My Two Cents: Is Yandy Diaz MLB's Most Underrated Player?
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The bases were loaded and the Tampa Bay Rays needed a big hit. Third baseman Yandy Diaz stepped into the batter's box — and it was all good.
"He's a pretty likable guy to be at the plate (in that situation),'' Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. "You know he's going to give you a good at-bat.''
He sure did.
Diaz ripped the second pitch he saw in the fourth inning down the left-field line. With one swing of the bat, Diaz turned a tight 2-1 game into a 5-1 lead, and the rout was on. The first game out of the break, the Rays were rolling again, staying hot with a 7-3 win. They've won seven out of eight, and are 11 games over .500, tying their high-water mark for the season.
During this hot streak, no one has been hotter than Diaz. It's been longer than that, too. Since June 26, he's gone 30-for-75 — a .400 average — and he's also walked 13 times. He's a very tough out, and he always seems to be right in the thick of things when the Rays' offense is rolling. He's had four multi-RBI games in the past eight games.
His .409 on base percentage this year is third in all of baseball, behind only Paul Goldschmidt (.414) of the St. Louis Cardinals, who is an All-Star, and Luis Arraez (.411) of the Minnesota Twins.
My guess is the average baseball fans across the country has no idea that Diaz's numbers are so good. Outside of Tampa Bay, he is NOT a household name, even in baseball families.
When you watch Diaz every day, you learn to appreciate all he brings to a team. Outside of Shane McClanahan, the Rays' pitching ace, Diaz is probably the Rays' best player this year. It's just that most people don't know that.
There's so much that he does well. Such as:
- He's one of the best hitters in the game when it comes to hitting to all fields. Pitch him away, and he's taking you to right field, or in the gaps. Every at-bat is a solid at-bat with him.
- He's a very underrated third baseman defensively. He makes all the plays, and has a very accurate arm.
- He lives for the big moments, especially at the plate. That's an attitude you love when you're chasing playoff spots.
"You try to prepare a little bit more with guys on base, and that's what I try to do,'' Diaz said Friday night through interpreter Manny Navarro. "It's great that the bats were going, and we need to keep it going.''
Diaz, the Cuban-born player who turns 31 in a few weeks (Aug. 8), is in his sixth year in the majors, and his fourth with the Rays. He's the consummate professional, and a great role model for many of the Rays' younger hitters. He's been one of the big reasons why the Rays have won back-to-back American League East division titles, and a big reason this year for the Rays making another playoff run.
Despite all of the Rays' injuries all year, they are right in the thick of things in the American League playoff picture. They might not catch the New York Yankees in the AL East race, but they four games clear in the wild-card race right now, and they can be a scary postseason team because of all of their great pitching.
What's been nice is that the offense — fueled by Diaz, a getting-hot Randy Arozarena and more production from the bottom of the order — is really starting to make some noise, too. In the last 17 games, they've gone 12-5 and scored 80 runs in those 12 wins, a 6.7 average.
That's damn impressive.
There's no telling how long that will continue, but the Rays are rounding into shape. And we've seen that before. The Rays were 53-37 at the break last year, and finished 47-25 the rest of the way, winning 100 games for the first time. And even in 2020, the COVID-shortened year, they finished the season going 34-12.
They have been a very good second-half team, and there's no reason to think otherwise that it will happen again this season. Friday night was a good start to the second half, partly because it helped end a weird stat. The Rays had lost nine straight series openers on the road, dating all the way back to May 5 in Seattle.
So getting off to a hot start is big. Staying hot is big, too.
And Yandy Diaz will likely be a big reason why.
Related stories on Rays baseball
- RAYS TOP ROYALS (Friday): On a brutally hot night in Kansas City, Drew Rasmussen allowed just one run in five innings and red-hot Yandy Diaz continues to rake at the plate, hitting a bases-loaded double to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 7-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night. CLICK HERE
- AL PLAYOFF PICTURE: As we head down the home stretch in the American League, there are still several teams in the mix for postseason spots. Here's a look at the six teams who are in — for the moment — and several others who are nipping at their heels. There's also a breakdown of top pitchers and players for each team through the first half, and a look at their schedules coming out of the break. CLICK HERE
- RAMIREZ INJURED: Tampa Bay right-handed hitter Harold Ramirez fractured his right thumb on Sunday when he was hit by a pitch in the first inning of Sunday's game with the Baltimore Orioles. Ramirez, who was hitting .329, will be reevaluated in two weeks. CLICK HERE
- RAYS SCHEDULE: Here is the complete 2022 schedule for the Tampa Bay Rays, including every result and stats from games played so far. CLICK HERE
Tom Brew is the publisher of Inside The Rays, and has been with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation network for three years. He is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his four-decade career at the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has written four books.