Yandy Diaz, the Indians' 25 year-old Cuban infielder, has been on an absolute tear this spring and he has been rewarded for his hard work with a position on the Opening Day roster, which was made official yesterday. With a roster spot looking unlikely when players reported for spring training, Diaz appeared just happy to be part of it all. When the news broke that second baseman Jason Kipnis would miss the first few weeks of the 2017 season, current third baseman Jose Ramirez was almost instantly lined up to fill in. This opened the gates for the rest of the Tribe's infielders to compete for the suddenly vacant slot at third and it was Mr Diaz who was announced the winner, and deservedly so.
Most outsiders would have thought with the Indians possessing such a strong pitching staff, the safe choice would have been to opt for the best defensive third baseman, which would be Giovanny Urshela. The 25 year-old Colombian is the unanimous pick when you consider his glove, but it's been his hitting in the past that has held him back. In his defense Urshela hasn't been bad with the bat this spring but he hasn't had quite the same impact as Diaz either.
Diaz doesn't have the experience Urshela has at third base but he's been putting in a lot of work at the hot corner over the last year or so, with some time spent in the outfield as well. Manager Terry Francona has acknowledged that Diaz's defense isn't the finished article but his bat is likely to compensate for any deficiencies he may have in the field.
Despite battling a groin injury, Diaz has slashed .444/.537/.667 (BA/OBP/SLG) for a staggering 1.204 OPS over 19 Cactus League games. He has clubbed 2 homers and 14 RBI, with 8 walks and a solo stolen base for good measure. Offensively, he's been the best Indians hitter this spring and has impressed everyone in the organisation. They say you should never get too worked up over spring training numbers but in Diaz's case, what more could he have done to force his case?
Francona said it himself yesterday; "We've all seen guys who have hit in spring training. But if you look at Yandy last year ... at the end of the season we were trying to figure out a place for his bat. That's why he was going to the outfield... So this isn't a kid who has 45 at-bats and has never hit. He's been a good hitter and he's becoming a better hitter. There are no guarantees that somebody gets hits the first week of the season. We know that, but he sure looks like a good hitter."
Last season Diaz was a revelation and quickly rose up through the prospect rankings. The 2016 International League Rookie of the Year spent time at Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus, slashing a combined .318/.408/.446 between the two levels. Diaz drew 71 walks compared to 86 strikeouts in 2016, and has 198 walks to 191 strikeouts for his entire career thus far, an impressive ratio. He continued his remarkable form over the winter, batting .371 in 40 games for Caracas in Venezuela.
I'm not expecting Diaz to light up the league right away but with Urshela starting the season in Columbus, Yandy should get the chance to start games more often than not. Until Kipnis returns from injury to resume his second base duties, Diaz's only threat for playing time will be Michael Martinez (who I don't envision getting many starts, especially not at third base) and Jose Ramirez (only on days where someone else is spelling him at second.)
Hopefully Yandy can remember to pack his hot bat with him when the Indians depart Arizona. His hitting statistics in his short professional career thus far have been sensational so theoretically his skill-set should translate well to the majors. I'm excited to see him on the roster nonetheless and I think he could catch casual fans by surprise.
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