| 31 August 2011
Diaz's role throughout his entire career has been that of a lefty killer. Last season with Atlanta, he had an overall line of .250/.302/.438, which is substandard from a corner outfielder. But against lefties, his line was a solid .273/.318/.512. But that line was actually a downgrade from his career line against lefties, which is .329/.369/.511. You can't even blame a low BABIP last season for his struggles, as his mark against lefties was .312. While that's down from his career lefty BABIP of .362, it's still a high number.
This season with the Pirates, Diaz has become unplayable. His overall line is a hideous .259/.303/.324. Against lefties, once his forte, Diaz is hitting .295/.342/.362. His once solid power against lefties has completely disappeared. You can't even blame Diaz's starting drop in power on his home park, as he's got a .063 ISO at PNC Park, and a .067 ISO on the road. That is a minimal difference.
What concernes me about the Diaz acquisition is his playing time. You know that because he's back in the fold, he's going to be getting regular starts against lefties. And of course, in tonight's lineup, Jason Heyward is on the bench. He gets benched the night after he goes 1/2 and drives in the only two runs of the game for the Braves. Meanwhile, Diaz is in the midst of an August stretch where he OPSed .574 in 32 at bats. It's almost as if the Braves don't WANT Heyward to get into a groove, first starting Jose Constanza over him due to the hot hand fallacy, and now starting Diaz in front of him due to the platoon fallacy. Diaz is also a terrible defender in right field while Heyward is a magnificent one, but since no one really gives a damn about defense when discussing Jason Heyward, I'm sure you'll all let that little tidbit slip by too.
But I'm not done yet. In the offseason, Diaz signed a two year deal with the Pirates worth $4.25 million. The Braves will still be on the hook for $2 million next year...and that is more than both Eric Hinske ($1.5 million) and David Ross ($1.625 million) will be making. They are two of the best bench players in the league. Diaz is not. The team is locked in for $2 million for a bench player who only has usefulness against lefties. This is not a smart way to run a team at all.
I understand the reasoning behind the deal. Diaz is a fan favorite who has a reputation for being a lefty killer off the bench, which is something that the Braves have felt they've needed all year. However, that reasoning is outdated, and the cons outweigh the benefits in this situation. With the addition of Diaz, someone who could actually help the team in October will be left off the roster. And it's probably going to end up being Jose Constanza, because I can't see any situation where the team goes into the postseason with Brooks Conrad as the only member of the bench with an ability to play up the middle. Funny how that works....yesterday's treasure is today's trash. Matt Diaz is today's flavor of the week, and Braves fans are going to realize pretty quickly that he's not the same player that he was back in 2009.
