Marlins 2B prospect Diaz shows power, now he needs to refine it
JUPITER — It wasn’t until Isan Diaz finished his home run trot and returned to the dugout that he realized he was hurt.
That’s when he noticed his right hand was blackand-blue. Carolina Mudcats teammate Monte Harrison knew right away what was wrong.
“As soon as he saw me complaining he’s like, ‘Listen, that’s your hamate bone.’ I wasn’t aware of until it happened,” Diaz said of the injury that ended his 2017 season a few days early in August.
Harrison, who had the same injury to his left hand the previous year, and Diaz had another common experience a few months later when they were traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Marlins in the Christian Yelich deal.
While Lewis Brinson, the centerpiece in the deal, is contending for a starting job in the Marlins outfield this season, Diaz and Harrison will need more time to develop in the minors.
Diaz, who has recovered from surgery to remove the hamate, showed in spring training camp that the projection of him as the Marlins’ second baseman may not be far off.
Though only 5 feet 10, the 21-year-old has shown power uncharacteristic of a middle infielder. The homer that broke his hamate was his 49th in four minor league seasons in the Diamondbacks and Brewers organizations.
He provided a glimpse of it this spring when he drove an opposite-field homer to left-center off Cardinals starter Michael Wacha.
“He’s one of those guys I see in camp and can tell you right now — and I put my name on it — he’s going to hit here,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Friday after Diaz was reassigned to minor league camp.
“He’s got some pop into left-center. He’s got a great swing. I think he gets in trouble when he tries to pull the ball. If he’ll take the right approach to hitting and use the whole field, he’s going to be a really good hitter.”
That’s the variable with all players deemed as prospects. There is no way to foresee how they will apply the mental aspects of development to their physical tools. And the arc of progress can’t be counted on as a steady rise.
The hand injury ended a disappointing season for Diaz at the Advanced-A level when he hit .222/.334/.376 with 13 homers, 20 doubles and nine stolen bases in 110 games. The previous year he was the Brewers’ Minor League Player of the Year when he had 20 homers and 59 total extra-base hits in 135 games in Low-A.
It was evident this spring that there is work to be done, as Diaz batted .217 and struck out 13 times in 23 at-bats.
But getting an extended look in big-league camp provided an accelerated learning experience for Diaz in working with players such as Miguel Rojas, Starlin Castro and Martin Prado. It also gave him an indication of what he needs to do to join them.
“I think it’s more of learning how to take care of yourself, take care of your body, being a professional. Knowing how to manage certain situations,” Diaz said of the lessons conveyed by the established players, adding that his approach has been, “Just playing my game, not being afraid to make mistakes.”
Diaz is expected to start the season at Double-A Jacksonville. But the opportunity is there to advance quickly to Miami. Two-time All-Star second baseman Dee Gordon was traded in the offseason and veteran Starlin Castro could be dealt at any time.
“I can suggest to Isan Diaz that you’re going to be a lot better hitter if you’re able to stay in left-center field or center field and pull naturally,” Mattingly said. “If he will pick up all the little details of playing, the smaller stuff and the thought processes of it, then he has a chance to become a star, instead of a guy who just gets here.
“I’m confident all that is going to happen. He works hard. You can tell he wants to be good. So I have a lot of confidence in what he’s going to become.”
Realmuto update
Meanwhile, catcher J.T. Realmuto is taking longer than expected in recovering from a back bruise that occurred on the bases last Sunday.
“We want to go slow and make sure that he’s right before he gets back out there, and we still feel like we’ve got time to get him plenty of at-bats and get him ready [for Opening Day],” Mattingly said.
Transactions
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