Edwin Diaz
Position: RHP
DOB: 3/2/1994
Contract Status: Arbitration-Eligible after 2019 season,
2018 Stats: 73 G, 73.1 IP, 1.96 ERA, 0.791 WHIP, 15.2 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9, 57/61 SV, 3.2 bWAR, 3.5 fWAR
Career Stats (2016-): 188 G, 191 IP, 2.64 ERA, 1.016 WHIP, 14.2 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9, 109/121 SV, 5.5 bWAR, 6.4 fWAR
Where He Came From:
Diaz was drafted by the Mariners out of the Caguas Military Academy in Puerto Rico in the third round of the 2012 MLB draft (98th overall pick). By 2014, Baseball America had ranked him as the Mariners’ fifth-best prospect, and proceeded to win organizational awards in 2014 and 2015 as the best minor-league starting pitcher. It wasn’t until the beginning of the 2016 season when the righty (who had at this point put on over 25 pounds in muscle) was assigned to the bullpen with the Double-A Jackson Generals.
Just a couple of months later, however, Diaz was promoted to the big-league club. And by August, he had supplanted Steve Cishek as the team’s closer, impressing through the rest of the season with a 2.21 FIP to offset a 3.71 ERA while striking out 39 and walking eight over his last 26.2 innings. He was the fastest pitcher to reach 50 strikeouts since 1893, per the Elias Sports Bureau.
One of Diaz’s more formative moments as a fearless, electric reliever came during the 2017 World Baseball Classic, when he and Dutch outfielder Wladimir Balentien (who led the tournament in hits, homers, runs, and RBI en route an All-Classic nomination) came to blows in the extra innings of the tournament semi-final. Balentien, who had fouled off two prior pitches, was brushed back with a high-and-tight fastball at 99 mph, causing benches to briefly clear as the slugger gestured and barked at Diaz 60 feet away. Just two minutes and one umpire-issued warning later, Diaz froze the hulking 33-year old with another fastball on the black for the second out.
Diaz’s first full season with Seattle wouldn’t come without a hitch or two, as his 4.4 BB/9 dragged his FIP to 4.02. With a 5.02 FIP and an average of 2.0 HR/9 looming over him in early June, discussions of removing the closer tag began to surface. As time passed, however, Diaz would improve, holding a stronger 2.89 ERA and cutting his HR/9 in half while securing 25 saves out of a possible 28 to maintain his role as closer for 2018.
Current Breakdown:
In his second full season anchoring the Seattle pen, Diaz led the majors with 57 saves alongside a 1.61 FIP, 1.78 xFIP, 38.2% K-BB rate, and 1.49 SIERA that ranked above all qualified relievers in the game. At 24, Diaz was the youngest pitcher to record 50 saves in a season, setting a single-season record for the Mariners in the process while being nominated the American League Reliever of the Month on four occasions in the six-month season. He would win the league’s Reliever of the Year award at the season’s conclusion, as the Mariners went 61-0 in games in which he entered with the lead.
It is, of course, well-known that reliever success can often fluctuate, and that some pitchers simply get by on the coattails of easier environments and more convenient circumstances. Such was not the case for Diaz last year, as he inherited high-leverage situations, as his 2.17 leverage index ranked second in baseball behind Blake Treinen. What’s more, his 18.9% whiff-rate ranked second, just a tenth of a percent behind Josh Hader. With a fastball that sits in the 97-99 mph range, a changeup at 93-95, and a slider that combined for 9.9 runs above average (third among relievers, behind Will Smith and Adam Ottavino), the writing is on the wall: he can bring it.
Regardless of the financial baggage on Robinson Cano‘s side of the Mets’ recent trade with the Seattle Mariners, it’s undeniable that in acquiring Diaz, the organization brings in one of the most exciting young closers in the game, and one of the most effective as well. Though recent reports of a “bone spur condition” have come to the forefront this past weekend, it should be noted that Diaz has not spent a single day on a big-league disabled list since arriving in Seattle. So long as he’s used properly, there should be little to worry about.
