Looking Back at the Yainer Diaz Deal
PLUS: BROOKS ROBINSON, GREAT GENTLEMAN AND GREAT BALLPLAYER
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
One year after being fatally weakened in the postseason by Max Fried’s virus and Spencer Strider’s left oblique strain, the Braves are again dealing with rotation problems at a terrible time. Fried landed on the IL for the third time this season with a blister on his left index finger but is eligible to be activated in time to pitch the NLDS opener Oct. 7. Morton, on the other hand, can’t return before the NLCS starts Oct. 16 . . .
Even if they can’t pass the 2019 Twins in terms of home runs (307), the Braves are almost certain to finish 2023 with the best team slugging percentage in AL/NL history. As play began Tuesday, they were currently slugging .501, well ahead of the current record-holders: the 2019 Astros (.495) . . .
The Orioles, playoff-bound for the first time since 2016, are closing in on their first 100-win campaign in 43 years. With three more victories, the AL East leaders will reach the century mark for the sixth 100-win season in Orioles/Browns franchise history . . .
Mike Trout has averaged just 79 games played over the last three seasons.
Leading Off
Yainer Diaz Deal Was a Steal
By Ray Kuhn
This was a trade that ultimately ended up being all about thievery.
Myles Straw is fast. Stealing bases and tracking down fly balls in center field were never a problem for the speedy outfielder. In fact, that still rings true. The problem Straw is encountering though, is that in order to steal second base, you have to be on first base.
It sounds obvious, and in fact has been a problem that players have dealt with forever. I mean if that wasn’t the case, the top of major league batting orders would be filled with track stars.
Through 98 games in 2021, Straw stole 17 bases for the Astros while actually batting a solid .261. While Straw doesn’t strike out a ton and he can draw a walk, he also hasn’t proven to be an exceptional stolen base threat. At the time of the trade, Cleveland was drawn in by Straw’s speed and the Astros were in need of bullpen health.
That led to the solid Phil Maton being traded to Houston. Maton continues to be a valuable part of the Astros’ bullpen, and you could argue that the performances between the two players makes it even trade. However, there is more to the story than that.
At the time of the trade, the Astros received some criticism as, at that point, stolen bases were incredibly valuable and in short supply. Houston ultimately was not incredibly confident in Straw’s on base skills and they also had depth in center field with Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers.
In each of the last two years, Straw has stolen an unremarkable 21 and 18 bases while hitting .221 and .233. On the other hand, McCormick played a vital role in Houston’s championship last season. This year, things are going even better for the center fielder. With three games remaining in the season, he is hitting .279 with 22 home runs and 19 stolen bases.
What did we say earlier about Straw’s speed and stolen base ability? Despite the criticism surrounding the trade of Straw, McCormick is stealing bases at the same clip, can potentially be a perennial 20/20 player, plays strong defense and also hits for a better average.
We have buried the lead though as we have yet to discuss the best player in the trade.
Moving forward, we will be talking about Yainer Diaz as an All-Star on an annual basis and he is being overlooked this season.
Part of the reason is the presence of Martin Maldonado behind the plate as he continues to be a large piece of the Astros’ culture. Diaz’s defense isn’t so bad either, but his bat and plate skills require real attention.
Despite inconsistent playing time, at least early in the season, and bouncing between catcher, first base and DH, Diaz has had a great season. The majority of his time, 58 games, has been spent behind the plate, and that is not an easy position to play as a young player Another adjustment factor is needed for DH, and that is where Diaz has spent 39 of his games.
Overall, Diaz is hitting .282 with 21 home runs and 60 RBI in just 396 plate appearances. Even with his limited playing time, Diaz’s production lines up nicely at the position and among young catchers, but if project him to 500-600 plate appearances, things look even better.
Houston has a strong lineup, and it is easy for Diaz to get lost at times. With a 12.2% average barrel-rate, Diaz continues to make strong contact. While we are focusing on the offensive side of things, Diaz is far from a liability defensively. By some metrics, Diaz is coming in better defensively per some metrics than Maldonado despite his reputation.
What is clear, is that the trade of Straw had just as much to do with Diaz as it did Maton. While the latter was the target, there was a clear reason as to why Houston was willing to part with Straw.
Ultimately, this trade will go down as the Yainer Diaz deal and another caper by Houston. It is also important to give James Click credit here for overseeing this trade. At the time of the trade, Diaz had not moved higher than A-ball and he had not established himself as a prospect.
This is a trade that speaks to importance of low-level minor-league scouting and projection of skills into production.
