The Minor Leagues, Generally

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Thomas Diamond


















From Brien Taylor to Todd van Poppel to David Nied, recent baseball history is loaded with pitching prospect flameouts. Until his turnaround this season, you had to group Metairie native and former UNO star Thomas Diamond right with them: an injury-riddled former first-round draft pick, a symbol of unrealized potential. But Diamond is turning his career around this year. His numbers for Iowa are some of the best in AAA, so good that he could be helpful for a major league club right now.

In three years at the University of New Orleans, Diamond was incredible, racking up the third-most Ks in school history and netting the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year award in 2004, his dominant junior year. In that year's draft, Diamond was selected 10th overall by Texas and was immediately grouped as part of a Rangers pitching pipeline that included John Danks and Edinson Volquez.

Diamond became something of a minor league folk legend early on in his pro career. While pitching in a 2004 game, he tripped and fell off the mound attempting a pickoff. When he was inevitably razzed by the opposing team, Diamond approached their dugout and promised that the next player who laughed would “wearing a fastball in the temple.” Diamond threw behind the next hitter... then he struck out the side on nine pitches.

It was an early highlight in a career that seemed destined to be loaded with them. But success has been elusive for Diamond.

In 2006 he regressed, particularly with command. His K/BB ratio slipped from 2.45 to 1.85 and after pitching out the season, it was determined that he would need Tommy John surgery in the offseason. Things continued spiraling downhill; after pitching inconsistently following surgery, Texas DFAd him in 2009 and he was signed by the Cubs. But, caught in a roster squeeze, he was DFAd three weeks later only to find he had no other suitors. He remained in Chicago’s system almost by default, and now, a season after being designated twice, he is having his best campaign as a pro and is in contention to start the AAA All-Star game.

Diamond leads the PCL in Ks and his 2.66 ERA is third among all PCL starters. His 1.11 WHIP is also third behind Omaha’s Bryan Bullington and Saturday’s starter for the I-Cubs, Jay Jackson, and Diamond’s current K/BB ratio is sitting at 2.86, his best as a pro.

Today at 11:30 am, Diamond is slated to make his second start this season against his hometown Zephyrs.

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