Closer Edwin Diaz has been exactly what the Mets hoped for when they acquired him in a blockbuster trade last offseason from the Mariners.
The 25-year-old right-hander had a major league leading 57 saves in 2018 while posting a 1.96 ERA, 1.61 FIP, 0.79 WHIP, and 15.2 K/9. He was an All-Star, finished eighth in he Cy Young voting and 18th in the American League MVP race. His 44.3 strikeout rate was second in the majors behind only Josh Hader‘s 46.7% and his 18.9 swinging strike percentage was second, again only to Hader.
With the Mets in 2019, Diaz has gone a perfect 7-for-7 in save chances with 16 strikeout and only two walks in 8.2 innings. While he has allowed more hits (7.3 H/9 compared to 5.0 H/9 last season), his strikeout rate (16.6 K/9( and ERA (1.04) have been better. His 2.1 walks per nine innings and 1.61 FIP are exactly the same as his 2018 numbers.
Digging deeper into the 2019 numbers for Diaz and you see a couple of things that stick out, in a very good way. His 27.3 swinging strike percentage not only leads baseball, but is significantly higher than Hader’s 22.8% second place number.
Diaz is striking out 45.7% of the batters he’s faced and walking just 5.7%, good for a 40.0 K-BB% that is the fourth best among major league relievers. He’s averaging 97.61 mph on his four-seamer and 89.43 mph with his slider, both are right in line with his career norms.
While you can certainly question how Diaz has been used (or underused) in 2019, he’s definitely been the guy the Mets traded for.
