Dec 26 2008
Like rest of Braves Nation, Diaz hopes for better in 2009
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
ATLANTA — It’s the classic story of a guy finally getting the chance to play every day, and making the most of that opportunity.
When you watch that type of story unfold day-after-day, it puts a smile on your face, especially when it’s a guy who isn’t the most gifted or most athletic player on the planet.
So when Matt Diaz hit .327 in 124 games with the Braves during his first season with Atlanta in 2006, and followed that up with a .338 average in 135 games in 2007, you felt like left field was in pretty stable hands as 2008 unfolded.
Of course, as we all know, when 2008 unfolded, all assumptions and plans for this franchise fell apart.
Perhaps no other player on the roster symbolizes the lost season of ’08 more than Diaz, who finished the season before with 21 doubles, 12 homers and 45 RBIs. Limited to just 43 games due to a knee injury in late May that saw him not play again until the season finale, Diaz hit just .244 with two homers and 14 RBIs in 135 at-bats.
It started off well enough, Diaz going 8-for-16 in his final four games of April to finish the first full month of the season at .308. Then came May, where it all came apart for Diaz. First, he hit just .163 with 10 strikeouts in 43 at-bats, losing playing time to Gregor Blanco. Then came May 27 at Milwaukee. Diaz slid into the wall in foul territory at Miller Park, and his knee hit uncovered concrete.
He wouldn’t return until Sept. 28, the season finale.
The question is will that be the last time we see Diaz in an Atlanta uniform. Blanco gives the Braves speed (he led the team in stolen bases), and Atlanta has stated its preference to acquire a power-hitting left fielder. If that happens, Diaz’s days in Atlanta probably are done.
But even if they are, let’s hope he lands on his feet healthy in spring training, ready to hit the way he did in 2006 and 2007. Matt Diaz is one of the good guys in baseball, and like the rest of us, here’s hoping 2009 treats Matty a lot better than 2008 did.
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