Photo via Baseball America
Baseball America named 10 sleeper pitching prospects from the Dominican Summer League for the 2022 season. Coming in at number three was New York Mets prospect Joel Diaz.
When the 17-year-old Diaz signed out of the Dominican Republic in January, he was regarded by Baseball America as the Mets top prospect of the international free agent class. He was recently given the following grades:
- Overall: 50/Extreme risk
- Fastball: 60
- Curveball: 50
- Change-up: 55
- Control: 50
Diaz backed this up with a strong performance in the DSL. He would make 15 starts between DSL Mets 1 & 2 going 0-2 with a 0.54 ERA, 0.755 WHIP, 1.6 BB/9, and an 11.3 K/9.
Mets RHP Joel Diaz is one of six emerging prospects from our East Top 10s you need to know.
He doesn’t turn 18 until February 😳https://t.co/4ptSfUgRKY
(🎥 @Jacob_Resnick)
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) November 4, 2021
Diaz showed the potential to be a future starter. Baseball America noted this when naming him to this list saying:
Diaz is polished for a 17 year-old, with advanced strike-throwing ability coming from a sound delivery. There’s still some more projection left in his 6-foot-2 frame to add to a fastball that sits in the low-90s and has reached the mid-90s. It’s a starter mix with feel for both his curveball and changeup that show average or better potential.
Importantly, not only was Diaz able to maintain velocity, but he had higher velocities later in the year. He seems more comfortable with his change at the moment, but he’s been effective at times with all of his pitches. The results in the DSL prove that out.
The next step for Diaz will likely be St. Lucie. He should get an opportunity to start there, and as noted by Baseball America, he has a chance to have a breakout season.
