Majoring on the Minors: Top 30 Prospects - #18 Miller Diaz

MAJORING ON THE MINORS: TOP 30 PROSPECTS – #18 MILLER DIAZ - VOL.18 – Tom Brennan

I’m doing my Top 30 Prospects articles a bit differently – in 2 lists:

·       A top 10 list of lower minors guys who likely won’t show up until 2017 or later.  Already done. See list at end of this article. 

·       Followed by my top 20 list of guys who are closing in on the big leagues.  Guys who could help in the near future or be trade bait. 

Here is the list so far:

20.   Daniel Muno

19.   Michael Fulmer

Today, selection at #18: MILLER DIAZ

Lots of fine arms in the Mets minors.  Very hard to choose which ones make the top 20 and which do not, frankly. 

I added Miller Diaz at #18 because he put together 26 games over 2 years (2013 and 2014) with consistent excellence, in Brooklyn and Savannah, going 13-4, 2.14, 88 hits and 166 Ks in 145 innings.

His walks improved in 2014 to about 3.5 per 9 innings, and the 6’1″ 210 righty reaches the mid 90s.  He won’t be 23 until late June 2015, so he has time; so far, so good, but this is a pivotal upcoming season for him. 

Diaz seems to have the goods to be a major league reliever, perhaps a mid-to-back end starter.  I’d like to see him get up to 110 – 120 innings in 2015 and show he deserves a continued high ranking. 

For this pitching-rich franchise, I’d be surprised to see a debut before early 2017, but maybe it will be “Miller Time” sooner than that. He certainly did nothing bad in 2013 or 2014 to make one think that he’ll be a project.  He could move up quickly.

As a final note on Diaz, he (along with Matt Bowman, Cory Mazzoni, Gabe Ynoa, and Rob Whelan – all in my Top 20 - keep reading future articles to see where I slotted them) are a combined career 118-59.  You want winners in your organization, and that is a whole lot of winning, including Diaz, who is 22-13 for his career so far.

Maybe one of you readers can chime in as to when Diaz could be in Rule 5 jeopardy.   And what you think of Diaz’ potential.

MY TOP 10 LOWER MINORS LIST:

# 1 - Marcos Molina

#2 – Michael Conforto

#3 – Amed Rosario

#4 – Dominic Smith

#5 - Jhoan Urena

#6 – Vicente Lupo

#7 – Wuilmer Becerra

#8 – Luis Guillorme

#9 - Casey Meisner

#10 - Milton Ramos