Baseball Guru
03-04-2004, 04:53 PM
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/nym/news/nym_news.jsp?ymd=20040302&content_id=644088&vkey=spt2004news&fext=.jsp
Infielder continues to impress at big-league camp
By Kevin T. Czerwinski / MLB.com Ticket information
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Victor Diaz charged Vance Wilson's slow roller on Monday and fielded it cleanly. He took a step and fired to first though the throw ended up nowhere near its intended target.
Later in the inning, Diaz, who was playing third base, was out of position on a relay from center field. Though Prentice Redman was charged with the throwing error on the play, the mistake clearly belonged to Diaz.
Such miscues are expected from Diaz, as he looks to find his niche with the Mets. The young infielder that came to New York from the Dodgers as part of last summer's Jeromy Burnitz trade has proven to be a hitting machine at every level he's played, but defensively his skills have consistently come into question.
Those questions didn't prevent manager Art Howe from trotting Diaz out there again Tuesday for New York's second intrasquad game, this time giving the youngster a shot at second base. The Mets are willing to wait for Diaz to come around on the field, willing to wait for him to carve out a spot, whether it's at second, third or even in the outfield.
"The kid played third base two years ago, so [Monday's game] really wasn't a change of position for him," New York's infield coach Matt Galante said. "But last year he played second base. This was the first game of any kind in camp so I'm sure he was nervous. He came to us with great offensive credentials so we have to let him play and see what he can do.
"Mistakes are good, though. It's the only way you can learn. And from what I've seen, the kid has pretty decent hands."
Where he'll get to use those hands, however, remains the question. Jose Reyes has moved to second base to accommodate shortstop Kaz Matsui, so that path has been blocked. Ty Wigginton is currently at third base, seemingly only renting the position until David Wright reaches Queens sometime in 2005.
"Right now I'm playing third base in Spring Training," Diaz said. "I've heard the talk about the outfield, but I haven't taken any fly balls yet. I don't have to ask the questions about where I'm playing or when I'm going to be in the Major Leagues. Maybe in a season or so, they'll figure it out. I'm just trying to do the job at hand."
The Dodgers were reluctant to part with Diaz and pitchers Jose Diaz and Kole Strayhorn. But then-Los Angeles general manager Dan Evans sensed time was running out in his tenure. Knowing his club needed a bat to jump back into the NL Wild Card race, he shipped off three of his brightest prospects for Burnitz.
The consensus among scouts and front-office types around the league is that New York general manager Jim Duquette engineered a steal. Jose Diaz has a blistering fastball that regularly tops out in the high 90s while Strayhorn is said to have an equally powerful arm. Jose Diaz pitched a brilliant inning during Tuesday's intra-squad game, striking out the side.
As for Victor Diaz, all he did was win a pair of batting titles -- in the Gulf Coast and South Atlantic Leagues -- with Los Angeles and then .354 in 45 games after joining the Double-A Binghamton Mets last summer.
"The Dodgers needed a bat to get back in the race so they got rid of me," Diaz said. "And then they got rid of Dan Evans."
Diaz didn't let the trade affect him, though he admitted that he was in shock when in first happened. He finished out the year strong with Binghamton and went to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic, where he hit .320 in 34 games for the Aguilas.
In addition, he went through a strenuous workout program and lost nearly 20 pounds, fulfilling his end of a deal he made with New York brass. Lose the weight and you'll get an invite to Major League camp, Diaz was told and he complied.
Diaz also spent the winter getting work ethic tips from Baltimore shortstop Miguel Tejada. After signing a multi-year deal, Tejada flew to the Dominican Republic and played for a few weeks alongside Diaz, a move that surprised the youngster.
"He came down there and played hard after signing that deal," Diaz said. "That showed me something. I'm a nobody but here's a guy that signed a $72 million deal and he's out there busting his butt.
"He worked me out hard. We talked a lot about hitting and fielding, especially fielding. When he was young he made a lot of errors, too. But we took a lot of grounders together and I'm keeping that in the back of my head. It was a great experience."
