It’s good to be Aledmys Diaz right now, it just is.
Not only has the rookie come out of seemingly nowhere to bat .423 in his first big-league exposure, not only did he get his 30th hit of April on Saturday, he’s even found a good Cuban restaurant in St. Louis.
The beans and rice are flowing at Mi Carabe. “It’s good,” Diaz said. “They cook very well there.”
Likewise, Diaz has been cooking, remarkably well. The 25-year-old native of Santa Clara, Cuba, joined exclusive company with a ninth-inning single in the Cardinals’ otherwise inglorious 6-1 loss to Washington on Saturday at Busch Stadium.
The only other Cardinals rookie to have as many as 30 hits in the month of April was Albert Pujols in 2001. Pujols had 34 hits that April. He went on to get a few more, batting .329 with 37 homers, 47 doubles and 130 RBIs. He became the 2001 National League Rookie of the Year.
Outfielder Showboat Fisher still has the Cardinals’ top rookie batting average for the month of April (minimum of 50 plate appearances), as he batted .462 for the month in 1930. St. Louis Browns rookie shortstop Red Kress owns the major league record, batting .511 for April, 1928.
With four home runs and 13 RBIs in 22 games, Diaz has some meat left on the bone, so to speak. But to be in the conversation, to do something only Pujols has done in St. Louis is something special. And fortunately for Diaz, he did not know anything about it beforehand.
For those who did, with his team losing 6-1, his at-bat with two outs in the ninth inning had a now-or-never flavor to it. But ignorance is bliss.
“I didn’t know; my cousin texted me 10 minutes ago and told me,” Diaz said after the game. “It’s something great, to be on the same page with a great guy and great player like Pujols. I feel very glad for that.”
It looked as if Diaz had missed glory’s last shot in the seventh. He entered the game on a double-switch in the top of the seventh and batted with one out in the bottom half. Diaz reached safely on a grounder that was a tough play for Nationals shortstop Danny Espinosa. When Espinosa’s throw pulled first baseman Ryan Zimmerman off the bag, it was ruled an error.
“You know, that happens,” Diaz said. “I don’t know … they put an error. But at the end of the day, I get first base and give my team a chance to score a run.”
The play also helped give him another chance. When Yadier Molina doubled in the eighth, the line had moved just enough to bring Diaz back to the plate in the ninth. Facing reliever Shawn Kelley, he pulled a clean single between third and short.
At one point, the high expectations for Diaz seemed to be waning. He had a career .307 average in six seasons in Cuba before the Cardinals signed him to a four-year deal worth $8 million in the spring of 2014. But in 2015, progress was halting and things were not going particularly well for the shortstop at Class AA Springfield. His average languished in the low .200s.
But a light went on in mid-summer. Diaz raised the numbers at Springfield before being promoted to Class AAA Memphis, where he batted .380 in 14 games. Next, he hit .315 with four homers and 14 RBIs in the Arizona Fall League.
Diaz kept it going in Florida, getting four hits in one spring game and impressing the major league braintrust. He didn’t make the club out of spring training, but when outfielder Tommy Pham went down with an injury, instead of calling another outfielder, the Cardinals promoted Diaz.
One month and 30 hits later, the move has legs. In fact, it is the defensive side where Diaz has shown the most vulnerability. He has had some spectacular moments, but with five errors in 22 games, his glove has been a bit erratic. Rest assured, it’s not something he takes lightly.
On Saturday, Cardinals coach Jose Oquendo was in the house. Oquendo will miss the entire season to have surgery on his knee, which could require replacement. But with the “Secret Weapon” visiting, Diaz took advantage to talk defense.
“Yeah definitely,” Diaz said. “As soon as he got here, we started talking and he gave me a couple of tips how be a little more loose in the field. It’s a big help.
“I think I’m trying to do both things together. I’m pretty confident at home plate because I’ve been swinging pretty good the last couple of weeks. But in the field, the last few games, I’ve started feeling more ready. That gives me confidence to go out there and perform.”
Talking and listening are a big part of the Diaz phenomena. He does both regularly. He credits his windfall at the plate — against pitchers he has never seen — to those who have seen them, to scouting advice he gets from both coaches and players. Pitchers throw more strikes in the big leagues so Diaz has been more aggressive.
“You have to take advantage of everything you can,” Diaz said. “I give a lot of credit to our hitting coaches. They are great, they give a lot of information to us in order to go out to the field and perform.
“And you learn from everybody, guys who have been here five to 10 years in the big leagues, your coaches, and you ask questions. You ask, ‘What is this pitcher throwing today? What does he like to throw for a strike?’
“Then you have to be aggressive. Take a good pitch and make sure you make a good swing. In the last year or year and a half, I think I’ve been more aggressive.”
One thing’s for certain, whether it’s advice, an aggressive approach, or beans and rice, it’s working.
Dan O'Neill
@wwdod on Twitter
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