In a season of firsts for Yandy Díaz the infielder from Villa Clara, Cuba added something else to the list, he became a batting champion. Díaz, who is a key protagonist to the success of the Tampa Bay Rays has had a transcendent season heading into his prime years.
The 32-year-old first baseman hit a robust .330 on the campaign edging out Kyle Seager (.327) for the crown giving a Cuba its second AL batting champion in the last three years, Yuli Gurriel won the title in 2021 with the Houston Astros. Díaz joins a list that also includes him, Tony Oliva and Gurriel as the only three Cubans to win the title in the junior circuit.
El villaclareño @YandyDiaz72 es el campeón de bateo de la Liga Americana en el 2023.#pelotacubana #AL #championbate pic.twitter.com/Mj8xzLO9Ef
— Yusseff305 🇨🇺🇺🇲 (@yusseff305) October 1, 2023
Now getting back to a year of firsts for Díaz he also made his first All-Star appearance, hit his first longball in the mid-summer classic and also hit more than 20 homeruns in a campaign. His 78 runs batted in were also a career for the slugger as was his .522 slugging percentage, this placed him fourth in the AL in that statistical category.
The Antillean also placed in the top 10 of the American League in OPS (.932), runs (95) and OBP (.410), but to top it all off he had his greatest first, he became a father for the first time when his wife gave birth to a child the day after this year’s All-Star game. Heading into the playoffs Díaz is looking to add a championship ring to his trophy case as the icing on the cake in his monumental season.