Yainer Diaz developed a habit two pitches before landing a haymaker. He stepped up to the plate in the fifth inning on Friday, with the bases loaded. Garrett McDaniels, the Angels’ left-hander, started him with a sinker down and away, outside the strike zone. Diaz began swinging and was unable to stop.
Diaz combines strong contact skills with aggressiveness at the plate. Last year, the Houston Astros catcher hit.299 and had one of the sport’s highest chase rates. Early this season, pitchers are encouraging him to expand even further.
Only 36.1% of the pitches Diaz had seen entering Friday were in the strike zone. It was the lowest rate among 280 hitters who had seen at least 100 pitches, according to Baseball Savant.
Diaz had more swings at pitches outside the strike zone (38) than inside it (37). Almost half of his 36 plate appearances (17) ended with such swings. None of these had resulted in hits. Diaz had two hits in 33 at-bats, both singles, over his first nine games. A slump to begin a season is magnified, and Diaz’s aggressive approach is natural, but the results prompted a call for more discernment.
“Sometimes it’s as simple as simplifying it and saying: ‘Look for a strike and do damage,'” Astros general manager Dana Brown said of Diaz this week on the team’s flagship radio station 790 AM. “Lay off the off-speed and the stuff that’s out of the zone. Don’t let the pitcher force you to expand your zone.”
McDaniels delivered his first pitch to Diaz. Prior to Friday, nearly one-third of the pitches Diaz had seen in nine games were low and away. McDaniels’ sinker tailed there. Diaz checked his swing too late and stepped out of the batter’s box, shaking his head.
McDaniels followed with a slider that landed well off the plate. Diaz did not make an offer. The left-hander then threw a sinker low but in the strike zone. Diaz dropped his barrel on it. The ball landed 382 feet away on the concourse above left-center field at Daikin Park.
Three runners passed the plate before Diaz. Nobody greeted him there. Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Peña, and Christian Walker walked to the dugout with feigned indifference, only to turn around and mob Diaz with smiles.
The Astros’ first grand slam since 2023 sparked a 14-3 victory over the Angels, providing encouragement for a hitter in need. Diaz collected three hits, one more than his previous season total, including an RBI double and a single that contributed to the game’s first run.
“Swung at better pitches,” Astros manager Joe Espada explained. “He drew the balls that he needed to pull in the air. I thought his approach was simply better. More calm. We need to be able to do that consistently and on a daily basis.”
Diaz swung 10 times in five at-bats on Friday. According to MLB pitch tracking, eight were on pitches in the strike zone. In the second inning, he singled on Jack Kochanowicz’s two-strike slider to the right side. Diaz doubled in the sixth inning after pulling a cutter from right-hander Michael Darrell-Hicks 377 feet off the left-center field wall. He also grounded twice.
Diaz isn’t the only Houston hitter having a slow start. His offensive impact last year, however, highlights his importance in even a remade lineup. Diaz had a team-high.Last season, he had a 346 batting average with men in scoring position and was second only to Yordan Alvarez in terms of runs batted in. He had a team-high 60 starts in the cleanup position.
The additions of Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker should prevent this from happening again. However, Diaz could still get plenty of chances to hit with men on base.
He began the season in the fifth lineup spot. Espada then demoted him during his early slump. Diaz did not play in Wednesday’s series finale in Seattle, despite missing only one of the previous two games.
Diaz, speaking through an interpreter, stated that he is working to “just be early.” Having a better approach, looking for the ball in the middle, and being consistent about it.”
The Astros entered Friday with the lowest slugging percentage in the majors. They had seven home runs through their first 12 games. Diaz’s first plate appearance since August 25, breaking a 163-game drought, was the first of three on Friday. Cam Smith had his first major league hit, and Paredes had his first with Houston. The first may have had the greatest impact.
“It’s been a tough couple weeks, but still trusting the process,” Diaz joked. “I was looking for something that I could do some damage, just something that I could hit up through the middle.”
