Pittsburgh Pirates Prospect Report: Elias Diaz

For Pirates’ fans who have spent the last decade watching division rival Yadier Molina, it is clear how much a dominant defensive catcher can change the game. At number 14, the Pittsburgh Pirates have a prospect in Elias Diaz, a catcher from Venezuela, who has the potential to be that run-stopper behind the plate.

When he signed with the Pirates in 2008, his arm was the only thing sure about him but the Pirates took the chance that he could develop into a serviceable hitter. While the results were initially poor – Diaz batted .215 in his first three professional seasons – the Pirates were able to be patient while Diaz changed his approach.

Diaz began his career with aspirations of being a prolific home run hitter and it caused his swing to lag behind professional pitching. After struggling for three seasons, he realized that his defensive talent alone could carry him to the big leagues if he could just put the bat on the ball more consistently. He shortened up his approach and stopped worrying about the long ball, as he describes here

"I quit worrying about hitting home runs, trying to hit the ball hard, and I concentrated on hitting the ball up the middle and hitting the ball the other way."

The improvement was visible the very next season. He became a much more patient hitter and saw his walk rate go from 6.3% in 2012 to 14.1% in 2013. It may seem obvious but his improved plate discipline helped his strikeout rate drop from 19.2% in 2011 to 12.9% last season.

Diaz has seemingly completely rejuvenated his offensive game and continues to get better each year. Over the past two seasons, Diaz has batted .301 and has posted the two lowest strikeout rates of his career.

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But while everyone focused on the improvements Diaz made at the plate, he continued to grow as a catcher and worked on the little things to improve his defense even further.

He has worked on everything from footwork to framing in order to make himself the backstop of the future for the Pirates. Here’s what the Pirates’ assistant general manager Kyle Stark had to say:

"He has worked on his release to help his above-average arm strength play quick and accurate. He has worked on his receiving to enhance his already solid hands. And he has worked hard to understand game plans, attacking hitters, and general pitch philosophies."

The Pirates are clearly high on Diaz and will give him the chance to become a starter when he’s ready. They cut ties with Tony Sanchez, a catching prospect who was drafted in the first round but never panned out, and turned down trade talks with the Rangers when his name was brought up as a piece to be swapped for Mitch Moreland, a lefty, power-hitting first baseman that looked like a highly sought after asset for the Pirates at the time.

The Pirates have been able to develop Diaz for so long because of guys like Russell Martin, Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart. With Cervelli and Stewart both signed for 2016, Diaz will get one more year of grooming in Triple-A before competing with Reese McGuire for the starting catcher job in 2017.