Mets reliever Edwin Diaz, who is hoping to bounce back in 2020 if/when the season gets underway, is staying ready with MLB on hold indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Diaz's biggest bugaboo in 2019 was his slider -- specifically his inability to harness it, with the pitch often hanging in the fat part of the strike zone and getting smoked.
The slider was something Diaz was working on during spring training, with the pitch coming in at the bottom of the zone most often during games. And the one he broke off on Saturday looked nasty.
This view of Edwin Diaz's slider 😳
- SNY (@SNYtv) April 4, 2020
(via IG/pitchernation) pic.twitter.com/aVgY2fFxcb
"Everybody got their eyes on me for this season," Diaz said on WFAN shortly before spring training was suspended.
"I started working out in October," he added. "Every time when the season's done I get a month off with time with my family," Diaz said. "But right away when the season (was) done I take the week off and I start working out. I feel ready for the season. I feel really, really good."
If/when the season starts, it's fair to believe that Diaz will get the first crack at the closer role.
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