Jumbo Díaz

Jose Rafael "Jumbo" Diaz^[1] (born February 27, 1984) is a Dominican professional baseball relief pitcher in the Houston Astros organization. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2014 with the Cincinnati Reds, and has also played for the Tampa Bay Rays. Diaz is nicknamed "Jumbo" for his large size; he is listed at 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and 278 pounds (126 kg).

Professional career

Díaz was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2001 and began his career the next season, appearing with the GCL Dodgers, South Georgia Waves and Great Falls Dodgers and going 5-3 with a 2.82 ERA in 16 games (12 starts). He saw limited action in 2003 with the Ogden Raptors and South Georgia, going 0-1 with a 6.62 ERA in seven games. He pitched for the Columbus Catfish and Vero Beach Dodgers in 2004 and went 1-5 with 20 saves and a 2.00 ERA in 37 games. He saw limited action in 2005, 2006 and 2007, appearing in a total of 36 games. Díaz had Tommy John surgery and missed all of the 2008 season.

Díaz signed with the Texas Rangers for 2009 and was 3-1 with 10 saves and a 3.63 ERA in 36 games for the Frisco RoughRiders. Following the season, the Rangers released him and he signed with the Baltimore Orioles, going 4-0 with 16 saves and a 1.92 ERA in 45 games. Díaz had 23 saves and a 2.62 ERA in 2011. He then signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates for 2012 and went 1-2 with 3 saves and a 3.60 ERA in 41 games for the Indianapolis Indians. On April 29, he teamed with Justin Wilson and Doug Slaten on a no-hitter against the Durham Bulls.

Díaz pitched in the Cincinnati Reds system in 2013, going 3-4 with 13 saves and a 1.66 ERA for the Louisville Bats^[2] – he had a 1.03 WHIP and struck out 60 in 54.1 innings.

By the end of the 2013 campaign, Díaz weighed nearly 350 pounds (160 kg); he shed 70 pounds (32 kg) prior to the 2014 season.^[3] Díaz began 2014 with Louisville.^[4]

The Reds selected Díaz's contract from Louisville on June 20,^[5] and he entered that night's game against the Toronto Blue Jays in the seventh inning, allowing three runs in one inning.^[6] On June 24, he recorded his first MLB strikeout in Chicago against the Cubs. He finished the 2014 season with a 3.38 earned run average (ERA) in  34 ²⁄₃ innings pitched.^[7] Díaz earned his first MLB save on September 15, 2015.^[8]

In March 2017, the Tampa Bay Rays claimed Díaz off waivers.^[9] He was designated for assignment on July 16.^[10] On July 19, Díaz was assigned outright to the Triple-A Durham Bulls, but he elected free agancy on July 21.^[11]

Díaz signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros on July 31, 2017.^[12]

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)