One that Diaz is hoping will propel him to a spot in the Major Leagues before long.
Infielder continues to impress at big-league camp
By Kevin T. Czerwinski / MLB.com Ticket information
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Victor Diaz charged Vance Wilson's slow roller on Monday and fielded it cleanly. He took a step and fired to first though the throw ended up nowhere near its intended target.
Later in the inning, Diaz, who was playing third base, was out of position on a relay from center field. Though Prentice Redman was charged with the throwing error on the play, the mistake clearly belonged to Diaz.
Such miscues are expected from Diaz, as he looks to find his niche with the Mets. The young infielder that came to New York from the Dodgers as part of last summer's Jeromy Burnitz trade has proven to be a hitting machine at every level he's played, but defensively his skills have consistently come into question.
Those questions didn't prevent manager Art Howe from trotting Diaz out there again Tuesday for New York's second intrasquad game, this time giving the youngster a shot at second base. The Mets are willing to wait for Diaz to come around on the field, willing to wait for him to carve out a spot, whether it's at second, third or even in the outfield.
"The kid played third base two years ago, so [Monday's game] really wasn't a change of position for him," New York's infield coach Matt Galante said. "But last year he played second base. This was the first game of any kind in camp so I'm sure he was nervous. He came to us with great offensive credentials so we have to let him play and see what he can do.
"Mistakes are good, though. It's the only way you can learn. And from what I've seen, the kid has pretty decent hands."
Where he'll get to use those hands, however, remains the question. Jose Reyes has moved to second base to accommodate shortstop Kaz Matsui, so that path has been blocked. Ty Wigginton is currently at third base, seemingly only renting the position until David Wright reaches Queens sometime in 2005.
"Right now I'm playing third base in Spring Training," Diaz said. "I've heard the talk about the outfield, but I haven't taken any fly balls yet. I don't have to ask the questions about where I'm playing or when I'm going to be in the Major Leagues. Maybe in a season or so, they'll figure it out. I'm just trying to do the job at hand."
The Dodgers were reluctant to part with Diaz and pitchers Jose Diaz and Kole Strayhorn. But then-Los Angeles general manager Dan Evans sensed time was running out in his tenure. Knowing his club needed a bat to jump back into the NL Wild Card race, he shipped off three of his brightest prospects for Burnitz.
The consensus among scouts and front-office types around the league is that New York general manager Jim Duquette engineered a steal. Jose Diaz has a blistering fastball that regularly tops out in the high 90s while Strayhorn is said to have an equally powerful arm. Jose Diaz pitched a brilliant inning during Tuesday's intra-squad game, striking out the side.
As for Victor Diaz, all he did was win a pair of batting titles -- in the Gulf Coast and South Atlantic Leagues -- with Los Angeles and then .354 in 45 games after joining the Double-A Binghamton Mets last summer.
"The Dodgers needed a bat to get back in the race so they got rid of me," Diaz said. "And then they got rid of Dan Evans."
Diaz didn't let the trade affect him, though he admitted that he was in shock when in first happened. He finished out the year strong with Binghamton and went to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic, where he hit .320 in 34 games for the Aguilas.
In addition, he went through a strenuous workout program and lost nearly 20 pounds, fulfilling his end of a deal he made with New York brass. Lose the weight and you'll get an invite to Major League camp, Diaz was told and he complied.
Diaz also spent the winter getting work ethic tips from Baltimore shortstop Miguel Tejada. After signing a multi-year deal, Tejada flew to the Dominican Republic and played for a few weeks alongside Diaz, a move that surprised the youngster.
"He came down there and played hard after signing that deal," Diaz said. "That showed me something. I'm a nobody but here's a guy that signed a $72 million deal and he's out there busting his butt.
"He worked me out hard. We talked a lot about hitting and fielding, especially fielding. When he was young he made a lot of errors, too. But we took a lot of grounders together and I'm keeping that in the back of my head. It was a great experience."
One that Diaz is hoping will propel him to a spot in the Major Leagues before long.