14. Joel Diaz
B/T: R/R
Age: 17 (2/26/04)
Ht: 6’2 Wt: Unknown
Acquired: Signed as International Free Agent by the New York Mets (1/15/2021)
ETA: 2026 Previous Rank: N/A
2021 Stats (DSL): 0-2, 0.54 ERA, 15G, 15!GS, 50.1 IP, 0.75 WHIP, 1.6 BB/9, 11.3 K/9
Despite being relatively new to the system, Joel Diaz skyrocketed up the list and got the attention of scouts over at Baseball America. He was named to Baseball America‘s list of Six Emerging Prospects from the East back in November.
His stats were eye popping as one would imagine but the more important information came on how his pitches looked. On that, Baseball America said:
Diaz is polished for a 17 year-old, with advanced strike-throwing ability coming from a sound delivery. There’s still some more projection left in his 6-foot-2 frame to add to a fastball that sits in the low-90s and has reached the mid-90s. It’s a starter mix with feel for both his curveball and changeup that show average or better potential.
Thus far, the Mets have made great strides in developing Diaz, and he has provided them with a lot of reasons to keep believing in him. Diaz’s curveball seems to be the biggest reason he has a lot of fans in the industry. He has good control of it, he has the ability to shape it, and it reportedly has solid spin to it. Not bad for a soon to be 18 year old.
The Mets do not have a dearth of starting pitching prospects which is why Diaz is as high on the list as he is. On the flip side, his ranking does represent the risk in his profile as well.
If Diaz breaks out the way Baseball America and the Mets believe he is capable of, then he will be a top-10 prospect in the system next year. His profile could put him in the 20-25 range next season if he suddenly loses a feel for the curveball or he is not able to adjust to a higher level. Neither outcome would shock me but his makeup, age, and room for growth gives me some hope that he will continue to move up the rankings.
I would expect Diaz to begin the season stateside in St. Lucie, the Mets Single-A team. The Mets have been fairly aggressive with their young IFA prospects, specifically on the position side. Diaz is the first young IFA pitching prospect who has shot up this quickly since Junior Santos. I think Santos’ was much less polished than Diaz, which should allow the Mets to challenge him with a full-season assignment.
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