SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 1, 2023
HARD THROWING LEFTY DIAZ JOINS X’S
CLEBURNE, Texas – The Sioux City Explorers added a new reliever to a recently struggling bullpen Wednesday evening by signing former Lake Country and Kansas City pitcher Carlos Diaz. Diaz is a hard throwing lefty who has spent several years in the American Association and who is currently the career saves leader in Kansas City.
Carlos Diaz started the season with the Lake Country Dockhounds, pitching well in his five appearances, allowing just one run in 4.1 innings and collecting seven strikeouts. Following a coaching change in Lake Country, Diaz was released, allowing him to sign with the X’s. In the offseason, he pitched for the Aguilas Cibaenas of the Dominican Winter League, making two appearances totaling 1.1 innings and allowing one run.
In 2022, Diaz made his first appearance for Lake Country totaling eight innings in his time there. He struggled a bit in his role there, posting an 0-3 record with a 5.63 ERA while striking out eight batters.
Diaz opened the 2021 season with the Monarchs but would have his contract transferred to the Mexican League midseason, but he eventually returned to finish out the year with the club. At the time of the transfer, Diaz was third in the American Association in saves (11) and showcased a 1.44 ERA in 23 games over a total of 25 innings with 37 strike outs. Diaz spent six games at AAA Tijuana, going 0-1 in 4.2 relief innings with six strikeouts and posting a 11.57 ERA.
Diaz returned to Kansas City on August 19 and helped bolster the pen for the run to the 2021 American Association championship. Diaz worked in eight ball games to close out the regular season and did not allow an earned run in eight innings. He would add 15 strikeouts and hold opponents to just three hits over the course of the last month of the season. In the 2021 American Association playoffs, Diaz would continue his dominance of the league, picking up two relief wins and tossing four scoreless innings with 8 strikeouts and surrendering just two hits.
In Diaz’s second stint during the 2021 season, he pitched 12 scoreless innings over 11 games with 20 strikeouts and just four hits allowed. Over the course of the regular season Diaz went 2-1 in 33 innings with 11 saves with a 1.09 ERA and a 0.970 WHIP in 31 games. Diaz would finish the 2021 season combined in regular and postseason, going 4-1 with 11 saves in 34 games and tossing 37 innings with 59 strikeouts with 18 walks. He would finish with a sparkling ERA of 0.97 overall combined during 2021. Diaz would spend the winter ball season in his native Dominican Republic in the Dominican Winter League, pitching with the Gigantes del Cibao. He would go 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in seven innings with eight strikeouts in 10 relief appearances.
In the 2019 season, Diaz returned from the Cincinnati Reds organization where the lefty spent the second half of the 2018 season and the opening month of the 2019 season before his release April 16th. With the T-Bones in 2019, the hard-throwing lefty helped anchor the back end of the bullpen. He went 1-2 on the season in 30 games with 13 saves to lead the club in that category. In 30 innings, he struck out 51 while giving up 13 hits and seven earned runs. While with the T-Bones, Diaz struck out 78 in 48.2 innings. Diaz also pitched during two games in the 2019-2020 winter season for Panama in the Caribbean Series, pitching one inning with one strikeout.
Diaz made 20 appearances in 2018 for Daytona in the Florida State League, the high-A club for Cincinnati. In 22.1 innings, he struck out 37, surrendering eight earned runs on 14 hits with a 3.22 ERA. He was 0-1 with one save in one opportunity.
Diaz spent part of the 2017 season with the Miami Marlins organization where he pitched two scoreless innings in the Gulf Coast Rookie League for the Marlins before moving on to Low-A Greensboro in the South Atlantic League. He worked three games, covering two innings and not allowing a single run for the Grasshoppers. Diaz began 2017 with the Gary SouthShore RailCats where he went 2-1 with a 3.83 ERA in 42.1innings. He led all Gary pitchers with a .164 opponents’ batting average, and he struck out 63 while walking just 17 in 42.1 innings. The Marlins purchased Diaz’s contract on August 6, 2017, from Gary.
The lefty from La Vega, Dominican Republic was originally signed as a free agent by the Cleveland Indians organization in 2012. He posted a 2-5 record in his rookie season with the Dominican Summer League with a 2.82 ERA in 51 innings then followed that season by going 1-2 with a 7.62 ERA in 13 innings of relief in Gulf Coast League for the Indians. Diaz stepped away from the game for two years but returned in 2016 in the Pecos League, tossing 17 innings with a 5.29 ERA in 17 innings and adding 20 strikeouts.
The Explorers play the final game of the four-game series Thursday night at La Moderna Field against the Cleburne Railroaders. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:06 p.m. with the pregame starting at 6:35 p.m. on KSCJ and aabaseball.tv. The X’s return home to begin a three-game series against the Kane County Cougars Friday, June 2, at Mercy Field at Lewis and Clark Park.
Tickets for the season can be purchased online as XSBaseball.com, in person at the Lewis and Clark Park Box Office or by calling 712-277-WINS. You can catch all the X’s action on aabaseball.tv and on radio at KSCJ 94.9 FM and 1360 AM.