Elías Díaz

Elías Díaz
Elías David Díaz Soto (born November 17, 1990) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Díaz has also represented the Colombian national baseball team.
Professional career
Minor leagues
Díaz signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as an international free agent in 2008. He made his professional debut in 2009 for the Venezuelan Summer League Pirates. From 2010 to 2013, he played for the Gulf Coast Pirates (batting .210), West Virginia Power (batting .221, and then .208 the following year) and Bradenton Marauders (batting .279).
Díaz started 2014 with the Double-A Altoona Curve. In August he was promoted to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians after hitting .328 with Altoona, but he then batted .152/.243/.182 in AAA. On November 20, 2014, Díaz was added to the Pirates' 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Pittsburgh Pirates (2015–2019)
Diaz batted 0-for-2 in the major leagues in 2015, 0-for-4 in 2016, and .223/.265/.314 with one home run in 200 plate appearances in 2017.
On December 2, 2019, Díaz was non-tendered by Pittsburgh and became a free agent.
Colorado Rockies (2020–present)
On January 6, 2020, Díaz signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies. Díaz made the Opening Day roster for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Díaz batted .235/.288/.353 with two home runs in 73 plate appearances over 2020. In 2021, he batted .246/.310/.464 with 18 home runs and 44 RBIs in 106 games. On November 18, 2021, Díaz signed a three-year, $14.5 million extension with the Rockies. On September 10, Diaz went 4-for-5 with two home runs and seven RBIs, including a three-run walk-off home run, leading the Rockies to a 13-10 win.
In 2023, Díaz was named to the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He hit the game-winning home run for the National League in the eighth inning and was named the game's Most Valuable Player.
International career
Born in Venezuela, Díaz is of Colombian descent through his father, and is thus eligible to represent the Colombia national baseball team. He was slated to play with Colombia at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, but was not permitted by the Pirates organization due to injury reasons. He was named to the Colombian roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where he shared catching duties with Meibrys Viloria. Díaz hit .250/.250/.375 over eight at-bats in the tournament, with one double and one RBI.
See also
List of Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
References
External links
1990 births
Living people
Altoona Curve players
Bradenton Marauders players
Bravos de Margarita players
Colorado Rockies players
Gulf Coast Pirates players
Indianapolis Indians players
Major League Baseball All-Star Game MVPs
Major League Baseball catchers
Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
National League All-Stars
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Scottsdale Scorpions players
Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States
Venezuelan Summer League Pirates players
Venezuelan people of Colombian descent
West Virginia Power players
Baseball players from Maracaibo
2023 World Baseball Classic players