Diaz’s emotional road culminates with callup | MLB.com
That’s Jairo Diaz, who is on his way to join the Colorado Rockies to replace closer Wade Davis. It’s an incredible and sad story, as Thomas Harding writes about Diaz spending time away from the team after his wife passed away from stomach cancer in 2017. We all would have been cheering for him anyway, but this lends some extra weight to his call-up.
Diaz, with the organization for a few years now, is known for his 100+ MPH fastball. He has been dominating in Triple-A so far. As for Davis, he is dealing with an oblique injury. Those are always ominous, so Diaz and others in the Rockies bullpen might be piecing things together for a while.
Colorado Rockies bullpen undergoes big shake-up with injury news | Rox Pile
As for how they might do that, it looks like Scott Oberg is going to serve as the closer moving forward. Kevin Henry writes that he and Carlos Estevez seem like the logical candidates for the role. That makes sense with their stuff and when you consider that Estevez has actually served as a closer previously.
The aforementioned Diaz has been closing in Triple-A, but the Rockies might want to let him transition without that extra pressure. For now Oberg makes sense given the stability he has brought to big situations over the last couple seasons.
Passan: How a 19-year-old prospect is turning the MLB draft upside down | ESPN
It’s no secret that the current Collective Bargaining Agreement favors the teams and keeps young players’ values down in terms of what they get paid. That’s why teams are going with younger, cost-controlled players and leaving lots of veteran free agents hanging. It might take something drastic for that system to change.
Jeff Passan writes about Carter Stewart, a 19-year-old pitching prospect, who is taking a chance on something different. Rather than deal with the draft again after not signing with the Atlanta Braves as a draft pick last year, Stewart has just signed a six-year deal to play in Japan.
He will be 25 when he can potentially be an MLB free agent. Who knows if it will work out, but if it does it could be a big deal. And hat’s off to Stewart for taking the chance.
On the farm
Garrett Hampson (PuRP no. 4) and Pat Valaika continued to tear up minor league pitching in a losing effort. Yonathan Daza (PuRP no. 14) also continued his strong play with a couple hits. Unfortunately the news wasn’t great on the pitching side of things, where Ryan Castellani (PuRP no. 10) got roughed up and didn’t make it out of the third inning.
Elsewhere Rico Garcia (PuRP no. 20) pitched six strong innings a Yard Goats win, and Terrin Vavra (PuRP no. 13) had three hits and three runs in Asheville’s big offensive showing.
Triple-A: Las Vegas Aviators 7, Albuquerque Isotopes 5
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 3, Erie SeaWolves 1
High-A: Lancaster JetHawks vs. Inland Empire 66ers - PPD