Yusniel Diaz 2022

[Il BuonO]

Just now, Can_of_corn said:

Hammonds had a pretty decent career.

Under 10 rWAR but he played 13 seasons.

Very toolsy 

[now]

4 hours ago, Il BuonO said:

Very toolsy 

And the body type is similar... overbuilt? Decent career but disappointing return on potential.

[MurphDogg]

[RZNJ]

Yusniel Diaz, playing LF and batting 2nd

McKenna in CF and Stowers in RF.

[Tony-OH]

Damn you guys are quick! lol.. I was looking at the boxscores, saw Diaz playing, came here and boom, two posts on it already!  

 

Good work!

[connja]

See he left the game early.....hopefully easing him back in and not injury!

[Yossarian]

Is he still being considered some sort of MLB prospect?  I have to think at this point he is just filling out minor league rosters until he decides he's had enough.  That is when he's not nursing some sort of injury or another.  Up to now,  he's been all hat and no cattle.

[owknows]

3 hours ago, Yossarian said:

Is he still being considered some sort of MLB prospect?  I have to think at this point he is just filling out minor league rosters until he decides he's had enough.  That is when he's not nursing some sort of injury or another.  Up to now,  he's been all hat and no cattle.

He had one helluva spring. Had a lot of people thinking he was showing for the first time in awhile, what he could do when healthy.

[jamalshw]

2 hours ago, owknows said:

He had one helluva spring. Had a lot of people thinking he was showing for the first time in awhile, what he could do when healthy.

It wasn't the first time he showed well in spring, but I had written him off this winter thinking this was his final chance this year, but his spring and hot start in AAA before the injury really made me take notice. I still don't anticipate too much, but he falls in the category that I'd like to see him in Baltimore before the better prospects behind him make their way up. Depending on how he's swinging, I wouldn't mind if Diaz gets the call instead of McKenna at the end of the month when the roster goes back to a 4-man bench. 

[owknows]

34 minutes ago, jamalshw said:

It wasn't the first time he showed well in spring, but I had written him off this winter thinking this was his final chance this year, but his spring and hot start in AAA before the injury really made me take notice. I still don't anticipate too much, but he falls in the category that I'd like to see him in Baltimore before the better prospects behind him make their way up. Depending on how he's swinging, I wouldn't mind if Diaz gets the call instead of McKenna at the end of the month when the roster goes back to a 4-man bench. 

Yeah... I think we're about in the same place. I'd written him off too. And I don't place too much on just a single hot spring. Wouldn't mind seeing him get a shot... but I'm not overly-hopeful either.

 

My only point was to explain why some people might still consider him a prospect.

[Just Regular]

12 hours ago, connja said:

See he left the game early.....hopefully easing him back in and not injury!

I think we've reached the point that an Oriole prospect playing nine innings in Return Game 1 would be an actual surprise.

[jamalshw]

1 hour ago, owknows said:

Yeah... I think we're about in the same place. I'd written him off too. And I don't place too much on just a single hot spring. Wouldn't mind seeing him get a shot... but I'm not overly-hopeful either.

 

My only point was to explain why some people might still consider him a prospect.

Fair enough.

I have him lumped in the same 'fringe prospect' group as guys like Nevin, Bannon, McKenna, and Neustrom. They're all guys that are probably more 4-A players and organizational filler, but there's at least a change of a little something there. They're all also in Norfolk and/or the Majors and are in the now-or-never area where they need to prove themselves now or get passed up by the actual prospects. Whether these guys are prospects or not is more a matter of semantics than anything. I don't expect any of them to become everyday players and doubt they're even role players on the next good Orioles' team but the chances of the later (although low) are non-zero. They have more potential to be part of something than a Chris Owings, but some poor starts notwithstanding are getting close to getting passed up by the likes of Stowers, Cowser, Haskins, Henderson, Westburg, etc. and thus need to put up or get out of the way. Essentially, I haven't 100% relegated them to organizational player status, but struggles here in 2022 and they get put firmly in that basket. 

[Tony-OH]

6 minutes ago, jamalshw said:

Fair enough.

I have him lumped in the same 'fringe prospect' group as guys like Nevin, Bannon, McKenna, and Neustrom. They're all guys that are probably more 4-A players and organizational filler, but there's at least a change of a little something there. They're all also in Norfolk and/or the Majors and are in the now-or-never area where they need to prove themselves now or get passed up by the actual prospects. Whether these guys are prospects or not is more a matter of semantics than anything. I don't expect any of them to become everyday players and doubt they're even role players on the next good Orioles' team but the chances of the later (although low) are non-zero. They have more potential to be part of something than a Chris Owings, but some poor starts notwithstanding are getting close to getting passed up by the likes of Stowers, Cowser, Haskins, Henderson, Westburg, etc. and thus need to put up or get out of the way. Essentially, I haven't 100% relegated them to organizational player status, but struggles here in 2022 and they get put firmly in that basket. 

The one thing that separates Diaz is his potential over the fringe guys you mentioned is the raw power. He's a plus plus raw power guy who when healthy has been able to tap into it. He's similar to Mountcastle in that he doesn't make good swing decisions, but Mountcaslte is much better at being more consistent on balls he can hit. 

He's still a fringe guy because of his injury history, but if he comes back hitting the ball well over a few weeks, I'd give him a shot at 4th outfielder over McKenna.

[Sports Guy]

No Diaz tonight and he didn’t finish last night.  Re-injure himself or part of the plan?

[ChuckS]

10 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

No Diaz tonight and he didn’t finish last night.  Re-injure himself or part of the plan?

Tough to say. I would normally say definitely reinjured but the way they’ve been breaking Rutschman back in makes me think anything is possible