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Yandy Diaz 2024 Player Outlook: Career Season Appears Legit And Repeatable
11 months agoTampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz had a career 2023 season, slashing .330/.410/.522 with 22 home runs, 95 runs scored, and 78 RBI in 600 plate appearances. He posted a career-high in plate appearances, batting average, and HR. He also hit the ball even harder than usual with an average exit velocity of 93.4 MPH, which led to excellent expected stats to back up his peripherals. While Diaz's approach to the plate results in high batting averages, the one thing preventing him from translating his hard-hit rates into more HR is his launch angle. Diaz has never exceeded a 10-degree average launch angle for a season, and his 2023 mark finished at 5.7 degrees. Despite this, he still eclipsed 20 HR while benefitting from hitting atop a strong lineup. Diaz is currently being drafted at about pick 133 overall, making him the 13th 1B off the board. This seems like fair value considering that Diaz can make up for a lack of elite power with a high average and strong R+RBI.
