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Elías Díaz

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Díaz and the second or maternal family name is Soto.
Elías Díaz
Díaz with the Colorado Rockies in 2022
San Diego Padres – No. 15
Catcher
Born: (1990-11-17) November 17, 1990 (age 33)
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 12, 2015, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.251
Home runs62
Runs batted in297
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Elías David Díaz Soto (born November 17, 1990) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies. Díaz has also represented the Colombia national baseball team.

Professional career

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Pittsburgh Pirates

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Minor leagues

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Díaz with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2017

Díaz signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as an international free agent in 2008. He made his professional debut in 2009 for the Venezuelan Summer League Pirates. From 2010 to 2013, he played for the Gulf Coast Pirates (batting .210), West Virginia Power (batting .221, and then .208 the following year) and Bradenton Marauders (batting .279).[1]

Díaz started 2014 with the Double-A Altoona Curve. In August he was promoted to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians after hitting .328 with Altoona, but he then batted .152/.243/.182 in Triple–A.[2][3][4] On November 20, 2014, Díaz was added to the Pirates' 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[5]

Major leagues

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Diaz batted 0-for-2 in the major leagues in 2015, 0-for-4 in 2016, and .223/.265/.314 with one home run in 200 plate appearances in 2017.[6]

On December 2, 2019, Díaz was non-tendered by Pittsburgh and became a free agent.[7]

Colorado Rockies

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On January 6, 2020, Díaz signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies. Díaz made the Opening Day roster for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Díaz batted .235/.288/.353 with two home runs in 73 plate appearances over 2020. In 2021, he batted .246/.310/.464 with 18 home runs and 44 RBI in 106 games. On November 18, 2021, Díaz signed a three-year, $14.5 million extension with the Rockies.[8] On September 10, Diaz went 4-for-5 with two home runs and seven RBI, including a three-run walk-off home run, leading the Rockies to a 13-10 win.[9]

In 2023, Díaz was named to the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He hit the game-winning home run for the National League in the eighth inning and was named the game's Most Valuable Player.[10] In 141 games for Colorado in 2023, he slashed .267/.316/.409 with 14 home runs and a career–high 72 RBI.

Díaz played in 84 games for the Rockies in 2024, hitting .270/.315/.378 with five home runs and 36 RBI. He was released by Colorado following the promotion of Drew Romo on August 16, 2024.[11]

San Diego Padres

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On August 26, 2024, Díaz signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres.[12] In 4 games for the Triple–A El Paso Chihuahuas, he went 3–for–12 (.250) with one home run and six RBI. On September 1, the Padres selected Díaz's contract, adding him to their active roster.[13]

International career

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Born in Venezuela, Díaz is of Colombian descent through his father, and is thus eligible to represent the Colombia national baseball team. He was slated to play with Colombia at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, but was not permitted by the Pirates organization due to injury reasons.[14] He was named to the Colombian roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where he shared catching duties with Meibrys Viloria. Díaz hit .250/.250/.375 over eight at-bats in the tournament, with one double and one RBI.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Giger, Cory (August 15, 2014). "Diaz promoted following Curve's loss". Altoona Mirror. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  2. ^ Sawchik, Travis (August 23, 2014). "Pirates notebook: Breakout of catching prospect Diaz a pleasant surprise". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  3. ^ Singer, Tom (August 23, 2014). "Bucs catching prospect Diaz climbing depth chart". MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  4. ^ Perrotto, John (August 31, 2014). "Minor League Report: Catcher Diaz making a name". The Beaver County Times. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  5. ^ "Pirates designate Ike Davis for assignment". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 20, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  6. ^ "Elias Diaz Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  7. ^ "Pirates part ways with catcher Elias Diaz, sign shortstop Erik Gonzalez". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  8. ^ "The Rockies have extended C Elias Díaz". November 18, 2021.
  9. ^ "Díaz's big night: 7 RBIs, 2 HRs, walk-off blast". MLB.com. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  10. ^ https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/story/2023-07-11/all-star-padres-gamer-juan-soto-josh-hader-elias-diaz-shohei-ohtani [bare URL]
  11. ^ "Rockies release longtime catcher Elías Díaz amid youth movement". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  12. ^ "Padres sign '23 All-Star MVP Elias Diaz to minor league deal". ESPN.com. August 26, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  13. ^ "Padres Designate Lake Bachar For Assignment, Select Brandon Lockridge". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  14. ^ Heraldo, El (July 29, 2022). "Elías Díaz, otro grandeliga que podría ir con Colombia al Clásico Mundial". EL HERALDO.
  15. ^ "Colombia - World Baseball Classic". STATS Hosted Solution. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
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