10. Yandy Diaz, 2B/3B/OF
Birthdate: 8/8/91 (25 years old)
Level(s) Played in 2016: AA, AAA
Stats in 2016: .318/.408/.446, 9 HR, 11 SB
Diaz signed out of Cuba before the 2014 season. He had been a solid player in his teens for the Cuban national team, but after the 2009-2010 season with Cuba, he did not play organized ball until the 2014 season.
He ended up starting in high-A, which is a huge jump for someone with that kind of layoff. Yet, he handled the jump quite well, going .286/.396/.367 in that season with 49 walks to 37 strikeouts over 338 plate appearances.
Diaz has exceptional plate discipline, which is one of those things you don’t have a tool rating for
Diaz has exceptional plate discipline, which is one of those things you don’t have a tool rating for. He also has very good contact skills. The combination should allow Diaz to have excellent batting average and solid BB/K ratios.
Diaz doesn’t have exceptional power, but he finds the gaps well with his solid bat control and his average to above-average speed allows him to rack up doubles and triples, if not a large amount of home runs.
Defensively, Diaz is a solid defender, but he doesn’t really have a defensive home. His instincts at third are okay, but not exceptional. He has shown the ability to handle outfield corners very well. He also has experience playing second base in Cuba and in pro ball.
His exceptional contact and plate discipline along with his defensive flexibility could get Diaz to the big league club in spring of 2017, and he should have a very high floor as a solid utility man.
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