Milwaukee Brewers: David Stearns’ 5 best moves in first year
By Tim Muma
Stearns used Jean Segura’s remaining value to pluck another high-ceiling prospect in Isan Diaz.
This trade will take some time to officially declare its success, but things off to a terrific start for the Milwaukee Brewers and Isan Diaz.
Diaz was named the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year as he posted an .827 OPS with 20 home runs, 34 doubles, 75 RBI and 71 runs. He tacked on seven triples and 11 stolen bases for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in single-A.
He had a .404 OBP and .569 slugging percentage. That’s a phenomenal .973 OPS in 68 games.
The 20-year-old middle infielder has often been compared to perennial All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano. If he even approaches Cano’s output with the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners, Stearns should be hailed as a genius.
Diaz mostly played second base and looked the part of a top-tier hitter in the second half of 2016. He had a .404 OBP and .569 slugging percentage. That’s a phenomenal .973 OPS in 68 games, including 14 home runs and 17 doubles.
The projection for Diaz is extremely high considering he was about a year-and-a-half younger than the average player in single-A.
While some will argue that the Arizona Diamondbacks “won” the trade because of Segura’s .314 average and .842 OPS this season. However, his price is about to go up.
Since the Brewers aren’t ready to compete now – and have Orlando Arcia to play shortstop – why pay for him? Plus, the Diamondbacks have a worse record this year than Milwaukee, so it Segura didn’t help that much.
For the record, the Brewers also received starting pitcher Chase Anderson and infielder Aaron Hill in the swap. Hill was then traded for a pair of minor leaguers this season.
But most of all, I’m personally all in on Diaz, the sweet-swinging lefty with supreme potential.