Rays’ Yandy Diaz leading wave of hitters walking more than whiffing

By Jordan Shusterman
FOX Sports MLB Writer

When it comes to plate discipline and mastering the strike zone, Juan Soto is in a league of his own.

His supernatural ability to discern balls from strikes and unleash his picturesque swing at the pitches on which he can do the most damage is what makes him a generational hitter. It’s also why he can be hitting .249 and still net an enormous prospect haul in what has been called by the very GM that made the deal “one of the biggest trades in baseball history.”

As baseball has become more whiff-tolerant over the past decade, it has become increasingly rare for even some of the best hitters to draw free passes at the same rate that they strike out. In 2021, Soto was the only qualified hitter in MLB to have more walks than strikeouts. The only one!

Tony Kemp (52 BBs/52 K’s in 397 plate appearances) and Yasmani Grandal (87 BBs/82 K’s in 375 plate appearances) exhibited strong walk/whiff balance as well, but they didn’t play quite enough to qualify. Meanwhile, in 645 plate appearances, Soto drew a league-leading and mind-blowing 145 walks compared to just 93 strikeouts.

OK, that’s a lot about Soto, who has gotten more than enough coverage in recent weeks. And you clicked on this piece thinking it would be about Yandy Diaz. Which was not a mistake! Allow me to explain: Aside from Soto, no player has demonstrated a better walk-strikeout balance this season than Diaz.

Diaz, who just turned 31, has been the most reliable hitter in a Rays lineup that has been decimated by injuries. Wander Franco had wrist surgery in mid-July and isn’t expected back until late August at the earliest. Mike Zunino (thoracic outlet syndrome) and Kevin Kiermaier (hip) each had season-ending surgeries in late July. Manuel Margot has been out since late June due to a knee injury. Brandon Lowe missed two months earlier this season due to back issues. It has been a mess.

Thankfully, Diaz — alongside steady production from Randy Arozarena and breakout performances from Harold Ramirez and Isaac Paredes — has been holding down the fort as the primary third baseman and leadoff hitter for Kevin Cash’s squad, which, miraculously, remains firmly in the AL wild-card mix despite the deluge of injuries.

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