Jumbo Shrimp alumnus Díaz singles in MLB debut
Former Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp first baseman Lewin Díaz made his major league debut Saturday for the Miami Marlins against the Atlanta Braves at Marlins Park in Miami. Díaz is the seventh Jumbo Shrimp alumnus to debut in the majors this season and 54th player of the Jumbo Shrimp era (2017-present) to play for both Jacksonville and in The Show.
A 23-year-old native of Santiago in the Dominican Republic, Díaz singled in a pinch-hit appearance against Atlanta’s Mark Melancon in the ninth inning of Miami’s 2–1 loss.
Díaz began the 2019 season with the Minnesota Twins’ High-A affiliate Fort Myers, hitting .290/.333/.533 in 57 games before earning a June 19 promotion to Double-A Pensacola. With the Blue Wahoos, he slashed .302/.341/.587 in 33 contests before being traded on July 27 to the Marlins. Díaz played the final 31 games of the campaign with Jacksonville, batting .200/.279/.461 with six doubles, eight home runs and 14 RBIs.
Following the 2019 season, Díaz was named the Dominican Winter League Rookie of the Year after posting a .276/.331/.422 batting line while driving in 20 runs in 29 games for Estrellas.
Originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by Minnesota in 2013, Díaz earned Postseason All-Star honors with Rookie-level Elizabethton in 2016, when he hit .310/.353/.575. He was named a Mid-Season All-Star in each of the 2017 (Low-A Cedar Rapids), 2018 (Fort Myers) and 2019 (Fort Myers) campaigns, respectively.
Prior to Díaz, former Jumbo Shrimp right-hander Nick Neidert and left-hander Alex Vesia each debuted on July 25 for the Marlins. Outfielder Monte Harrison (Marlins, August 4), infielder Eddy Alvarez (Marlins, August 5), right-hander Jorge Guzmán (Marlins, August 6) and left-hander Daniel Castano (Marlins, August 8) are each Jumbo Shrimp alumni who have also made their MLB debuts this season. In Jacksonville’s Double-A era (1970-present), 556 players have now played both for Jacksonville and in the big leagues.
