Diamondbacks Prospect Yilber Diaz has a Stunning 13 Strikeout Game

The D-backs' right-hander threw six brilliant shutout innings as his strong 2024 continues in Triple-A.

Amarillo Sod Poodles Yilber Diaz (17) pitches the ball in a Texas League Championship game against the Arkansas Travelers, Tuesday night, September 26, 2023, at Hodgetown, in Amarillo, Texas. The Arkansas Travelers won 6-5. / Carter Pirtle for the Amarillo

Arizona Diamondbacks young right-handed pitching prospect Yilber Diaz delivered a brilliant outing for the Triple-A Reno Aces in last night's game.

Diaz, 23, tossed six shutout innings against the Sacramento River Cats. Although he did walk two batters, he did not allow a base hit on the night, striking out an incredible 13 batters, his third time striking out double-digit hitters this season.

Starting with the fourth batter in the bottom of the first, he proceeded to strike out seven straight, punching out the side in both the second and third innings. He mixed in an excellent variety of pitches and his command was stellar, as he got eight batters swinging and five looking at a called third strike.

Top #Diamondbacks Pitching Prospect Yilber Diaz K's 13 in Six Hitless Innings https://t.co/YFjZn2ztRy #MLBFilmRoom via @MLB

— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) July 2, 2024

Diaz has been one of, if not the the best arm in Arizona's farm system this season, making a speedy jump from Double-A to Triple-A on June 11th. He pitched to a 4.33 ERA, but with a 3.49 FIP with the Sod Poodles, while putting up an excellent 12.83 K/9.

Although the Pacific Coast League, home of the Reno Aces, is considered one of the most offense-friendly environments in the minor leagues, Diaz hasn't seemed to miss a beat since his promotion.

He's pitching to a 3.27 ERA over his first four Triple-A starts, and the number is backed up by a similarly impressive 3.79 FIP. He's continued his high-strikeout tendencies, with an 11.45 K/9 in that time, and, despite having some issues with control, appears to be slowly scaling down his walks since giving up five free passes in his first start with the Aces.

Diaz features some of the most electric stuff in the system, with an upper-90s fastball, diving curve and a slider, while working on improving a less-often utilized changeup. He does struggle with control, as he walked 4.83 batters per nine innings in Amarillo, but has begun to scale that down to 3.68 in a small Triple-A sample size.

Prior to the season, Diaz was listed as Arizona's #15 prospect by Baseball America, with plus grades on his fastball and curve. If he continues his ability to punch out a high volume of hitters, while also continuing to pare down his walks, he could find himself accelerating his path to the major leagues.