Since joining the Rays, Díaz has the 10th-lowest chase rate in baseball, swinging at only 19% of balls outside the strike zone. The answer to that was yes, but Mottola found that Díaz took the most pride in maintaining his razor-sharp eye at the plate. In the first 88 games of his career, split across 2017 and '18, he managed one home run, while his unimposing, 5-foot-9 teammate José Ramirez bashed 68 by learning to lift and pull the ball like clockwork.Īfter Díaz landed with the Rays in a three-team trade ahead of 2019, Tampa Bay hitting coach Chad Mottola was initially curious whether Díaz's shredded upper body afforded him the flexibility to get to all the pitches he needed to hit. (For the record, though, Díaz said he successfully bench-pressed one rep at 400 pounds this offseason.)Īs Díaz broke into the majors, he provided an almost flippant commentary on the sport. But that sort of visible physical potential, which is far from a direct line to success in football, tells you even less about a player’s future in baseball. He was, in essence, baseball’s DK Metcalf. Rather than go head-to-head with him, Antonetti joked he just finds another part of the weight room if Diaz is in there. ![]() ![]() Chris Antonetti said that, yes, he's ended up in the weight room at the same time as Yandy Diaz, owner of baseball's best biceps.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |