“My numbers have been good. The organization's co-starting pitcher of the year in 2014 (along with Jordan Pries), Diaz is a ways away, but he has plenty of upside and is worth keeping an eye on. They piled on with two more runs against Hunter Strickland, who gave up more hits (three) than he recorded outs (one). Then Diaz nearly got through the ninth cleanly before delivering a harrowing reminder of his brutal 2019. Elite seasons are often followed up by steps backward. Diaz gave up a run on two hits in the ninth inning Thursday against the Nationals but escaped with his sixth save of the season. One strike away from clinching a series win, the ghost of 2019 came back to visit the Mets on Saturday at Citi Field. “I keep saying that when he commands to his extension side, that’s when he’s been effective,” Rojas said. The Edwin Diaz horror show has returned as closer blows save in loss. Jan Levine likes what Ian Anderson did in his major-league debut, but also offers a warning. The Mets’ righty hadn’t pitched since Sept. 9 because of a pair of off-days and the team three-game losing streak. If we focus on saves and blown opportunities, then New York Mets’ closer Edwin Diaz has had a mediocre season, with four of the former and four of the latter. We always heard his stuff was electric. Does not being a Belieber overshadow his big wins? What part of the game does Edwin Diaz generally pitch? Diaz ranked sixth in second-half K/9 (14.3) among arms with 20-plus appearances, behind Ken Giles, Kenley Jansen, Dellin Betances, Craig Kimbrel and Aroldis Chapman. However, after Cishek landed on the disabled list, Diaz, once a top starting pitching prospect, took the reins and never looked back. In the mostly silent stadium, Diaz was left smiling to himself on the mound. He converted 21 of 23 save opportunities in the second half and struck out 32 percent of the batters he faced overall using a combination of high-90s fastballs and high-80s sliders. K. 50. Mets reliever Edwin Diaz allowed one hit and struck out three over an inning of work to earn his fourth save of the season in Wednesday's win over the Phillies. The problem was what happened with the other 61% of hitters he faced last season. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 6. However, he's not exactly a "safe" investment given the slip in performance from 2016 and the general year-to-year unpredictability of major-league relievers. Instead, we focus on things that could be more indicative of a pitcher's skill: ERA, FIP, K%, K/9, BB%, BB/9 and so on. And judging by most of those stats, Diaz has not only been good, nor great: he has been magnificent in 2020. But then there was the fact he had blown four saves in only seven attempts. Diaz (1-1) allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and one walk while striking out zero over one inning as he was charged with the loss during Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader against the Yankees. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average. The road was a bit rocky for Diaz in 2017, with the Mariners temporarily relieving him of closer duties on a couple occasions, but when it was all said and done Diaz tied for fourth in the American League in saves. Overall, he’s been the strongest link in a bullpen that last month lost Seth Lugo to fill a void in the starting rotation. The Braves took the lead in the top of the 10th with a leadoff single from Dansby Swanson, scoring Adam Duvall from second. Injuries may have kept Jorge Alfaro out of the Marlins' lineup early on, but Jan Levine says he's healthy again and looking to build upon an excellent 2019. ERA. WHIP. His control needs some work, but he has plenty of time to hone those skills. The Mets bullpen had protected a one-run lead on Friday on the way to a 1-0 win but was unable to replicate its success on Saturday. The problem was what happened with the other 61% of hitters he faced last season. Diaz throws a 98-mph fastball almost two-thirds of the time, complemented by a 90-mph slider. Diaz can be his own worst enemy with the walks, and the uptick in home runs last season is a concern, although he was better in that regard down the stretch (two homers allowed in his final 30.1 innings). “I think if we would have had fans this year the results would be the same as I am having right now because I put in a lot of work for these results.”. Diaz worked around a base hit to turn in a scoreless ninth inning en route to notching his fifth save of the season Tuesday in the Mets' 5-2 win over the Rays. 3 on the season. It is a sad state of affairs when a pitcher who finished the previous season with a 4.57 ERA in 104.1 innings at Double-A has a claim as the best prospect in a farm system, but that is where the Mariners are at. After being held hitless through the first 4 ¹/₃ innings, Michael Conforto doubled, Amed Rosario tripled and Jeff McNeil hit a sacrifice fly to take the 2-1 lead. Seattle's save chances were dominated in the first half by Steve Cishek. But it hasn’t helped Diaz’s cause that one of his meltdowns occurred at Yankee Stadium in the Subway Series. