The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the best teams in baseball when it comes to promoting relatively unknown players to MLB, and transforming them into future superstars or, at the very least, solid regular starters. Players like Kolten Wong and Stephen Piscotty are recent examples of that.
None, however, has had the impact of Aledmys Diaz.
The Cuban shortstop was promoted just before Opening Day after Jhonny Peralta went down with an injury, and he’s made the most out of his opportunity. He quickly became one of the best hitting shortstops in the National League with a .381 average after 26 games.
He’s very versatile with the bat as well: Diaz has five home runs, eight doubles, a triple and 16 RBI so far. He’s walked six and only struck out eight, so he also has good plate vision and discipline.
The 25-year-old, however, can get it done on both sides of the ball. He doesn’t have the biggest range, he’s not the most athletic player on the diamond, and he’s a bit prone to mistakes (five ER in 178 innings), but Diaz is sound with the glove and he can certainly make the routine play on a daily basis. He’s also an upgrade over offseason acquisition Jedd Gyorko.
Diaz might be a bit old for a rookie (considering the age of other rookies and even established players), but there’s no doubt he’s here to stay. Considering how good he’s been since he joined the big club, there’s no way the Cardinals will make him return to the Minors once Peralta is healthy. This situation will create an interesting battle, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see Detroit Tiger being traded somewhere else.
It remains to be see if Diaz can sustain this pace for an entire season, but he’s certainly opened eyes around the league with his recent play.
Once again, he’s the best proof of what the Cardinals can do in their minor league system. They might lack impact prospects, but they constantly promote players who have enough talent to be valuable MLB contributors from day one.
Sometimes, that’s all you can ask for.