PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Before pitchers and catchers reported to camp last week, Mets closer Edwin Díaz was one of the few players already in camp. Speaking to reporters last Tuesday, he vowed to be “the same guy” before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the World Baseball Classic in March 2023.
On Friday, Díaz took the mound in Clover Park and delivered his second live bullpen session of the spring. There, he showed flashes of his former self — minus the trumpets, of course.
Díaz faced Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Harrison Bader. Lindor, batting left-handed, hit a flyball to left field — an out in a regular game. Alonso didn’t have any answers, seeing five pitches and swinging and missing on the last three for a strikeout. Bader was met with the same fate, swinging and missing on strike three.
“It was really, really good to see (Edwin) Díaz go through his live (batting practice) and facing some of our guys,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters. “The feedback from the hitters (was) very excited to have him on the mound again.”
Given how well he’s progressed on the mound, how soon will Díaz take the next step, which is participating in fielding drills? Mendoza provided some insight on the matter.
“He’s doing some light activities in the backfields,” Mendoza said. “The biggest thing is for him to get comfortable on the mound and facing hitters before we move on to the next stage, which is covering bases, fielding bunts, and fielding at his position overall. But like I said, he’s moving around well, feeling good and that’s what we want.”
Mets relievers ranked 29th in fWAR (0.5) in 2023 after posting a team 4.45 ERA, which was helped by the defense — they posted a 4.57 FIP, a stat like ERA that takes fielding out of the equation, which ranks 24th in MLB — and a 1.33 WHIP. If Diaz can return to form, it’ll provide a boost the team desparately needed last season.
In 2022, Diaz made 61 appearances, posting a…
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