RADIO
Aledmys Diaz burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2016 with the St. Louis Cardinals. In 460 plate appearances he hit .300 with 17 home runs. However, he failed to back that up in 2017 hitting just .259 with 7 HR in 301 PAs before being optioned to Triple-A. Díaz is not the first and he certainly will not be the last baseball player to suffer a sophomore slump, but how he rebounds in 2018 will go a long way to deciding what sort of career he has.
So far in 2018 Díaz has already hit four HRs in just 48 PAs. The average is still an issue at just .244, but early in the season that can change quickly. The injuries to Troy Tulowitzki and Josh Donaldson as well as the slow start from Devon Travis have meant plenty of playing time so far for Diaz. Even when Donaldson returns, Diaz should see plenty of at-bats with Yangervis Solarte playing the utility infielder role. As for Tulowitzki’s return, at this stage of his career it is uncertain if he has the ability to stay on the field and displace Diaz from the starting shortstop role.
A middle infielder that can hit 25 or more HRs is not as rare as it once was but it is still a big deal. If Diaz can remain a fixture of this line-up for the majority of 2018 then 25 HRs is well within his reach. At this point Diaz is a low risk high reward pick-up who could you provide you valuable power at your middle infield spot.
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