Rays’ Yandy Diaz leading wave of hitters walking more than whiffing

By Jordan Shusterman
FOX Sports activities MLB Author

In terms of plate self-discipline and mastering the strike zone, Juan Soto is in a league of his personal.

His supernatural means to discern balls from strikes and unleash his picturesque swing on the pitches on which he can do essentially the most injury is what makes him a generational hitter. It’s additionally why he might be hitting .249 and nonetheless web an unlimited prospect haul in what has been referred to as by the very GM that made the deal “one of the biggest trades in baseball history.”

As baseball has grow to be extra whiff-tolerant over the previous decade, it has grow to be more and more uncommon for even among the finest hitters to attract free passes on the identical price that they strike out. In 2021, Soto was the one certified hitter in MLB to have extra walks than strikeouts. The one one!

Tony Kemp (52 BBs/52 Ok’s in 397 plate appearances) and Yasmani Grandal (87 BBs/82 Ok’s in 375 plate appearances) exhibited robust stroll/whiff steadiness as properly, however they didn’t play fairly sufficient to qualify. In the meantime, in 645 plate appearances, Soto drew a league-leading and mind-blowing 145 walks in comparison with simply 93 strikeouts.

OK, that’s lots about Soto, who has gotten greater than sufficient protection in latest weeks. And also you clicked on this piece considering it might be about Yandy Diaz. Which was not a mistake! Permit me to elucidate: Other than Soto, no participant has demonstrated a greater walk-strikeout steadiness this season than Diaz.

Diaz, who simply turned 31, has been essentially the most dependable hitter in a Rays lineup that has been decimated by accidents. Wander Franco had wrist surgical procedure in mid-July and is not anticipated again till late August on the earliest. Mike Zunino (thoracic outlet syndrome) and Kevin Kiermaier (hip) every had season-ending surgical procedures in late July. Manuel Margot has been out since late June resulting from a knee damage. Brandon Lowe missed two months earlier this season resulting from again points. It has been a multitude.

Fortunately, Diaz — alongside regular manufacturing from Randy Arozarena and breakout performances from Harold Ramirez and Isaac Paredes — has been holding down the fort as the first third baseman and leadoff hitter for Kevin Money’s squad, which, miraculously, stays firmly within the AL wild-card combine regardless of the deluge of accidents.

Signed by Cleveland out of Cuba for $300K in 2013, Diaz was by no means on any top-100 prospect lists, regardless of stellar statistical efficiency all the way in which up the MiLB ladder. His triple slash was all the time extra OBP-heavy than SLG, and his defensive versatility had him projected as a helpful utility man on the big-league stage. He represented Cleveland on the 2016 All-Star Futures Sport, alongside Clint Frazier and Francisco Mejia (now his teammate in Tampa Bay), and finally made his MLB debut in 2017.

Regardless of having seemingly confirmed all he wanted to on the minor-league stage, Diaz nonetheless spent most of 2018 in Triple-A, making it unclear if Cleveland considered him as a professional a part of its future. Such ambiguity was clarified after the season, when Diaz was dealt to the Rays as a part of a three-team jamboree commerce with Seattle in the course of the 2018 Winter Conferences. 

Upon arriving within the large leagues, Diaz grew to become recognized for one thing aside from his spectacular stats: his bulging biceps.

But his recreation didn’t fairly match his hulking aesthetic. He did hit the ball extraordinarily exhausting — his 91.6 mph common exit velocity ranked eighth in MLB when he was a rookie in 2017 — however it did not translate into house runs. He had by no means hit greater than 9 in a minor-league season, and he hit one throughout 299 plate appearances in his two years with Cleveland.

This was due to a bit one thing referred to as launch angle, a class during which Diaz has persistently ranked close to the backside of the league. He was able to crushing the ball — however typically into the bottom or at angles not particularly conducive to extra-base hits. His glorious plate self-discipline buoyed the slash line, however the energy numbers didn’t match the power-lifting popularity.  

