Elias Diaz

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #10 prospect in 2017
  Diaz won the Captain's Catcher Award in 2015, which is awarded annually by Baseball America to the top defensive catcher in the minor leagues. He was felled by a right elbow injury in 2016 spring training that required surgery. Diaz returned to action in July but batted just 128 times. Diaz is a glove-first catcher who wins high marks for his mobility behind the plate, strong arm and ability to work with pitchers. The total package makes him an elite defender. The Pirates' medical staff is confident he should regain most of his strength by the beginning of spring training. Offensively Diaz is a fringe-average hitter with below-average power, but he has worked hard to become someone who can work counts, post a decent average and keep pitchers honest by popping an occasional ball into the gap. Diaz will return to Triple-A Indianapolis for a fourth season in 2017 because the Pirates are set at catcher with veterans Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #10 prospect in 2016
  Mimicking his older brother, Diaz began catching when he was 5 years old in Venezuela and has been there ever since. Managers rated him as the best defensive catcher in the high Class A Florida State League in 2013, the Double-A Eastern League in 2014 and the Triple-A International League in 2015, when he also won Baseball America's Captain's Catcher Award as the best defender at the position in the minor leagues. He made his big league debut with a September callup. Long considered a good-field, no-hit catcher, Diaz has worked hard to become competent offensively. He has developed moderate gap power and makes contact much more consistently than he did in the low minors. Defense, though, is Diaz's strength. He frames pitches well with his soft hands and deters baserunners with his strong arm. He has also learned to speak English well, enabling him to communicate with his pitchers. Diaz finished 2015 in Pittsburgh, receiving a callup instead of 2009 first-rounder Tony Sanchez. That is a strong indication that Diaz will begin the 2016 season as Francisco Cervelli's backup in the majors, and he could be ready to start in 2017.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #11 prospect in 2015
  Diaz was the breakout star in the Pirates system in 2014. The Pirates have loved his defense ever since signing him, as he's an outstanding receiver. He presents a good target, frames pitches well, possesses quick hands and feet and has an above-average arm that helped him throw out 33 percent of basestealers in 2014. After hitting .221 and .208 at low Class A West Virginia in 2011 and 2012, Diaz started to click at the plate in 2013 at high Class A Bradenton. While defense will always be his calling card, he now shows the swing that could allow him to be a .250 hitter with 5-10 home runs, which when combined with his defense will be good enough to make him a regular. Diaz will begin 2015 at Triple-A Indianapolis and could be the bridge between departed free agent Russell Martin and 2013 first-rounder Reese McGuire.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Eastern League #10 prospect in 2014
  Under the radar entering the season, Diaz's solid performance on both sides of the ball in 2014 was enough to open eyes around the EL. His work behind the plate cemented his spot among the league's best, for he gives his pitchers a big frame to throw to, and he is quick, flexible and nimble when it comes to blocking. Multiple evaluators who saw Diaz this season noted how well he took charge and commanded his pitching staff. He's incredibly polished, and he used a well above-average arm to catch 33 percent of basestealers with Altoona before a promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis in mid-August. Diaz is not a pushover with the bat, either. He uses a slightly uppercut swing to hit to all fields and go with a pitch when needed. Scouts project enough power for about a dozen home runs in the future, but they also see a tendency get out in front of offspeed pitches, which enables pitchers to then challenge him inside with fastballs.

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Diaz won the Captain's Catcher Award in 2015, which is awarded annually by Baseball America to the top defensive catcher in the minor leagues. He also made his major league debut that September but was felled by a right elbow injury in 2016 spring training that required surgery. Diaz returned to action in July but batted just 128 times. Scouting Report: Diaz is a glove-first catcher who wins high marks for his mobility behind the plate, strong arm and ability to work with pitchers. The total package makes him an elite defender. It remains to be seen if Diaz's elbow surgery will have any long-term effects on his plus arm, but the Pirates' medical staff is confident he should regain most of his strength by the beginning of spring training. Offensively he is a fringe-average hitter with below-average power at best, but Diaz has worked hard to become someone who can work counts, post a decent average and keep pitchers honest by popping an occasional ball into the gap.
  
  The Future: Diaz will return to Triple-A Indianapolis for a fourth season in 2017 because the Pirates are set at catcher with veterans Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart. Diaz could move into a backup role in 2018, then could be ready to replace Cervelli once his contract expires after the 2019 season.