National Post (National Edition)
Diaz making case for Jays’ job in ’19
Former all-star offers plenty of versatility
Whenever the question of who’ll be manning the Blue Jays infield in the next couple years is asked, the names you generally hear are those of Vlad Guerrero Jr. at third, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. at short or second, Bo Bichette at short, Devon Travis at second, Brandon Drury at third, Cavan Biggio at second or third (unless they move him to the outfield) and perhaps Rowdy Tellez at first.
But more and more, Aledmys Diaz is making a case for himself to be included on the list in his first season with the Jays.
The former Cardinals’ infielder may not be an above average shortstop defensively, but his play at third recently has been spot on, demonstrating that he has enough range to handle the hot corner. And he has a strong arm. On top of that, Diaz’s bat has really come to life. Don’t forget, this is a guy who was all-star in 2016 with the Cardinals. And at 28, he’s not exactly a prospect, but he’s made a case for himself to be in the picture for next season, even with all the young depth the Jays have in the infield.
Diaz hit his 16th home run the other night against the Baltimore Orioles and is now one shy of a career high (17 in 2016). He has hit eight of his homers since the All-star break. That ties him for seventh most in the AL. He’s also slugged .596 over 27 games since the break while going 27-for-94 (.287) with 13 extra base hits and 15 RBI.
“I think he’d be very good over there,” said Jays manager John Gibbons when asked about Diaz at third. “He’s got a cannon (and) he’s got more pop than I ever thought he would. And he’s an upbeat guy. He enjoys playing the game.
“I tell ya, the three guys we got on the team from Cuba (Diaz, Gurriel and Kendrys Morales), they just love to play,” added Gibbons. “Wherever it is.”
The always-smiling Diaz defected from Cuba in 2012 while playing for the Cuban national team at a tournament in the Netherlands and signed as a free agent with the Cardinals in 2014. He was traded to the Jays in exchange for outfielder J.B. Woodman on Dec. 1 last year. He worked out for the Jays before St. Louis signed him.
“When he first had his tryout, I was over there watching. He took ground balls at second and short and I thought he was a natural second baseman,” Gibbons said. “But you know, good infielders, you can put them anywhere.
“He’s gone on a nice little roll,” the manager added. “He’s a good player and the more you watch him (the more you realize) you can put him at any spot on the field.”
AROUND THE DIAMOND
RHP pitcher Aaron Sanchez, who led the AL with a 3.00 ERA in 2016, did a side session on Thursday and the results were good. The Jays confirmed that Sanchez will start Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies at the Rogers Centre. Sanchez is returning from a right index finger contusion, the result of getting the finger caught in a falling suitcase ... Gurriel, who was on that historic 11-game multi-hit streak before going on the DL with a left ankle sprain on July 30, was in Toronto on Thursday for an event and will likely join the Jays on Friday ... DH Kendrys Morales, who has five home runs in his last four games, has had an average exit velocity of 93.0 mph on balls in play, his highest in a season in the Statcast era (since 2015). Morales has had 56.0 per cent of his balls in play go for an exit velo of 95+mph, the second highest rate in the majors, only behind Aaron Judge (56.3 per cent) of the Yankees.