Elías Díaz

Elías David Díaz Soto (born November 17, 1990) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Díaz has also represented the Colombian national baseball team.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Díaz and the second or maternal family name is Soto.
Elías Díaz
Elías Díaz with the Rockies in 2022
Colorado Rockies – No. 35
Catcher
Born: (1990-11-17) November 17, 1990
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 12, 2015, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Batting average.249
Home runs56
Runs batted in258
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Professional career

Minor leagues
Díaz with the Pirates in 2017

Díaz signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as an international free agent in 2008. He made his professional debut in 2009 for the Venezuelan Summer League Pirates. From 2010 to 2013, he played for the Gulf Coast Pirates (batting .210), West Virginia Power (batting .221, and then .208 the following year) and Bradenton Marauders (batting .279).[1]

Díaz started 2014 with the Double-A Altoona Curve. In August he was promoted to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians after hitting .328 with Altoona, but he then batted .152/.243/.182 in AAA.[2][3][4] On November 20, 2014, Díaz was added to the Pirates' 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[5]

Pittsburgh Pirates (2015–2019)

Diaz batted 0-for-2 in the major leagues in 2015, 0-for-4 in 2016, and .223/.265/.314 with one home run in 200 plate appearances in 2017.[6]

On December 2, 2019, Díaz was non-tendered by Pittsburgh and became a free agent.[7]

Colorado Rockies (2020–present)

On January 6, 2020, Díaz signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies. Díaz made the Opening Day roster for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Díaz batted .235/.288/.353 with two home runs in 73 plate appearances over 2020. In 2021, he batted .246/.310/.464 with 18 home runs and 44 RBIs in 106 games. On November 18, 2021, Díaz signed a three-year, $14.5 million extension with the Rockies.[8] On September 10, Diaz went 4-for-5 with two home runs and seven RBIs, including a three-run walk-off home run, leading the Rockies to a 13-10 win.[9]

In 2023, Díaz was named to the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He hit the game-winning home run for the National League in the eighth inning and was named the game's Most Valuable Player.[10]

International career

Born in Venezuela, Díaz is of Colombian descent through his father, and is thus eligible to represent the Colombia national baseball team. He was slated to play with Colombia at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, but was not permitted by the Pirates organization due to injury reasons.[11] He was named to the Colombian roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where he shared catching duties with Meibrys Viloria. Díaz hit .250/.250/.375 over eight at-bats in the tournament, with one double and one RBI.[12]

See also

References
  1. Giger, Cory (August 15, 2014). "Diaz promoted following Curve's loss". Altoona Mirror. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  2. Sawchik, Travis (August 23, 2014). "Pirates notebook: Breakout of catching prospect Diaz a pleasant surprise". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  3. Singer, Tom (August 23, 2014). "Bucs catching prospect Diaz climbing depth chart". MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  4. Perrotto, John (August 31, 2014). "Minor League Report: Catcher Diaz making a name". The Beaver County Times. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  5. "Pirates designate Ike Davis for assignment". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 20, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  6. "Elias Diaz Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  7. "Pirates part ways with catcher Elias Diaz, sign shortstop Erik Gonzalez". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  8. "The Rockies have extended C Elias Díaz". November 18, 2021.
  9. "Díaz's big night: 7 RBIs, 2 HRs, walk-off blast". MLB.com. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  10. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/story/2023-07-11/all-star-padres-gamer-juan-soto-josh-hader-elias-diaz-shohei-ohtani
  11. Heraldo, El (July 29, 2022). "Elías Díaz, otro grandeliga que podría ir con Colombia al Clásico Mundial". EL HERALDO.
  12. "Colombia - World Baseball Classic". STATS Hosted Solution. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
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