After the Marlins placed Corey Dickerson on the bereavement list, the team called up 1B Lewin Diaz to fill his spot. It’s unclear if Diaz is here to stay long term, but that doesn’t make his stay any less exciting. Acquired from the Twins last season in the Sergio Romo trade, let’s dive into the details.
The Rankings
Diaz ranked 8th in the Marlins Top 30 list and 86th in our Fantasy Top 500.
The Tools
Hit (45 present/55 future): Bolstered by a strong eye at the plate and a reworked stance that shortens his path to the ball and tweaked his swing path, Diaz has the makings of someone who can routinely hit .280 in the bigs once he hits his stride. It’s impressive the quality of contact he can make given the length in his swing, but he does a good job of keeping his hands in when necessary, a skill he’ll need as pitchers are busting him in early in his major league debut.
Power (55 game/60 raw): If you’ve followed Diaz, he was someone that was popping into radars in 2017 in his full season debut where he had a strong .292/.329/.444 as a 20 year old. But a down season with just a .119 ISO in High-A was disappointing, even considering the pitcher friendly Florida State League. As alluded above, the Twins worked to lower his hands dramatically. Diaz even got some points from fellow Dominican David Ortiz. He blossomed, hitting 27 home runs in 2019 from High-A to Triple-A, and firmly planting himself inside top 100 lists. It’s somewhat amusing the power he can get considering his frame which isn’t quite lanky, but it’s not the traditional first base frame you expect.
Defense (55 field/50 arm): While the bat looks like it might play, Diaz has improved his defense a fair bit in the last couple of seasons, enough so that it takes some pressure off the stick. He’s got smooth actions at first, can pick it and has improved his footwork.
Speed (40 present/30 future): Nothing to write home about here. Diaz won’t be using his speed on the basepaths or at his position.
Prediction: Temper expectations for his first stint, as it seems like it might be short lived. But on Sunday Diaz was seeing some long at bats and fighting, though ultimately succumbing to some inside pitches. Long term, this is an everyday big leaguer when you combine the good defensive profile and renewed offense.
Fantasy Impact: I’d snag Diaz is 14-team leagues or deeper to give him a whirl and if he gets demoted, you can cut. He won’t be a game changer given his team, but he bat cleanup on Sunday, an encouraging sign from the team’s expectations.