After placing outfielder Cesar Puello on the injured list, the Marlins are prepared to call up minor-league second baseman Isan Diaz to make his Major League debut, per Craig Mish of FNTSY Sports Radio. Diaz is already on the 40-man roster. Mish would add in a later Tweet that Lewis Brinson has also been recalled from Triple-A.
Diaz, 23, joined the Marlins as one of the pieces in the package that sent Christian Yelich to Milwaukee. Diaz is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Marlins’ fifth-best prospect and No. 86 in all of baseball. Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com tout his raw power as his carrying skill, with his “bat speed and the strength in his compact frame translating into hard-hit balls to all fields.” However, it bears mentioning that there will be some pressure on the bat to produce, given his unremarkable defense and baserunning. If his Triple-A numbers are to be believed, there’s plenty of reason to believe in the power and overall offensive potential: Diaz has slugged 26 home runs this year, not to overlook a pretty .305/.395/.578 batting line. Though his strikeout numbers are high, he’s sporting a tidy 12.3% walk rate in his minor league career, which began in 2014 when the D-Backs made him a second-round draft choice.
On the diamond, second base looks like the best spot for Diaz, and the keystone might be the smoothest fit on the Major League roster. With Brian Anderson playing right field, the Marlins could give Starlin Castro a look at third base, leaving the door open for Diaz to get regular at-bats at second.
Diaz’s promotion to the big leagues may put him on the vanguard of a burgeoning Miami farm system that added touted 21-year-olds Jazz Chisholm and Jesus Sanchez at the trade deadline. FanGraphs ranks the Marlins’ farm as the fifth-best in baseball, and it’s stocked with a number of high-ceiling, volatile athletes who will determine the precise timeline of Miami’s rebuild. Either way, the organizational depth is a massive improvement over its state after dealing Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton, and Marcell Ozuna, all of whom brought arguably light returns.
Given Lewis Brinson’s struggles, Diaz may be the piece to salvage the much-maligned Yelich trade, which has already returned some value to the Marlins in the form of promising rookie Jordan Yamamoto. If Brinson’s results to date are representative of his true talent, Diaz may end up being the headliner of Miami’s return, though the verdict is still out on Monte Harrison, who has yet to debut.
The book’s not closed on Brinson, either: since his demotion, the 25-year-old has played 81 games at Triple-A, where he’s swatted 16 home runs and posted an overall .871 OPS. He’s managed a solid 9.4% walk rate in that same span, a skill that has completely vanished in his stints in the Majors. Just 25 years old, there’s still time to show that he can carry that success to the Major League level, but early returns have made the acquisition look like a misstep.
About time. What more can this guy do in AAA?
This will start making the Yelich trade more balanced. He is a young controllable player who should be very good for a long time. Say what you want, in two years, the Marlins are going to be in a very very strong position.
That’s a lot to ask for. First season away from
Miami he won an MVP, and is in contention to win it again. That trade, among many others they’ve made, will haunt them for years.
What other trades have the Jeter led Marlins made that’ll haunt them for years?
I believed that at the time the Marlins were a team that could seriously contend for a division title and maybe more. The division was weak (and still is) and I think that was their opportunity to build their pitching staff and make a run at it.
How will it haunt them for years? The difference between Yelich and no Yelich was 4th and 5th place. Diaz, Harrison, and Brinson was good haul for Yelich. It just sucks that Brinson hasn’t found himself at the MLB level yet.
Brinson’s just doing the Marlins a favor. His poor play will keep his arb cost down for a lower-payroll team, which will then line up better when Miami’s core emerges.
Don’t forget about Yamamoto
It’s good to see someone who gets it. The Marlins didn’t win with Stanton, Yelich and Ozuna and they weren’t a pitcher or two away from competing. They had one of the worst minor league systems with no one to call on. Plus Stanton’s contract woukd have never allowed the team to afford any free agents.
The Astros lost 100 games 4 years in a row. How’d that work out for them? Until MLB changes the reward system for tanking, this is the way to go. Looking forward to the end of next year and beyond when the fair weather fans jump on the band wagon like they did for the Heat.
Release Castro!
Geez, where did all that power come from at AAA? Didn’t have much power leading up to it. Is it a case of AAA using the same balls as MLB this year?
He always had power. He hit 20 in A ball. He just improved his contact ability so now his power is showing up more.
Probably the fact that they messed with the ball so much it’s glorified batting practice (more home runs hit before the all star break than in all of last season), So basically all AAA batting stats should be taken with a grain of salt these days.
Diaz has always had good raw power, though. So it’s not entirely a fluke
Ball is juiced in AAA just as much ore more than MLB this year. Tons of AAA guys having big homer seasons.
Hopefully the Marlins stack the best team they can for the next few weeks against the Braves. This team made the Braves a pseudo contender. Beat these trashcans so they miss the playoffs and continue to rebuild their pitching because this team has no pitching at any level including MLB other than Soroka.
You’re a moronic broken record
Braves getting dumped in the first round is a broken record!
I actually thought you got banned or something but your whole existence revolves around gobbling the Braves for some depressing reason.
The Braves are gobbling up losses because they have no pitching.
Look around. There’s not a whole lot of pitching anywhere. Call it the juiced balls or whatever. As long as the Braves are still hitting in October, they have a shot. Look at the central. The Braves pitching is no worse than the cubs, brewers or cardinals.
A rotation consisting of Teheran and Gausman automatically makes them amongst the worst in baseball.
If you have not heard, i couldn’t careless about division titles at this point.
Link is to wrong Jesus Sanchez.
Having watched Diaz all year at NOLA, he can flat out rake. His glove is average. I’m surprised Brinson is being recalled, he’s still got the long swing. I think Harrison has the better future imho.
Yeah Diaz is the best of the bunch. Harrison and Brinson-with a full season each, together-could come close to 500 strikeouts.
Let the K tally begin.