Yandy Diaz 🇨🇺 (2023) 

Yandy Díaz Fernández ( Sagua la Grande, Cuba, 1991). He is one of the most important players of this season. As a first and third baseman, he has been a key piece in the great campaign that the Tampa Bay Rays are having, closing the first part of the season with a .323 AVG, leading the American League.

His stats: .923 OPS, 43 RBI, and 13 home runs. In addition to being selected as a starter in the 2023 All-Star Game.

This analysis covers in detail his offensive power, pros and cons as the batting leader in the American League. It is worth analyzing him, having already analyzed the batting champion of the National League (Luis Arraez). Both players have different styles but produce similar results that are reflected in their statistics.

Yandy Diaz is a power player who excels at hitting fastballs and breaking balls. In addition to his significant defensive role, he has helped create opportunities for his team, currently standing as the leaders in their division.

If you have any questions regarding the types of pitches (Fastball, Changeup, etc), here is all the necessary information

The data provided is from Baseball Savant

1- Hits

With 96 hits, Diaz demonstrates that he is a powerful player, and when he manages to connect, he does so with great force. Out of his 13 home runs, the majority came from Curveball, Sinker, and Slider, reflecting his good pitch reading and dominance with the sinker. With 43 RBIs.

Yandy is part of the great spectacle of the Rays, who seize every opportunity and know how to respond instantly when they are behind in the score.

Before looking at the graphs, I recommend watching this video to see his batting style and power

Hits % based on type of hit, reflects his batting quality, as his highest percentage of hits are flares and burners(48,96%). Flares are hits with a low trajectory, while burners are hits with both low trajectory and high exit velocity.

He also has a significant number of barrels(14,58%), indicating his excellent batting technique and power, with very few hits where he hasn’t made solid contact(Under and Weak).(link for more info about launch angle and speed and Barrels).

His favorite pitches to generate hits are Fastballs, Sinkers, and Sliders, with the majority of them being thrown in the center of the strike zone.

The hits by zone chart, we can see that their swings are predominantly focused on the right zone and the lower right portion. Despite receiving the majority of pitches as FS Fastball (30.35%), the highest number of hits have been with Sinker (20.51%).

2- Plate Discipline

In the chart below, we can see their strikes, with FS Fastball representing the majority at 37.38%. In the strikes by zone graph, he have received more strikes in the same zones where they have generated the most hits.

With 54 strikeouts, which represent 15.8% of his plate appearances, Yandy Diaz has a low strikeout average, demonstrating his strong pitch-reading skills. When Diaz does connect with pitches, it is most likely to be outside of the infield.

Additionally, he maintains an average Hard Hit % of 56.4%. This stat represents the percentage of hits that were made with a velocity of 95 mph or higher.

With 242 attempts, 60.33% were outs, double plays, etc., and 39.67% were successful hits.

The category with the most attempts was Topped, which refers to batted balls with a negative launch angle or, in other words, a ground ball with a bounce.

Despite being the batting leader in this first part of the season, the difference is not significant compared to the lower ranks. He will need to maintain or improve his pace to end up becoming the batting champion of the American League.