Aledmys Díaz

Aledmys Díaz Serrano (born August 1, 1990) is a Cuban professional baseball utility player for the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, and Oakland Athletics. He played for the Naranjas de Villa Clara in the Cuban National Series from 2007 through 2012, before defecting to the United States. Díaz signed with the Cardinals in 2014, and made his MLB debut with them in 2016.

From Santa Clara, Cuba, Díaz' career accomplishments in the Cuban National Series from 2007 to 2012 included a .307 batting average, .397 on-base percentage (OBP), and .439 slugging percentage over 342 games. As a rookie in MLB in 2016, he became the first player in history to sustain a .500 batting average after 50 at bats, and was named an All-Star for the National League team. After losing his starting job in 2017, he spent the 2018 season with Toronto and was traded to Houston before the 2019 season. He won the 2022 World Series with the Astros.

While growing up in Santa Clara, Cuba, Díaz lived on the same street as, and was friends with, future Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher José Fernández. They played for the same youth baseball team, and Díaz's father and uncle encouraged Fernández's mother to bring him to the ballpark. Fernández commented that had Díaz's uncle not been an influence early in his life, he would not have pursued a professional baseball career.

Díaz played in the Serie Nacional de Béisbol (Cuban National Series), the primary amateur baseball competition in Cuba, for the Naranjas de Villa Clara, based in Santa Clara. He debuted in the 2007–08 season by going nine for 32 in a utility role. At age 19 in 2008–09, Díaz batted .301 with a .403 on-base percentage (OBP) and .482 slugging percentage (SLG) but fielded only .930 as a regular infielder. He was third in the Serie Nacional with 24 errors.

The next season, Díaz batted .282 with a .348 OBP, .363 SLG and fielded .950 as Villa Clara's starting shortstop. He tied for fifth in the Serie Nacional with 18 errors, having improved his defense. During his 2011–12 season, Díaz' offensive production continued to climb, as he batted .315 with a .404 OBP and .500 SLG. He hit 12 home runs in 270 at bats. From 2008 to 2012, Díaz, batted .308 with a .401 OBP and .444 SLG.

In his Cuban National Series career, Díaz totaled 342 games, batting .307, .397 OBP, .439 SLG, 193 runs scored, 54 doubles, 27 home runs and 165 runs batted in (RBI) in 1125 at bats. He defected from Cuba in 2012 while playing with the Cuban national baseball team in a tournament in the Netherlands. He was declared ineligible to sign with any MLB teams until February 19, 2014, due to lying about his age. He spent the interim 18 months from defecting from Cuba playing in Mexico City.

To audition for a contract with MLB clubs, Díaz held a showcase with fellow Cuban defector Odrisamer Despaigne on February 13, 2014. Although Díaz was initially projected to command a major league contract with a similar level of pay to other Cuban defectors such as Alex Guerrero and Erisbel Arruebarrena, his performance in the showcase did not leave the impression that he merited such a level of salary, and, further, many clubs passed on him altogether. He had left Mexico City effectively out of shape to play professional baseball. He signed a four-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals worth $8 million on March 9.

The Cardinals first assigned Díaz to the Palm Beach Cardinals of the High–A Florida State League in 2014, and he was promoted to the Springfield Cardinals of the Double–A Texas League that season. In 47 games between both teams, he batted .273/.324/.441 with five home runs, 24 RBIs, and seven stolen bases. In 2015, while playing for Springfield, he battled injuries before he was designated for assignment on July 8, 2015. While he had benefited from talent alone while playing in Cuba, his lack of preparation had caused his performance to suffer after playing the minor leagues. However, he diligently began to prepare more and proactively ask more questions.