On Sunday afternoon the Cincinnati Reds played under the Pitch F/X camera system and we were able to get a look at the data on all kinds of new pitchers and the one thing that jumped out the most from all of the data was that a relatively unknown 30-year old pitcher with no Major League experience in his career went out and hit 98 MPH.
In the 2013 season Jose Diaz spent his entire year with the Louisville Bats where he posted a 1.66 ERA over 54.1 innings pitched with 21 walks and 60 strikeouts. For his 11 year minor league career he has posted an ERA of 2.79, mostly as a reliever. How does a pitcher with those numbers and an ability to hit 98 MPH never see the Major Leagues by the age of 30? Well, let’s look at his scouting report and maybe we can get a bit of a better grip on how that could happen.
Scouting Report
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Fastball | In the 2013 season with the Louisville Bats, Jose Diaz threw his fastball in the 91-94 MPH range, and while he did touch 95 at times, he was consistently in that 91-94 range. The pitch shows good sinking action to it. This spring he has shown better velocity, jumping to the 92-96 MPH range and touching higher.
Slider | A solid pitch when at it’s best, but it is inconsistent and flat at times. It is thrown in the 85-89 MPH range.
Curveball | Another solid pitch when at it’s best showing short breaking action, but like the slider it can be inconsistent. This pitch comes in from the 81-85 MPH range.
Other | Diaz battles control at times, which his career and season-by-season walk rates indicate. In 2013 his walk rate was the lowest it had been since the 2006 season, though he still walked 3.5 batters per 9 innings.
Overall Thoughts
While it was surprising to see Diaz hitting 97 and 98 MPH on the gun this spring given that he wasn’t doing so in 2013, he has been able to hit that velocity in the past. His history is a bit interesting though, going back through his seasons he has had several years with fewer than 30 innings pitched and from 2006-2008 he only threw 30 total innings. He has battled weight problems in his career, at one point being over 350 pounds. This spring he is in the 280 pound range and looks like a completely different person compared to what he looked like last season. Perhaps that has led to some improved velocity. His inconsistent offspeed offerings and control are probably what have held him back from getting a look at the big league level. He was able to get away with leaving some breaking balls up in the zone last season that wouldn’t work in the Majors. Finding some more consistency with the breaking balls could be the difference maker.
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