Who is Lewin Diaz, the new Miami Marlins prospect acquired in the Sergio Romo trade?
Lewin Diaz didn’t have to travel far after the Miami Marlins traded for him on Saturday night.
Diaz, acquired from the Minnesota Twins for Sergio Romo, pitcher prospect Chris Vallimont and a player to be named later, is beginning his tenure in the Marlins organization with the team’s Double A affiliate Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. It made for easy logistics, considering the high-potential first base prospect was already in Jacksonville as the Twins’ Double A affiliate Pensacola Blue Wahoos had just begun a five-game set with the Jumbo Shrimp on Saturday.
All he needed to do after the game ended Saturday was switch locker rooms.
“He will actually walk across the field,” Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said.
The Marlins hope at some point, sooner rather than later, Diaz and his power-hitting left-handed swing will find his way to Marlins Park.
MLB Pipeline, which had ranked Diaz as the Twins’ No. 30 overall prospect and is now the No. 21 overall prospect in the Marlins’ organization, provides needed depth in three key areas to the Marlins organization: First base, left-handed hitting and power hitting.
He is the only first base prospect ranked in the Marlins’ top 30 and is the latest string of left-handed power bats Miami has added to the organization over the past two seasons, a list highlight by Isan Diaz, JJ Bleday and Kameron Misner
MLBPipeline’s scouting report has him projected to be MLB ready at some point in the 2020 season even though the 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic has only cracked the Double A level this season.
Diaz’s scouting report says, in part, that his “value lies in his offensive potential from the left side of the plate. He had shown an ability to make consistent contact and drive the ball to all fields in the past, though lost his way in 2018. He rediscovered his stroke in 2019 and is starting to tap into his tremendous raw power, especially to the pull side, setting a career high in home runs. Even when Diaz struggled, he kept his strikeout rate low and never really tried to sell out for power.”
So far this season, which included 57 games at Class A Advanced and 33 in Double A, Diaz is slashing .297/.339/.558 with 27 doubles, 19 home runs, 62 RBI and 46 runs scored. He has struck out just 63 times in 372 plate appearances (16.9 percent). He is hitting .302 since being promoted to Double A with 12 multi-hit games. He has made four errors defensively.
For his minor-league career, which began in 2014, Diaz has 55 career home runs and 171 total extra-base hits in 427 games.
“As we looked toward the trade deadline, we’re looking to add talent, impactful talent that we think will help us win championships,” Hill said. “When you get into the Minnesota system, we felt like there was a potential match for Lewin Diaz and we worked. Obviously, it escalated throughout the day [Saturday] and we were able to get it done during the game. As I said, we couldn’t be happier to add that profile to the organization.”
Which is why the Marlins were willing to send Vallimont, who they drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft and was having a solid season between Class A Clinton, Iowa, and Class A Advanced Jupiter, to the Twins along with Romo for a chance to add Diaz to the organization.
While Vallimont had shown talent and was having a solid first full minor-league season (122 strikeouts in 105 1/3 innings), the Marlins’ system is filled with starting pitcher depth. That made Vallimont expendable if the Marlins were able to use him to add to a position of need. And first base — specifically a power-hitting, left-handed first baseman — was a position of need in the Marlins’ minor-league organization.
“We’re trying to add as much talent as we can to this organization,” Hill said. “That’s what our goal is to continue to add impactful talent to this organization. As the conversations began, we expanded the deal to allow us to access a better, more impactful prospect. I think that’s why you see an additional piece going with Romo so we can access a piece that we felt can be part of this organization and be a meaningful part of this organization.”
This story was originally published July 28, 2019 at 11:02 AM.
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