LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers have added to the reliever pool for spring training.
Right-handed reliever Miguel Diaz signed a minor-league contract Saturday, sources with knowledge of the agreement told the Free Press. The 27-year-old received an invitation to MLB spring training and will earn $800,000 if he makes the big-league team.
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Diaz is from the Dominican Republic, but he has permanent residency in the United States, so his arrival to spring training won’t be hindered by visa issues. Camp officially begins Sunday.
Spanning four MLB seasons, Diaz has a 5.47 ERA with 57 walks and 113 strikeouts over 108⅔ innings in 72 games (five starts). He began his career with the Milwaukee Brewers, signing as an international free agent in 2011.
Five years later, the Minnesota Twins selected Diaz with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 Rule 5 draft. The Twins traded him to the San Diego Padres, and he made the Opening Day roster in 2017.
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For the Padres, Diaz pitched 31 games in 2017, 11 games in 2018, five games in 2019 and 25 games in 2021. He had a 3.64 ERA last season, logging 19 walks and 46 strikeouts in 42 innings.
Diaz used three pitches in 2021: changeup, four-seam fastball and slider. He primarily relied on his 86 mph changeup (51.9%) and 94.4 mph fastball (46.2%). Opponents had a .190 batting average against his changeup; left-handers hit .135 off this pitch.
Overall, right-handers hit .227 and lefties hit .172 against Diaz in 2021.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.