Aledmys Diaz is a 25-year-old shortstop who was born in Santa Clara, Cuba. It took him until this season to make the big leagues, and that was only because of the fact that Jhonny Peralta came down with a thumb injury that required surgery (Peralta was given a 2-3 month recovery timetable). To replace Peralta the Cardinals went out and added Ruben Tejada. The former Met ended up injuring his quad and that led to him being placed on the disabled list. That left the team with only Jedd Gyorko to play shortstop. In stepped Diaz. Obviously, this multi-player situation should clearly bring up an issue with Diaz that, judging from the amount of questions I’m getting in regard to Diaz, no one is considering.

1 – When healthy, do you really think that Peralta won’t be starting at shortstop for the Cardinals?

2 – Tejada is an ideal backup shortstop.

3 – Gyorko is a nice power bat that can be used at second, and short, especially against left-handed pitching.

4 – Given those top three data points, where are you thinking that Diaz is going to fit in? Maybe the team moves on from Tejada, but Peralta/Gyorko aren’t going anywhere.

You have to have skills to succeed.
You have to have the opportunity to succeed.

It’s hard for me to envision a scenario in which Diaz will have the opportunity as the season wears on.

Let’s take a look at his skills and see if he has the talent to hold on to a role if given the chance.

FOREIGN NUMBERS

Diaz played six seasons in the Cuban National Series.

In 343 games Diaz posted a .307/.397/.439 slash line with 27 homers, 165 RBI, 193 runs and 14 steals in 29 chances.

MINOR LEAGUE NUMBERS

Diaz produced a .276/.335/.444 line in 163 games covering 646 plate appearances (136 of those games were at Double-A). He hit 18 homers with 76 RBI, 79 runs and 13 steals in 21 attempts.

OVERALL SKILLS

Aledmys Diaz is ranked as a 45 on the 20-80 scouting scale by Baseball America. What does that level mean? A 45 player equates to a borderline regular on a second division club, or platoon player (i.e. a league only option, not a mixed league play in the fantasy game).

Note that after signing a 4-year, $8 million deal that Diaz missed significant time with shoulder woes and also missed time for lying about his age. He was eventually removed from the 40-man roster last season, meaning anyone could have added him (every team in baseball passed), as the Cards preferred to give his roster spot to Dan Johnson, you know the 35-year-old who is trying to become a knuckle baller now. That’s how much the Cards thought of Diaz last year. Does any of that lead you to think that Diaz is a true breakout option in 2016? Certainly, it shouldn’t.

Diaz did improve his approach at the plate last season which is heartening, but the fact is that his talent simply doesn’t, does not, suggest that he will be anything other than a reserve option in the long run. He’s not likely to stick as a daily player, and he certainly doesn’t appear likely to hold on to a starting role with the Cards in 2016. Diaz, simply put, lacks the talent to perform at anything near all-star levels.

Finally, note the terrible work he has displayed on the base paths. In 531 professional games he’s stolen 29 bases and been caught 24 times, a simply horrible 54.7 percent success rate.

CONCLUSION

Aledmys Diaz is not an elite prospect.

Aledmys Diaz has eight hits in 15 at-bats, including a homer, five RBI and six runs scored this season.

Aledmys Diaz is still not an elite prospect.

Where will he play when the Cardinals become whole? The best option up the middle for the club is Peralta at shortstop with Kolten Wong at second. Gyorko can back up at both spots, brings power, and he hits lefties pretty well. The Card also have Tejada around to lend a hand. I can’t envision a scenario in which Aledmys Diaz makes an impact in the second half of the season. In fact, he might not even be on the roster at that point. You can try and ride the wave until then, but know that the Oracle won’t be bothering to get up on his board on this swell.

 

Ray Flowers can be heard Monday through Friday, 7 PM EDT and Friday on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 6 PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).