Is There a Diamond in the Twins' Future?
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Is there a Diamond in the Twins’ future? By Todd Devlin Jan. 12, 2011 Christmas came a few weeks early this year for left-handed pitcher Scott Diamond (Guelph, Ont.), and the gift was something he’s wanted for a long time: a shot at pitching in the major leagues. On Dec. 9, the 24-year-old was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the annual Rule 5 draft at baseball’s winter meetings. With it came a spot on the Twins’ 40-man roster and an invitation to big league camp, where he’ll get a shot at making the team out of Spring Training and spending 2011 with the reigning American League Central Division champs. “It was awesome,” Diamond said of his selection in the draft. “It was just a flood of emotions. I was relieved, as well as ecstatic.” The left-hander knew there was a chance he’d be taken. That became a possibility when the Atlanta Braves, the organization he signed with out of college, left him unprotected when the November 20 deadline came around. That exposure to the Rule 5 draft disappointed him, but it also opened the door for a better opportunity with a new team. “Every player, when they reach that stage [Rule 5 eligible], hopes that the opportunity comes around,” Diamond said. “I had a feeling, but I didn’t have any certainties at all. So going into it, I was a little unsure, but hoping I might get the chance.” He got that chance when the Twins took him 27 th overall in the draft. At the time, Diamond was in the gym at Columbia University in New York City, where he’s been training during the offseason. “I didn’t find out about it until two and half hours after it happened,” he said. “When I came out of the gym, I opened up my phone and I had tons of missed calls and messages.” Under the regulations of the Rule 5 draft, Minnesota sent $50,000 to the Braves in order to take Diamond from their system. The Twins must now retain the left-hander on the club’s 25-man roster through the entire 2011 season to be guaranteed his rights. However, if he does not stick on the major league roster, he may be offered back to Atlanta for $25,000. As far as Diamond is concerned, the result simply means he now has a faster chance to make it to the major leagues. “Yeah, it’s a little better than my situation before the draft, that’s for sure,” he said. The Twins made Diamond their lone Rule 5 pick for two reasons. First, the Minnesota bullpen lost a number of arms to free agency this winter, including Matt Guerrier and fellow Canadian Jesse Crain (Toronto, Ont.), who signed with the Chicago White Sox two weeks ago. With holes to fill, the Twins are hoping the 24-year-old Diamond will be able to step in and help in a relief role in 2011. “We had several evaluations [of Diamond] from 2010, and all were fairly consistent and positive,” said Vern Followell, the Twins’ pro scouting coordinator, who had the shared responsibility of pouring over scouting reports and analyzing possible candidates leading up to the Rule 5 draft. “He’s a little unique in that he’s pitched and had success at higher levels, and we hope that will give him a better shot to make our major league staff.” Pitching out of the bullpen will be a transition for the 24-year-old lefty, whose 76 career games in the minor leagues over three seasons include 74 starts and just two relief appearances. But Followell points out that it’s hardly unusual for a rookie pitcher to have to make that transition in their first year. “Most young pitchers, starters or not, get their feet wet and their first major league opportunity in relief,” he said. “And it wouldn’t be surprising if he threw a little harder as a reliever, as many [transitioning to relief] do.” For his part, Diamond isn’t too worried about the move. “Obviously, the mentality is going to be a little different,” he said, adding that he’s not sure in what type of relief role he’ll be used -- whether it’s middle relief, long relief or as a situational left-hander. “I’m going to try and stay in a routine as much as I can, but rather than trying to keep stamina and work and manage a game like I would as a starter, I’ll be trying to focus more on getting each out and moving the game along.” But what won’t change, Diamond says, is his overall game plan and how he’ll approach hitters. “I feel like I have a good sense of what to pitch to certain guys in certain counts,” he said. “I have a good understanding of what I need to do on the mound, and how I’m going to do it. My game plan is pretty strict, and I stick to that.” That plan has certainly worked so far during his professional career. Though he went undrafted out of Binghamton University, Diamond signed with the Braves in 2008 and had immediate success in their minor league system. That first year, the lefty combined to go an impressive 15-3 with a 2.89 ERA in 26 games (24 starts), in the process earning pitcher of the year honours for the Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach Pelicans (12-2, 2.79 ERA in 17 games). In 2009, he scored a spot on the Canadian team that participated in the second annual World Baseball Classic. Just 22 years old at the time, he made one appearance in the tournament, allowing one run on three hits over 3.0 innings during a 6-2 round-robin loss to Italy at the Rogers Centre. Back in the minors, he was named a Southern League mid-season all-star that summer as a member of the Double-A Mississippi Braves. Though his won-loss record (5-10) was unimpressive, he managed a 3.50 ERA in 23 starts on the year, striking out 111 in 131.0 innings of work. After posting nearly identical numbers in 17 starts with Mississippi in 2010, Diamond was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett following the all-star break. There, he went 4-1 with a 3.36 ERA in 10 starts, including a complete-game two-hit shutout (with eight strikeouts) in Gwinnett’s final home game of the year. “When I got called up to Triple-A, I faced a lot of guys that have spent time in the big leagues, and I felt like I had some success there,” Diamond said. “I was kind of catching a groove and heating up a little bit, but the season just ran out on me.” Ran out, in the sense that he wasn’t able to force the Braves’ hand in calling him up to the big leagues before season’s end. That sort of mentality should do him well at big- league camp this spring. “That’s what I’ve been preparing for,” Diamond said of his offseason workouts in New York. “Not to pitch in the minor leagues this year, but to pitch in the big leagues.” That offseason began with a trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he represented Team Canada at the Pan Am Games qualifying tournament. Facing a must-win situation, Diamond started for the Canadians and allowed one run on three hits over 4 1/3 innings, helping the Canucks to a 14-6 win over Puerto Rico to clinch a spot at both the 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, and the World Cup (at a site to be determined). From there, Diamond made his way to New York on a tip from a former Braves minor- league teammate, who suggested a strength coach at Columbia University. He’ll remain there until February when he’ll report to big-league spring training. “Obviously there are going to be some nerves there because I don’t know many guys,” Diamond said. “But at the same time, I’m excited about the opportunity coming into a camp and having that chance to prove myself.” There will be at least one familiar face: former American League MVP Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC), a teammate of Diamond’s at the 2009 WBC event. “I’ve talked to him a couple of times,” Diamond said. “It was a short stint at the WBC, so we didn’t have a chance to socialize as much as we’d have liked, but I’m sure heading into spring training I’ll talk to him and get to know him a little more.” After all, Diamond pointed out, “he’ll be the first baseman that I would be trying to pick guys off to.” That said, Diamond isn’t getting too far ahead of himself. He knows it’ll be a tough camp come February, a fact echoed by Followell. “Spring training is where he’ll need to perform and show that he’s ready,” the Twins’ scouting coordinator said. “He’ll be in competition with several others for a limited number of spots.” But Followell says Diamond has a lot going for him. “Our scouts believe he possesses the assets that make any pitcher successful -- enough velocity and variety to his mix, with the touch and feel for solid command and control,” he said.