Defense is a huge concern for Terry Francona when he wants it to be. But when he needs an excuse to keep a promising young player in the minor leagues, our eyes matter less than his.
Yesterday, Yandy Diaz’s short stint on the ballclub came to an end. Diaz batted 14 times in 4 games, got hits in half of those, and only struck out once. The average exit velocity of his hits was 986 mph. But down to Columbus he goes, because he can’t play first base like Casey Kotchman and can’t play right field like Franklin Gutierrez.