Braves MiLB prospect recap: Indigo Diaz

Indigo Diaz may not have made the midseason list, but established himself firmly as the top relief prospect in the Braves system during the second half of the season. Assuming he continues to develop, he could easily be in the mix for the major league bullpen during the 2022 season.

Midseason Ranking: Honorable mention

2021 Stats

High-A: 18 games, 27 IP, 4-1, 5 saves, 1.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 54 K, 7 BB

Double-A: 14 games, 18 IP, 2-1, 1.50 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 29 K, 9 BB

Total: 32 games, 45 IP, 6-2, 5 saves, 1.20 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 83 K, 16 BB

What we saw in 2021

Part of the issue with Diaz not being ranked midseason was the fact he was only recently promoted to Double-A before we made our rankings, so that didn’t factor in too heavily. Since then, he has continued to shove to finish out the year, striking out more than a batter per inning while doing an excellent job of not allowing base runners with his power arsenal.

Diaz did go to the Arizona Fall League since the end of the season and really struggled there in a very small sample size, but for a guy who went from no innings in 2020 to 45 innings of work this year, that may have just been him being worn down following a long season - something that happens on occasion with prospects in the AFL.

What the future holds

The big (6’5, 250), hard throwing Canadian by way of Michigan State saw his velocity increase dramatically in 2021 as he is now able to hit the upper 90s with consistency.

Diaz will likely get to start the 2022 season back in Double-A Mississippi, but a promotion to Gwinnett should be on the table fairly quickly and he will have a shot to potentially pitch his way into the big leagues in this upcoming season.