first two weeks of September.[28]

Díaz hit his first major league grand slam on September 27, 2016, his first game back after the death of his childhood friend, José Fernández. Díaz was called back out for a curtain call, where he rose his helmet high towards the sky. He stated afterwards, "Every time I put on a uniform, I will think of him."[29] Over his last 31 games of the season, he committed one error.[28]

Díaz batted .300 in 111 games in his rookie year, with 121 hits, 28 doubles, 17 home runs, 69 RBI, .369 OBP, .510 SLG. He played 106 games at shortstop and was fourth in the league in errors with 16. In the 2016 NL Rookie of the Year voting, he placed fifth.[28]

2017

On April 8, 2017, Díaz hit two home runs for his first MLB multi-home run game, with one of those home runs sticking to the "G" letter of the Big Mac Land sign at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 10–4 over the Cincinnati Reds.[30][31] Diaz began the season with a .217 batting average, and improved in the month of May. The Cardinals optioned him to Memphis on June 28th, after batting .260/.293/.396, seven home runs and 20 RBI in 71 games.[32]

Personal life

Díaz and wife Dayara have one son, born August 5, 2016.[28]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Healy, Tim (July 28, 2016). "Jose Fernandez falters as Aledmys Díaz, Cardinals beat Marlins, 5−4". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  2. ↑ Goold, Derrick (July 28, 2016). "Against boyhood friend, Diaz homers to send Cards to 3−0 lead". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Jarosh, Noah (February 12, 2014). "Cubans Aledmys Díaz and Odrisamer Despaigne will hold showcase Thursday". SB Nation. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Axisa, Mike (March 9, 2014). "Cardinals agree to sign Cuban infielder Aledmys Díaz". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Aledmys Diaz Cuban, winter, minor, & fall league statistics & history". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  6. ↑ Sánchez, Jesse (May 24, 2013). "Two top Cuban prospects near MLB free agency". MLB.com. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  7. ↑ Sánchez, Jesse (December 9, 2013). "Clubs interested in Cuban shortstop prospect Aledmys Díaz". MLB.com. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Saxon, Mark (July 11, 2016). "Path to becoming an All-Star: Aledmys Diaz's winding road from Cuba to stardom in St. Louis". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  9. ↑ Silva, Drew (March 9, 2014). "Cardinals sign Cuban middle infielder to four-year major league contract". Hardball Talk. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Berry, Adam (November 19, 2015). "Cards add Diaz, Kiekhefer, Tilson to roster". stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  11. ↑ Svrluga, Barry (May 31, 2016). "Aledmys Diaz has been the answer for the Cardinals, thanks in part to his questions". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  12. ↑ RotoWire Staff (March 9, 2016). "Cardinals' Aledmys Diaz: Possible Opening Day starter?". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  13. ↑ Hochman, Benjamin (February 29, 2016). "Cardinals' Diaz hopes to make name in the bigs". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  14. ↑ Goold, Derrick (March 8, 2016). "Diaz wows Cardinals as opportunity arrives". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  15. 1 2 "Cardinals activate Jhonny Peralta for series opener vs. Reds". ESPN.com. Associated Press. June 7, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  16. ↑ Langosch, Jenifer (April 5, 2016). "Cards put Pham on DL, call up Diaz". MLB.com.
  17. ↑ "Mercer single in 11th lifts Pirates past Cardinals". Reuters. April 6, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  18. ↑ Goold, Derrick (March 31, 2016). "Tejada headed to disabled list; Hazelbaker makes opening day roster". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  19. ↑ Langosch, Jenifer (April 9, 2016). "In the Cards: Unlikely pinch-hitters make history". MLB.com.
  20. ↑ Langosch, Jenifer (April 18, 2016). "Tejada returns from DL for utility role: Hot-hitting Diaz to remain starting shortstop; G. Garcia sent to Triple-A". stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  21. ↑ Wilson, Bernie (April 23, 2016). "Gyorko, Hazelbaker hit 3-run homers in Cardinals' 11–2 win". The Charlotte Observer. Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  22. ↑ Goold, Derrick (April 27, 2016). "Cardinals notes: With Holliday out, Carpenter bats third". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  23. ↑ Fallstrom, R. B. (June 6, 2016). "Cardinals could have rookie of year candidate at SS in Diaz". The Charlotte Observer. Associated Press. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  24. ↑ Saxon, Mark (July 7, 2016). "Cardinals SS Aledmys Diaz and Indians RHP Corey Kluber named to next week's All-Star Game". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  25. ↑ Goold, Derrick (July 12, 2016). "All-Star Diaz lives his dream, but strikes out in key spot". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  26. ↑ Krueger, Nick (July 22, 2016). "Consistent approach paying off for Aledmys". m.cardinals.mlb.com. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Diaz to be placed on DL with hairline fracture in thumb". Fox Spors Midwest. August 1, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  28. 1 2 3 4 Wilhelm, David (March 31, 2017). "For Diaz, the major leagues are a long way from Cuba". Belleville News-Democrat. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  29. ↑ Nightengale, Bob (September 28, 2016). "Cardinals' Aledmys Diaz hits emotional grand slam, honors Jose Fernandez". USA Today. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  30. ↑ Landers, Chris. "Aledmys Diaz hit a ball into the Big Mac sign during batting practice, and it's still up there". MLB.com. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  31. ↑ Langosch, Jenifer. "Diaz's HRs spark sluggish Cardinals offense". MLB.com. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  32. ↑ Hummel, Rick (June 28, 2017). "Cardinals option Diaz to Memphis; infielder Mejia called up". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
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