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Diaz (2-1) recorded the win in Thursday's extra-inning victory over the Yankees, walking one and striking out four over two scoreless innings of relief. “It’s unbelievable; he’s throwing the ball great right now,” he said. Diaz, who hadn’t pitched in five days, told manager Luis Rojas he needed more frequent work. The Mets couldn’t spark the same kind of rally in the bottom of the inning. 3 starter who should benefit from playing half his games in Safeco Field. Diaz ended 2018 as the top closer and looks to be one of the first off the board in 2019 after an offseason trade to the Mets. Just don't count on another 50-save season. Jason Collette analyzes the evolution of Corbin Burnes, who has drastically changed how he attacks hitters. Privacy Notice There's really nothing to point to in terms of luck as Diaz's BABIP, HR/FB and LOB% were all within expected ranges. “He got hurt there today.”, Take a shot on Dallas Keuchel and the White Sox, THE BEST INSIGHTS FROM THE ULTIMATE INSIDERS, Blue Rush: A NY Giants Podcast How does Edwin Diaz compare to other relievers? “I know out of the four blown saves we won two of the games and we lost two,” Diaz said through an interpreter before the Mets faced the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. 1.25. “His confidence level is really high. “There is one thing he told us, just that, ‘I want to pitch more.’ When you’re used in a closer’s role sometimes there’s a particular situation where you don’t come in four or five days in a row, which just happened to him. Even with some correction perhaps coming, Diaz could deliver numbers befitting a top-five fantasy closer at a discount relative to bigger names. MLB’s new extra-inning rule was introduced to Citi Field, with a runner starting the inning on second base, and the Braves immediately took advantage to win it 5-3 in 10 innings. He’s matching up the stuff. He dazzled in the bullpen over the final two-plus months, going 18-for-21 in save chances. Jason Collette revisits his bold predictions for pitchers this season. “At the end of the day, I located my pitch exactly where I wanted to put it. Terms of Use The skills, hence strikeouts and ratios, are real and repeatable and thus worthy of chasing aggressively. Rest-of-Season Projections. Developed by World IT Zone. Latest on New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz including complete game-by-game stats on ESPN ... 2020 season stats. 2020 Contract Status: Signed thru 2020, 1 yr/$5.1M (20) Service Time (01/2020): 3.121 • Arb Eligible: 2021 • Free Agent: 2023 Agents: Wasserman . He struck out one batter. However, that’s not how we conduct analysis anymore. “I can’t do anything but laugh when I do everything I want to do and that’s still the result,” Diaz said. However, that's not how we conduct analysis anymore. PHILADELPHIA — Can a reliever lead the major leagues in blown saves and still be having a strong season? Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify, © 2020 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved James Anderson releases his super early top 400 redraft rankings, which features a trio of Atlanta hitters in the top 20. Among them, entering Wednesday, were a 1.80 ERA and the best strikeouts-per-nine innings rate in MLB at 18.9. This is the Edwin Díaz that we all know.”, UFC currently working on Junior Dos Santos – Ciryl Gane, New York Giants: David Mayo returns from injured reserve ahead of Sunday game, Report: Yankees could be in on Trevor Bauer for 4-5 years. Jump back in on Diaz. Despite having both velocity and a strikeout rate in the 99th percentile last season, Diaz was in the second percentile of hard-hit rate and the 11th percentile of exit velocity by batters. Among them, entering Wednesday, were a 1.80 ERA and the best strikeouts-per-nine innings rate in MLB […] Watch live: Demonstrators gather for Women’s March in D.C. Matthew McConaughey reveals his dad died while ‘makin’ love’ to his mother, Mission-driven cryptocurrency requires an active commitment to equity By Cointelegraph. Those type of outcomes are what drove his .281 BABIP from his record-breaking 2018 season up to .377 this past season. He threw strikes, but not where they needed to be. Diaz pitched a scoreless ninth Wednesday against the Orioles, allowing a hit while striking out a batter as he picked up save No. Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify, Jalen Rose: Renaissance Man His stuff is electric most of the time and there aren't any proven options behind him in the Seattle bullpen, so Diaz should be given every chance to remain in the closer role throughout 2018. Diaz pitched a scoreless ninth Wednesday, allowing one hit and striking out three to earn his fourth save of the season. “I had one of the bullpen catchers actually stand in like he was a hitter, and I was able to simulate that way — throw to him and make it feel like it was a real game. WHIP. But Diaz, who struck out the side in his inning against the Phillies, said he kept sharp by throwing his bullpens as if they were game situations. “I don’t think that is the case,” Diaz said. A pitcher’s pitch. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. NEW YORK -- If the pitch caught the strike zone, it was only by a whisper. Diaz is not nearly as bad as that ERA suggests — he had a 1.70 ERA in 37 innings at High-A Bakersfield before his promotion and his 3.22 FIP at Double-A Jackson suggests he was pretty unlucky in Southern League play.