Los Angeles Dodgers veteran Kiké Hernandez revealed that a minor league player helped fuel Edwin Diaz’s rise.
What caused Edwin Diaz’s turnaround
After Game 4 of the NLDS, amid a wild clubhouse celebration after the NLCS spot was clinched, Kiké Hernandez revealed that minor league catcher Chadwick Tromp found the issue in Diaz’s mechanics.
Tromp signed a minor-league deal with the Dodgers midseason.
“A former Brave, Chadwick Tromp, who was with us in AAA, noticed something in his mechanics, and they went over it after the game, and it was a very easy fix, and Sugar is back to being Sugar,” Hernandez said.
Since returning, the command has been much better for Diaz, while the velocity continues to increase, as does the fastball and slider movement.
Diaz and the Dodgers felt he was a few tweaks away from becoming the guy they signed for $69 million, and they were right.
Edwin Diaz’s full arc
Diaz has turned his debut Dodgers season around since returning from the injured list and a topsy-turvy minor league rehab assignment with the OKC Comets in Triple-A.
After a horrendous season by his standards, Diaz returned on September 18th and hasn’t allowed a run since.
He allowed one hit and a walk over five shutout innings in the regular season, and Dave Roberts trusted him enough to make the postseason roster and give him a high-leverage spot.
In return, Diaz made three appearances in the four-game NLDS, allowing one hard-hit single and recording two saves.
His postseason performance marked a full turnaround for Diaz.
“He’s had a tough season,” Roberts said after the NLDS. “He’s been hurt. He was having trouble with his delivery and went on a long rehab assignment.
“But to get him pitching this way – that’s the reason why we got him. The last two nights, that’s the reason why we acquired a guy like Edwin Diaz.
“He’s one of the great closers in the game. For him to be pitching his best right now, that’s what you hope for, and I give him a lot of credit.”
Now, Diaz is expected to keep closing, or at the very least, play a major role on the closing committee.
