CLEARWATER, Fla. — After playing parts of four seasons in Triple-A, Elias Diaz will finally have a spot on the Pirates' opening day roster.
The club allowed Chris Stewart to walk this offseason, elevating Diaz into a backup role behind Francisco Cervelli. Clint Hurdle has expressed admiration for how Diaz, 27, developed last season, particularly his ability to both call a game and work with the pitching staff.
Such contributions can often be overlooked, however. But Diaz's performance could not be ignored in the Pirates' 5-4 victory over the Phillies at Spectrum Field on Friday afternoon. He drilled a solo home run onto the boardwalk beyond the left-field wall and was stellar behind the plate.
"He's obviously not your typical backup catcher," Steven Brault, who threw 2 2/3 innings for the Pirates in the win, told DKPittsburghSports.com. "Both of our catchers can hit. His hitting has gotten super-good. Apparently he's hitting tanks now, too. I mean, did you see how hard that ball was hit?"
Diaz's shot off Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff in the third inning was an impressive feat where he crushed a hanging changeup. Diaz went 1 for 2 with a walk. He's hitting just .154 in six games this spring, but he missed time at the beginning of camp because he was spending time with family in Venezuela after his mother was rescued from kidnappers.
It's been a long road for Diaz. He first reached Triple-A in 2014 after he batted .328 in 91 games at Double-A Altoona, but his defense was viewed as a weakness within the organization. Then, he was limited to just 33 games in 2016 because he had surgery on his right elbow.
Diaz was healthy again in 2017 and although his offensive production was average — he slashed .266/.298/.339 in 57 games at Triple-A — he was outstanding behind the plate during his audition as the everyday catcher with the Pirates in September when Cervelli was injured.
He caught three shutouts while working with the Pirates' young pitching staff, whom Diaz forged relationships with through the minor leagues. Diaz also fine-tuned his work defensively and that showed against the Phillies.
He made an outstanding play in the top of the first inning when he blocked a pitch that bounced awkwardly near the batter's foot. Diaz also nearly threw out Rhys Hoskins at first base in the third inning.
• John Stilson, Dovydas Neverauskas, Richard Rodriguez, Casey Sadler, Tyler Jones and Alex McRae also pitched for the Pirates.
Neverauskas, who is competing for a spot in the bullpen, allowed one run in two innings with three strikeouts. The 25-year-old Lithuanian has emerged as a favorite to be a long reliever with the Pirates at the start of the season. He's proven capable of pitching multiple innings and had a 1.28 WHIP last season in the major leagues.
Sadler, 27, reached the major leagues in 2015 but he missed all of 2016 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He returned to pitch 78 2/3 innings between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A last season. Although he's headed back to Triple-A, Sadler has impressed so far this spring, throwing four scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
"He's stayed tied and loyal to the organization," Hurdle said. "We've had conversations with Casey for quite some time now. Perseverance, the resiliency to bounce back. ... He's shown the ability to sink the ball, he's shown the ability to work his way."
• Adam Frazier, who is no longer competing to start in left field, started at second and displayed some inconsistent defense. He committed a throwing error in the bottom of the third that eventually led to a run. He made up for it, though with a brilliant play to end the inning, when he dove to his right to stop a grounder off the bat of Maikel Franco, popped up and gunned out Franco at first.
• Josh Bell, making his ninth start of spring training, hit an opposite-field double off the left-field wall in the top of the third to score Frazier, giving the Pirates a 4-2 lead.
• Frazier, who again batted leadoff, continued his tear at the plate, going 2 for 3 with two singles and two runs. He now has eight hits in his last 11 at-bats and is batting .421 in 19 at-bats this spring.
• Jordan Luplow, competing to make the opening day roster, tattooed a 3-1 pitch that landed on the boardwalk beyond the left-field wall in the top of the fifth inning, giving the Pirates a 5-3 lead. He also drove in two runs with a pair of sacrifice flies.
Luplow, 24, is batting .167 this spring with two home runs, and he's most likely headed to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he has played only 44 games.
• Joe Musgrove, the right-handed starting pitcher acquired in the Gerrit Cole trade, threw 31 pitches in two innings of an intrasquad game at Pirate City on Friday. Musgrove, who is expected to be in the Pirates' rotation at the start of the season, has yet to pitch in a Grapefruit League game this spring because of right shoulder discomfort.
The 25-year-old was declared "healthy" by Neal Huntington, but the challenge is getting Musgrove stretched out by opening day on March 29. The Pirates aren't expected to need a fifth starter until April 8th at the latest.
"Joe got off the mound in good form," Hurdle said. "We'll see how he feels tomorrow, but I think he's on his way now."
Also, Jameson Taillon threw 62 pitches in four innings of the same intrasquad game.
• Here's Hurdle's lineup card for the win:
1. Adam Frazier, 2B
2. Gregory Polanco, RF
3. Jordan Luplow, LF
4. Josh Bell, 1B
5. Elias Diaz, C
6. Max Moroff, 3B
7. Kevin Newman, SS
8. Todd Cunningham, CF
9. Steven Brault, P
• The Pirates will play two split-squad games on Saturday. They'll face the Braves at LECOM Park in Bradenton at 1:05 p.m., with Trevor Williams expected to start and Felipe Rivero, Kyle Crick, Kevin Siegrist, Josh Smoker and Jordan Milbrath in relief. The game will be televised on AT&T SportsNet.
Chad Kuhl will start against the Orioles in Sarasota at 1:05 p.m. George Kontos, Michael Feliz and Edgar Santana are among those expected to pitch out of the bullpen.