Yandy Díaz was within the information final week when he recorded his 1,000 profession hit, making him the twentieth Cuban-born MLB participant to achieve that milestone. The plaudits he acquired had been nicely deserved, and so they had been additionally comparatively unusual. Enjoying in a lower-profile market, the Tampa Bay Rays stalwart flies underneath the nationwide radar. Be trustworthy. Outdoors of when he captured the American League batting title with a .330 common in 2023, when was the final time you paid greater than a modicum of consideration to the participant who’s arguably the highest hitter in Rays franchise historical past?
You’re excused should you weren’t conscious of simply how good Díaz’s numbers are. Now in his eighth season with Tampa Bay after components of two in Cleveland, he boasts a 133 wRC+ with the Rays, the very best in crew annals amongst hitters with at the least 1,000 plate appearances. Over 3,627 plate appearances together with his present membership, the 34-year-old nook infielder/DH has a .291/.373/.447 slash line and 104 dwelling runs.
Díaz was admirably humble when requested about his milestone the next day.
“I by no means thought I’d get to 500, not to mention 1,000,” he instructed reporters. “Once I signed with Cleveland, I truthfully by no means actually thought I used to be going to get to the main league crew. I believed, yeah, I used to be going to be an expert, however possibly I used to be going to get lower — particularly as a result of it’s a unique type of play over in Cuba. I thank God that I made the crew and have been capable of do it for therefore lengthy.”
I requested the Sagua la Grande native how a lot he’s modified — and the way a lot he actually hasn’t modified — since coming stateside to play professionally in 2013.
“I believe I’m the identical hitter,” Díaz replied via interpreter Kevin Vera. “I believe I’m the identical type of contact hitter like I’ve all the time been. The best way I used to be capable of produce within the minor leagues is how I’ve tried to provide right here within the huge leagues.”
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Following up, I requested Díaz if he has ever tried to hit for extra energy. Whereas he went deep a career-high 25 instances a 12 months in the past, he’s averaged simply 13 dwelling runs yearly whereas sporting a Rays uniform.
“No, no, no,” he replied. “I’m a contact hitter first. I’m not making an attempt to hit for extra energy essentially. I’m a man that appears for contact and line drives. That’s what I’ve been doing.”
What he’s executed to date this season is essentially par for the course. Even with a current downturn — he’s simply 1-for-17 over his final 4 video games — Díaz is slashing .293/.374/.433 with a 127 wRC+. He’s gone yard 5 instances, which brings us again to the quantity of thump he brings, or doesn’t carry, to Tampa Bay’s lineup.
In response to Rays hitting coach Chad Mottola, the 6-foot, 235-pound Díaz truly does have some hit-for-more-power efforts in his rearview.
“By means of the years, he has explored somewhat extra, at first of the 12 months, to attempt to discover that ceiling of energy, the place there’s somewhat extra in there,” Mottola instructed me. “That’s why he normally has a gradual begin. However this 12 months it’s been, ‘ what? I’m simply going to be me from day one.’ Even in spring coaching, he got here in being Yandy Díaz.”
No matter intent, the erstwhile batting champion obtained off to a greater begin this season. His March/April numbers included a .330 batting common and an .899 OPS, whereas final 12 months these numbers had been .254 and .694. Furthermore, in 2024, they had been simply .220 and .578.
As for “being Yandy Díaz,” simply who’s he within the eyes of the veteran hitting coach? What makes him the hitter that he’s?
“He sees the ball deep, so he makes use of the opposite aspect of the sphere exceptionally nicely,” replied Mottola. “That doesn’t normally result in a lot energy, so whereas he’s capable of pull some homers, that’s not in his DNA.
“He additionally covers so many alternative pitches,” Mottola added. “There may be all this information on the market now about guys’ swing paths and what they naturally cowl. He has the power to let the ball journey and catch it on no matter airplane. A man like Vladdy involves thoughts. Most guys have sure zones they cowl, whereas Vladdy covers the entire zone. Yandy is comparable. There are a specific amount of hitters, in all probability a handful, that may cowl regardless of the pitcher is throwing that day.”
The Vladimir Guerrero Jr. comp was unprompted. Two others surfaced through my asking if any hitters, previous or current, come to thoughts when watching Díaz do his factor.
“Probably not, however he’s a in all probability a youthful model of… possibly Miguel Cabrera,” stated Wade Boggs, a Tampa resident who occurred to be readily available when Díaz recorded hit no. 1,000. “Perhaps. He makes use of the entire discipline, and every part like that. The child that’s actually spectacular is the one in Houston, Yordan Alvarez — he’s shifting up the checklist — however Yandy Díaz is… yeah, he’s a dynamic participant too. Utilizing the entire discipline makes him a really troublesome out. It actually does.”
Díaz’s supervisor additionally supplied an eye-opening comp.
“Look, it is a excessive reward, however there’s some Manny Ramirez in there,” stated Kevin Money. “Perhaps not with the ability, however the consistency of the method and the simpleness, and figuring out what the pitcher is making an attempt to do. His having the ability to go up there and stick with himself and execute his sport plan. I’m not saying he’s Manny Ramirez. He hits the ball as onerous as Manny Ramirez, possibly simply not on the similar angles.”
Once more, clearing fences with regularity isn’t what makes Díaz a prolific, albeit broadly underappreciated, hitter.
“He’s received a batting title,” stated Money. “He has numerous actually cool issues that he’s completed in a Rays uniform. How has he developed? I believe he’s developed by exhibiting the power to be constant and never letting… there was numerous outdoors noise about his method. How he hits, what he does, an excessive amount of on the bottom, blah blah blah. He simply goes up and is on time and hits the ball actually onerous. He’s caught with that method and located a option to have an incredible profession.”