Ray Kuhn can be found writing on Fantrax and Fantasy Alarm after previously covering the Houston Astros as part of the FanSided network at Climbing Tal’s Hill. Reach him at @ray_kuhn_28 or raykuhn57@gmail.com as he is always interested in talking or writing about our great game.
Cleaning Up
A Personal Memory Of Brooks Robinson
My favorite memory of Brooks Robinson is playing ping-pong with him aboard the QE2 as the ship rocked and rolled in a gale off Cape Hatteras.
A treasured souvenir of that voyage, called the Queen Elizabeth 2 Baseball Hall of Famers Cruise, still hangs in my office. At the upper left, where Robinson’s likeness appears, is his signature, which reads “Dan, Best Always, Thanks, Brooks Robinson,” in large, legible black ink.
Brooks was the last survivor among the four celebrities I brought in that 1986 sailing, along with Stan Musial, Monte Irvin, and Ernie Harwell.
All four were classic examples of fine gentlemen, not only great ambassadors of the game but amiable, affable, and articulate people who related well to the Cunard ship’s audience consisting mainly of senior citizens.
“I had some talent but it was my desire that allowed me to reach the Hall of Fame,” said the modest Robinson, who passed away at 86 Tuesday.
A soft-spoken Little Rock native who spent his entire playing career with the Baltimore Orioles (1955-77), he joined the Cooperstown gallery in 1983.
Still regarded as the best defensive third baseman in baseball history, he set records at his position for seasons (23), fielding percentage (.971), games (2,870), putouts (2,697), assists (6,205), and double-plays (618).
Elected to 18 straight All-Star teams, he was American League MVP in 1964 and World Series MVP in 1970. He finished his career with 268 regular-season home runs, then an AL record for power production by a third baseman.
Although he batted and threw right-handed, he signed autographs and played ping-pong left-handed — inexplicable quirks that also applied to Hall of Fame contender Dale Murphy, a two-time MVP himself.
Maybe that’s why Brooks lost the ping-pong game in a gale, 22-20, with the ship heaving so much that his seasick wife Connie was confined to their stateroom at the time (I had been hoping for at least one witness).
On the ballfield, Brooks was rightly called “The Human Vacuum Cleaner,” or “Hoover” for short. He didn’t have any speed but relied on instinct and reflexes. He also had a strong and accurate arm. Just ask the Cincinnati Reds, his victims in the 1970 Fall Classic.
According to fellow Hall of Famer Earl Weaver, one of his managers with the Orioles, “Brooks is the only guy I know who has a farm system for gloves. He’s got gloves that are a year away. He retires the old ones when they can’t go to the left for balls hit in the hole anymore.”
Brooks was a rare breed who realized his boyhood dream of wanting to be a ballplayer.
“When I was in the eighth grade,” he said, “we had to write a booklet on our vocation – what you wanted to do – and I wrote my booklet on being a Major League Baseball player. Truly, I just didn’t want to do anything else. I loved the game, and I think that’s one of the reasons I’m in the Hall of Fame.”
He always talked about playing catch with his father.
“My dad was my hero growing up,” he once said.
Robinson became a hero to legions of admirers, including fellow players.
“It was like he held class out there,” said Buddy Bell, an All-Star third baseman himself.
Rico Carty, a former batting champion, said of Robinson, “He’s more than a thief. He’s a thief three times over.”
But the best quote may have come from former umpire Ed Hurley: “He plays third like he was sent down from another league.”
Now that league has taken him back. Rest in peace, Brooks.
Here’s The Pitch weekend editor Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ is a former AP sportswriter and long-time author who covers the game for forbes.com, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, Memories & Dreams, and other outlets. He’s also a popular speaker on baseball. See www.danschlossberg.net or write ballauthor@gmail.com.
Timeless Trivia
“It’s a very unfortunate and very sad situation.”
— Dodgers manager Dave Roberts after Julio Urías was arrested for alleged domestic violence
All evidence of the left-handed starter is gone from Dodger Stadium . . .
That includes two large murals at the loge-level entrances in the outfield corners . . .
Urías jerseys and merchandise have also been removed from team stores . . .
Roberts said the decision to remove the former pitcher’s locker was “an organizational thing” . . .
The space once occupied by the former 20-game winner is now taken by newly-acquired infielder Kolten Wong . . .
Urías is eligible for free agency after the season.
Know Your Editors
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles Monday and Tuesday editions, Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] does Wednesday and Thursday, and Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com] edits the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HTP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.