JUPITER, Fla. -- The work started before camp officially did, with Aledmys Diaz meeting Jose Oquendo on the backfields of the Cardinals' Florida facility for individualized instruction. There, they dissected the defensive issues that plagued Diaz in his rookie season and initiated the tweaks that both player and instructor believed are necessary for Diaz to thrive at short.
Diaz didn't have the benefit of working with Oquendo during his first big league season, as the Cardinals' longtime infield coach had taken a medical leave of absence. But from afar, Oquendo watched Diaz navigate through a season at short and came back to camp this spring full of feedback.