SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Elias Diaz looked lost and confounded.
On May 12 a year ago, the Rockies catcher went 0-for-3 in the second game of a doubleheader against San Diego, dropping his average to .109. At that point, he had two doubles and zero home runs. In fact, he didn’t hit his first ball over the wall until June 16.
And still, the Rockies believed. Manager Bud Black and bench coach/catching coach Mike Redmond believed most of all.
“The talent was always in there, but he started digging a hole for himself,” Black recalled Thursday. “It just got to the point that he was trying so hard.