Indians Yandy Diaz: Is he the new Jose Ramirez?
By Gavin Tramps
Cleveland Indians have confirmed that their number 10 prospect has made the Opening Day roster. Can Yandy Diaz have the same impact in fantasy baseball that Jose Ramirez had in 2016?
Yandy Diaz is a fan favorite of the Cleveland Indians. Diaz hits. He has a career .307 batting average in 2,143 plate appearances covering six years. Diaz gets on-base. He reached base 214 times in the minors last season.
In Triple-A last year, the Cuban slashed .325/.399/.461 with 22 doubles, seven home runs, 44 RBI and five stolen bases.
The 25-year-old has impressive patience at the plate. How many players can boast a record of 198 walks to 191 strikeouts in the Minor Leagues?
More from Fantasy Baseball
- 5 fantasy baseball waiver wire pivots to replace Triston McKenzie
- Fantasy baseball mock draft 2023, 12-team: Aaron Judge over Trea Turner?
- 3 fantasy baseball sleepers being drafted too late
- NBA DFS picks December 25: Merry Bucking Christmas
- Fantasy Baseball: Hot pitchers worthy of starting this weekend
Originally a second baseman in Cuba, Diaz played 30 games at third base in Triple-A last year, 24 in left field and 28 in right field. A selective hitter with excellent contact skills and multi-position eligibility. It sounds a lot like Jose Ramirez.
With Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall both starting the season on the DL, the Indians have decided that it is Yandy time. We looked at the Indians’ second base dilemma in more depth here.
The expectation is that third baseman Jose Ramirez will shift over to second, and Diaz will play at the hot corner.
In anticipation, Diaz took extra reps with third base coach and infield instructor Mike Sarbaugh to get his defense ready for the Major Leagues.
Diaz has been one of the best hitters within the Cleveland organization since the end of the season. He slashed .371/.451/.510 in the Venezuelan Winter League and was impressive in Spring Training, hitting .429 with two home runs and 1.196 OPS.
So what should fantasy owners expect?
Diaz will hit in one of the most dynamic lineups in the game. His contact skills and on-base abilities will help pile up stats in the runs and RBI categories. Double-digit home runs and stolen bases would be an optimistic projection, but a high batting average looks likely.
Diaz will cost you nothing yet could provide counting stats on a daily basis. Of course, when Jason Kipnis returns from the DL, the left-hander will slot straight back into second base and Diaz will be fighting for playing time in the outfield.
Next: Five players you should have drafted
This time last year, I was Ramirez’s biggest fan in fantasy baseball. He didn’t have a starting job, but I hoped that he might get enough at-bats off the bench to be a useful addition in my deepest leagues. No one (not even his self-proclaimed biggest fan) expected Ramirez to breakout so emphatically. In the year of Nolan Arenado, Kris Bryant, Manny Machado and Josh Donaldson, Ramirez finished as a top-eight third baseman.
Can you afford to miss grabbing 2017’s Jose Ramirez?