“Edwin just lives in the moment. He works hard, but when he’s out there it’s time for him to shine.”
In April of last year I conducted my first “professional” interview with Andrew Lorraine, a current Pirates scout and former coach in the Mariners organization. He was Edwin Díaz’s pitching coach during his 2015 season in Bakersfield and his 2016 stint in AA Jackson, and I have pages of notes of him praising Díaz’s unique mix of “free-spiritedness and ability,” but I don’t know if even Lorraine could have predicted Edwin’s 2018 season.