Diaz destined to get at-bats

Port St. Lucie, Fla. — Matt Diaz’s offseason diet called for giving up sugar. So the Braves left fielder started taking his coffee black.

Six months and 30 pounds later, his taste buds are refined.

Enlarge this image

AP

Matt Diaz homered off the Mets’ Johan Santana Sunday for the Braves’ only run in a 12-1 loss.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

RELATED BRAVES LINKS

• Spring schedule • Beat blog • Stats
• Travel: Spring Training


[an error occurred while processing this directive]

“I’ve become a coffee snob,” Diaz said. “You put Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks and Caribou in front of me, I could tell you which one is which.”

Diaz doesn’t sugar-coat these days, and that’s helpful in his professional life, too.

The 31-year-old left fielder missed most of last season with a knee injury. He regained his health and dropped to a svelte 205 pounds just in time to meet the new left fielder the Braves signed last month in Garret Anderson.

Anderson’s arrival means less playing time for Diaz. But Diaz takes his news straight these days and still likes the taste of it.

“I totally understand what our front office was doing,” said Diaz, pointing to his injury, youth in center field and Jeff Francoeur coming back from an off year. “Something had to be done, and left field was the logical spot. I’m never going to begrudge them that.”

Diaz is a stand-up guy, the son of a minister who’s grounded in Christian faith. But he’s also grounded in confidence he gained when the Braves traded for him three years ago.

As a converted catcher, he was stumbling in his career. He was cut by Tampa Bay and traded by Kansas City for a minor league pitcher named Ricardo Rodriguez. He had 119 major league at-bats in three seasons.

But Diaz said something Braves manager Bobby Cox told him in spring training of 2006 changed him.

“He said ‘I saw your video and you can hit,’” Diaz said. “‘You can really help us.’ That comment changed my career.”

With newfound confidence, Diaz hit .327 for the Braves in 2006. In three seasons in Atlanta, he’s hit .318.

“We watched the film of him and he could absolutely hit,” Cox said. “The thing that’s happened, he’s transformed himself into a good defensive outfielder. He was a guy they were moving everywhere [in the field]. He was a good enough hitter to keep on the team. He’s made himself into a big leaguer.”

Cox expects Diaz to get plenty of at-bats this year.

“Always works out that way,” Cox said.

It does. Diaz played 124 games in 2006 and 135 games in 2007 primarily in a platoon role.

“Bobby has put me in situations where I’ve succeeded pinch hitting,” Diaz said. “He’s put me in straight platoons or let me play a lot and given me the confidence to succeed [in both]. Whatever role he puts me in, he’ll put me in the right frame of mind to handle it. …

“I totally trust him,” Diaz continued. “He’s why my career has lasted as long as it has and has been better than most people thought it would be.”

Diaz does his part by hitting when he gets chances. This spring is no different. Anderson pulled his calf muscle warming up for a game on March 6. Diaz replaced him and hit a homer in his first at-bat. He went 3-for-4 with four RBIs that night and has hardly slowed down since.

Diaz homered off the Mets’ Johan Santana Sunday for the Braves’ only run in a 12-1 loss. He’s hitting .395 and is tied for the team lead in RBIs with 12.

Anderson is expected back in the lineup soon and on Opening Day against the Phillies. But Diaz isn’t sweating that.

“No one knows their role until Opening Day and even then it changes with injuries and hot and cold streaks,” Diaz said. “Baseball is way too long of a season to get caught up in what your role is at this point in time.”