The Secret Hidden in Diaz's Big Turn into MVP-Class Batter on the brink of being kicked out of the strongest cost-effectiveness ever

May 19, 2025

The Secret Hidden in Diaz's Big Turn into MVP-Class Batter on the brink of being kicked out of the strongest cost-effectiveness ever
A game between the Samsung Lions and the LG Twins at Lions Park in Daegu on the 10th. Samsung Diaz is cheering after hitting a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth inning with one out. Daegu=Park Jae-man Reporter pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.05.10/



What on earth happened to Diaz.

Just a month and a half ago, in early April, Samsung Lions officials and fans only sighed when they saw Lee.

Diaz, the foreign hitter. I played so bad. It was worth mentioning why he re-signed with Lee. Samsung was the team that advanced to the Korean Series last year. Naturally, this season's goal should have been higher. To that end, a good contract with a foreign player is essential. He showed off his long-distance hitting ability to some extent as a substitute, but his contract with Diaz, who lacked stability, was bound to be questionable. The ransom was also a cost-effective resource with a total of $800,000.




Therefore, as soon as the opening, rumors of the exit came out. Except for the multi-homer game against the Kiwoom Heroes on March 23, it was hard to see hits, let alone home runs, until early April.

But what's going on? It would have been really bad if I had been kicked out. It has transformed into the most cost-effective foreign hitter of all time. It's scary. He batted .36 with 18 home runs and 52 RBIs in 47 games. Considering that Park Dong-won and Austin (LG), who are tied for second place, have 12 home runs, it is a huge difference. The same goes for RBI. Second place Reyes (Lotte) has 39 RBIs.

The Secret Hidden in Diaz's Big Turn into MVP-Class Batter on the brink of being kicked out of the strongest cost-effectiveness ever
Samsung-Hanwha match held at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 7th. Diaz, with one out and runners on the first and third bases, hits an RBI timely hit in the top of the first inning. Daejeon = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.. 5.7/
The reversal began with the third home run of the season against the Hanwha Eagles on Arbor Day. In the game against Hanwha on April 6, he seemed to get the hang of it by exploding with four hits and four RBIs, including a home run. And on April 25, he peaked with three home runs and seven RBIs against the NC Dinos. On April 27, two home runs and three RBIs against NC seemed insufficient.




The home run show continues in May. From the LG Twins game on the 11th to the KT Wiz game on the 13th and 14th, three consecutive shots were made. On the 15th, KT also had a double when hitting the center fence. He could have hit home runs in four consecutive games. The second game of the doubleheader against the Lotte Giants on the 17th added four RBIs again, including a decisive three-run shot. The team just lost and faded, but Diaz's bat doesn't cool down.

The Secret Hidden in Diaz's Big Turn into MVP-Class Batter on the brink of being kicked out of the strongest cost-effectiveness ever
A match between the Samsung Lions and the KIA Tigers at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 23rd. Samsung Diaz is training. Daegu=Park Jae-man Reporter pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.04.23/
What is the secret of how a player who was on the verge of being kicked out was able to transform like this. KT manager Lee Kang-chul gave a hint. KT and Samsung played three consecutive games in Pohang last week. As mentioned above, Diaz's three-game series. Manager Lee said, `In the early days of the season, it was always a swing and miss when thrown at weaknesses. But when I faced him this time, he wouldn't budge even if he threw it in the same place. He became advantageous in the count fight, and he made his own zone and hit it", he explained. Diaz's weakness was pointed out as a high course. Baseball began to change as they began to put up with these balls.

The Secret Hidden in Diaz's Big Turn into MVP-Class Batter on the brink of being kicked out of the strongest cost-effectiveness ever
The match between the Samsung Lions and the Hanwha Eagles at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 5th. Samsung Diaz is cheering after hitting a solo shot in the bottom of the 6th inning. Daegu=Park Jae-man Reporter pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.04.05/
Diaz analysis data from other clubs is also interesting. The club analyzed that Diaz's swing has changed as of April 19. First, the initial reaction rate decreased from 33.7% to 17%. This means that he has become very cautious at bat. So the number of pitches per at-bat went up from 3.54 to 4.11. In addition, the rate of getting walks naturally increased.




As head coach Lee said, the result is improving by setting his own zone and hitting the ball that comes to the game to avoid giving him a walk, while not flocking to the count fight. Originally, the swing itself was good. I was just in a hurry. As the pioneering eye went up, the production ratio of barrel balls (ball speed and launch-angle balls with a high probability of becoming long balls) rose sharply from 9.8% to 19%. That's why home runs and long balls are increasing.

At this rate, more than 50 home runs are possible. This is an MVP-level move. Now other teams will also find new ways to stop Diaz. Will Diaz be able to properly realize the 'Korean Dream' by continuing to use the current fiery rise. There is an interesting point of watching Samsung baseball.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.