Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
BASE | Diaz Signs as Free Agent with Nationals
6/14/2020 11:30:00 AM | Baseball
MORAGA, Calif. — On the first day Major League Baseball teams were eligible to sign players not taken in the 2020 MLB Draft, Saint Mary's infielder Gio Diaz has agreed to terms with the defending MLB champion Washington Nationals.
"I'm really excited not only because the Nationals are a great organization coming off a World Series championship, but because of the relationship I have with Brian Byrne, the area scout for the Nationals," explained Diaz. "He really liked me and believed in me this past year. From what is told to me, they develop their minor league players to become big league players better than most organizations, which intrigued me. The deal was the best for both sides and I'm happy to join the Nationals organization."
The junior infielder out of Brentwood has his best season as a Gael despite the limited number of games played. Diaz finished sixth in the WCC with a .396 batting average while slashing .442 and .417. His most impressive measure was his strikeout rate, as he only struck out twice in 53 plate appearances, the ninth best ratio in the NCAA. Diaz began the season with a ten-game hitting streak, recording at least two hits in seven of those games, at one point putting himself one hit off the NCAA lead.
"Gio is ready for the pro ball adventure," head coach Greg Moore commented about Diaz. "When you're as clear as he is, it becomes a good time. The Nationals are getting a young guy who is committed to getting better every day. I'm proud of Gio as a person and a player."
"The coaching staff coming in knew what my goals and plans were and I really wanted to start my career after my junior year," Diaz said, returning the comments from coach Moore. "They believed in me by supporting those goals with information from the start. The communication between the coaches was great and they genuinely wanted to help me become a professional player. I can't thank them enough because they really cared for me and my future."
2020 marked the first time the Gaels did not have a player taken in the MLB draft since 2004, though this was the shortest draft in MLB history at only five rounds. All big league clubs are able to sign players like Diaz at a maximum of $20,000, per regulations created by the league due to the COVID-19 pandemic that altered the format of the draft.
#GaelsRise
"I'm really excited not only because the Nationals are a great organization coming off a World Series championship, but because of the relationship I have with Brian Byrne, the area scout for the Nationals," explained Diaz. "He really liked me and believed in me this past year. From what is told to me, they develop their minor league players to become big league players better than most organizations, which intrigued me. The deal was the best for both sides and I'm happy to join the Nationals organization."
The junior infielder out of Brentwood has his best season as a Gael despite the limited number of games played. Diaz finished sixth in the WCC with a .396 batting average while slashing .442 and .417. His most impressive measure was his strikeout rate, as he only struck out twice in 53 plate appearances, the ninth best ratio in the NCAA. Diaz began the season with a ten-game hitting streak, recording at least two hits in seven of those games, at one point putting himself one hit off the NCAA lead.
"Gio is ready for the pro ball adventure," head coach Greg Moore commented about Diaz. "When you're as clear as he is, it becomes a good time. The Nationals are getting a young guy who is committed to getting better every day. I'm proud of Gio as a person and a player."
"The coaching staff coming in knew what my goals and plans were and I really wanted to start my career after my junior year," Diaz said, returning the comments from coach Moore. "They believed in me by supporting those goals with information from the start. The communication between the coaches was great and they genuinely wanted to help me become a professional player. I can't thank them enough because they really cared for me and my future."
2020 marked the first time the Gaels did not have a player taken in the MLB draft since 2004, though this was the shortest draft in MLB history at only five rounds. All big league clubs are able to sign players like Diaz at a maximum of $20,000, per regulations created by the league due to the COVID-19 pandemic that altered the format of the draft.
#GaelsRise
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