Funnily sufficient, Diaz’s introduction to the mainstream got here within the 2019 AL Wild Card Sport, during which he blasted two house runs to assist the Rays defeat Oakland 5-1 after lacking basically the whole second half resulting from a foot damage. He returned for one regular-season recreation in September earlier than main off the wild-card recreation with a dinger off Sean Manaea after which hitting a second to almost the identical spot just a few innings later.

Whereas homers have nonetheless not grow to be a serious a part of Diaz’s recreation — he hasn’t had a multi-HR recreation since that wild-card recreation — he has quietly established himself as one of many premier on-base machines within the American League. For the reason that begin of the 2020 season, his .379 OBP ranks sixth in MLB, behind solely the marks of Soto, Bryce Harper, Freddie Freeman, Paul Goldschmidt and Brandon Nimmo.

On the time of the commerce, many questioned how Tampa Bay would optimize Diaz, recognizing that there may be untapped potential. It felt reductive but additionally simple: Certainly, a sensible, progressive group such because the Rays would be capable of coach Diaz to, , swing up a bit extra.

However Diaz by no means made that important of an adjustment so far as launch angle; it’s nonetheless, on common, near the bottom of the league. As an alternative, slightly than changing into one thing he’s not, he leaned all the way in which in to what he does finest. He’s nonetheless hitting the ball exhausting (91.5 mph common exit velocity is 89th percentile in MLB), strolling a ton (14.6% stroll price is eighth in MLB) and making extra contact than ever earlier than (career-high in-zone contact price of 94.3% and career-high total contact price of 87.7%). 

It quantities to the distinctive line of .276/.390/.384 — the uncommon OBP > SLG triple-slash that really isn’t all that unhealthy. And it’s not like Diaz’s muscle groups aren’t able to producing legit energy; when he does get underneath the ball, he can produce some jaw-dropping dingers.

Nonetheless, the persistence and exact contact expertise stay the secret for Diaz. His two walks and 0 strikeouts Thursday in opposition to Detroit introduced his season ratio to 56-to-41 (it was 58-to-43 as of Monday). 

Diaz and Soto (96-to-62) are two of 9 certified hitters whose stroll totals presently match or exceed their strikeout totals. The opposite seven are an intriguing mixture of achieved veterans and relative newcomers:

* DJ LeMahieu: 60 BBs/53 Ok’s
* Alex Bregman: 58 BBs/58 Ok’s
* Carlos Santana: 52 BBs/47 Ok’s
* Jose Ramirez: 44 BBs/43 Ok’s
* Alejandro Kirk: 41 BBs/37 Ok’s
* Luis Arraez: 38 BBs/33 Ok’s
* Steven Kwan: 37 BBs/36 Ok’s

Bregman and Ramirez are merely two of essentially the most well-rounded hitters within the recreation. Kirk, Arraez and Kwan are contact professionals who’ve had low strikeout totals at each stage on their street to establishing themselves within the large leagues. LeMahieu has rebounded in 2022 largely resulting from a career-high stroll price paired together with his historically low strikeout price. After which there’s Santana — this may be his fifth such season, essentially the most of any lively participant apart from Albert Pujols with 10. It’s a enjoyable group!

If this record holds, 9 could be essentially the most such certified hitters in a single season since 2011, when there have been additionally 9. Nonetheless, it’s tough to inform if it is a professional shift towards this type of participant or only a blip. 

Groups are going to proceed to crave extra conventional energy manufacturing from hitters whose slash traces function a bit extra SLG% than gamers comparable to Diaz. However I imagine the sport is healthier when there may be higher variety in type of play. Whether or not or not this resurgence of walk-over-strikeout hitters is professional, we will respect gamers who do it otherwise, particularly when they’re flourishing — and Diaz represents precisely that.

Jordan Shusterman is half of @CespedesBBQ and a baseball author for FOX Sports activities. He lives in D.C. however is a big Seattle Mariners fan and loves watching the KBO, which suggests he would not get numerous sleep. You possibly can comply with him on Twitter @j_shusterman_.

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