- Following his debut, MLB considers Díaz to be the 16th best prospect for the Arizona D-backs. Main photo: @LiderEsDeporte (X)
Venezuelan Yilber Díaz, 23 years old, made his debut with the Arizona D-backs on Monday, July 8. The player went from selling ice cream to playing in the Major Leagues (MLB).
At 16 years old, Díaz had not managed to sign with any team, so he temporarily abandoned the sport and emigrated to several countries such as Peru and the Dominican Republic, before arriving in the United States.
“I stopped playing baseball for a while. And when I got back into it, I had one goal. I wasn’t going to stop until I achieved it. I worked really hard, hoping it was going to happen,” he told MLB on Tuesday, July 9.
Following his debut, MLB ranks Diaz as the Arizona D-backs’ 16th best prospect.
“Diaz is eligible for Rule 5 next offseason, and while he might remain a starter just a little longer, his quickest path to Arizona might be as a dominant two-and-a-half-innings pitcher,” the statement reads. publication of the MLB.
The covid-19 pandemic delayed their plans
Yilber Díaz was born on August 19, 2000 in Guatire, Miranda state. At the age of 18, he emigrated to Peru and began selling ice cream to earn an income.
While in Peru, Diaz decided to return to the sport and traveled to the Dominican Republic in search of a second chance.
However, in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic was declared, leading to the closure of airports and Diaz was trapped in the Dominican Republic.
In 2021, when he was 20 years old, he signed with the Arizona D-backs for $10,000. When the season began, the Venezuelan player was not yet being considered to play with the major league team, but injuries to some players led the D-backs to consider him.
Yilber Díaz’s performance in his debut with the D-backs
On Monday, July 8, the Arizona D-backs fell 5-4 to the Atlanta Braves at Chase Field. In this game, Venezuelan Yilber Díaz shined in his debut with Arizona.
Although Arizona failed to win, Diaz struck out 5 in 6 innings innings of labor, and Sol allowed four hits.
Tremendous debut, I call it!
Yilber Díaz’s final line in his first major league start: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K.
Los #Dbacks They are up on the scoreboard, so they are winning the game. #ElExtrabase⚾️🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/sovfususWI
— El Extrabase ⚾️ (@ElExtrabase) July 9, 2024
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo highlighted Diaz’s preparation prior to the D-backs’ game once morest the Atlanta Braves.
“Yilber, in his first appearance at the Major League level, took everything in stride and had excellent pre-game preparation, and everything seemed like a normal day for him,” he said in statements collected by the MLB.
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#story #overcoming #Venezuelan #baseball #player
2024-07-10 06:30:41
