Jose Rafael "Jumbo" Diaz (born February 27, 1984) is a Dominican

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...

who is a free agent. He made his

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) debut in 2014 with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

, and has also played for the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

. Diaz is nicknamed "Jumbo" for his large size; MLB.com lists him at and .

Professional career

Los Angeles Dodgers

Díaz was signed by the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

in 2001 and began his career the next season, appearing with the

GCL Dodgers The Arizona Complex League Dodgers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix, Arizona. The team is compo ...

South Georgia Waves The South Georgia Waves were a Low-A class minor league baseball team in Albany, Georgia for one season before relocating to Columbus, Georgia where they operated under the same name for the 2003 season before being rebranded the Columbus Catfi ...

and

Great Falls Dodgers Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

and going 5–3 with a 2.82 ERA in 16 games (12 starts). He saw limited action in 2003 with the

Ogden Raptors The Ogden Raptors are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Ogden, Utah and play their home games at Lindquist Field. Pitche ...

and South Georgia, going 0–1 with a 6.62 ERA in seven games. He pitched for the

Columbus Catfish The Columbus Catfish were a minor league baseball team in Columbus, Georgia. They were a Class A team in the South Atlantic League, and were an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays for the 2007 in baseball, 2007 and 2008 in baseball, 2008 seasons. The ...

and

Vero Beach Dodgers Vero may refer to: Geography * Vero Beach, Florida, a city in the United States * Vero, Corse-du-Sud, a commune of France in Corsica Other * ''Véro'', a talk show on the Radio-Canada television network * Vero (app), a social media company co-found ...

in 2004 and went 1–5 with 20 saves and a 2.00 ERA in 37 games. He saw limited action in 2005, 2006 and 2007, appearing in a total of 36 games. Díaz had

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...

and missed all of the 2008 season.

Texas Rangers

Díaz signed with the Texas Rangers for 2009 and was 3–1 with 10 saves and a 3.63 ERA in 36 games for the

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Frisco, Texas, and are nam ...

. Following the season, the Rangers released him and he signed with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

, going 4–0 with 16 saves and a 1.92 ERA in 45 games. Díaz had 23 saves and a 2.62 ERA in 2011.

Pittsburgh Pirates

He then signed with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

for 2012 and went 1–2 with 3 saves and a 3.60 ERA in 41 games for the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

. On April 29, he teamed with Justin Wilson and

Doug Slaten Douglas Slaten (February 4, 1980 – October 4, 2016) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2006 to 2012 for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Amateur ca ...

on a no-hitter against the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened in ...

Cincinnati Reds

Díaz pitched in the

system in 2013, going 3–4 with 13 saves and a 1.66 ERA for the

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, win ...

– he had a 1.03 WHIP and struck out 60 in 54.1 innings. By the end of the 2013 campaign, Díaz weighed nearly ; he shed prior to the 2014 season. Díaz began 2014 with Louisville. The Reds selected Díaz's contract from Louisville on June 20, and he entered that night's game against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

in the seventh inning, allowing three runs in one inning. On June 24, he recorded his first MLB strikeout in Chicago against the Cubs. He finished the 2014 season with a 3.38

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) in 34.2 innings pitched. Díaz earned his first MLB save on September 15, 2015.

Tampa Bay Rays

In March 2017, the

claimed Díaz off waivers. He was designated for assignment on July 16. On July 19, Díaz was assigned outright to the Triple-A

, but he elected free agency on July 21.

Houston Astros

Díaz signed a minor league contract with the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

on July 31, 2017. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Miami Marlins

On January 12, 2018, Diaz signed a minor league deal with the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

. He elected free agency on November 2, 2018.

Mexican League

On February 16, 2019, Díaz signed with the

Toros de Tijuana The Toros de Tijuana (or Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican Baseball team based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They are members of the Mexican Baseball League and play their home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Original Attempt The fran ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. He became a free agent following the season. On December 19, 2019, Díaz signed with the

Diablos Rojos del México The Diablos Rojos del Mexico (English: Mexico Red Devils) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Mexico City, Mexico. The team was founded in 1940 by Salvador Lutteroth and Ernesto Carmona. The Diablos Rojos play their hom ...

of the

. Díaz did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Mexican League season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In 2021, Díaz made 21 appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 2–0 record with a 1.89 ERA. He re-signed for the 2021 season. In 24 relief appearances, he registered a 1–2 record with a 8.20 ERA. On June 21, 2022, Díaz was traded to the

Guerreros de Oaxaca The Guerreros de Oaxaca (English: Oaxaca Warriors) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico. Their home field is Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos. History In October 1995, a group of businessmen, l ...

of the

. In 8 relief appearances, he posted a 0–2 record with a 12.86 ERA. Díaz was released on July 7, 2022.

International career

After the 2020 season, Díaz played for

Águilas Cibaeñas The Águilas Cibaeñas (English lit. ''Cibaoan Eagles'') is a professional baseball team in the Dominican Republic's Dominican Professional Baseball League, winter baseball league. Founded on January 28, and based in Santiago de los Caballeros, S ...

of the

Dominican Professional Baseball League Dominican may refer to: * Someone or something from or related to the Dominican Republic ( , stress on the "mi"), on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles, in the Caribbean ** People of the Dominican Republic ** Demographics of the Dom ...

(LIDOM). He has also played for Dominican Republic in the

2021 Caribbean Series The 2021 Caribbean Series (Serie del Caribe) was the 63rd edition of the international competition featuring the champions of the Colombian Professional Baseball League, Dominican Professional Baseball League, Mexican Pacific League, Panamanian ...

and the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diaz, Jumbo 1984 births Living people Azucareros del Este players Baseball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in baseball Olympic bronze medalists for the Dominican Republic Bowie Baysox players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Cincinnati Reds players Columbus Catfish players Diablos Rojos del México players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Frederick Keys players Fresno Grizzlies players Frisco RoughRiders players Great Falls Dodgers players Great Lakes Loons players Guerreros de Oaxaca players Gulf Coast Dodgers players Indianapolis Indians players Jacksonville Suns players Leones del Caracas players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Mexican League baseball pitchers New Orleans Baby Cakes players Norfolk Tides players Ogden Raptors players South Georgia Waves players Tampa Bay Rays players Tomateros de Culiacán players Toros de Tijuana players Toros del Este players Vero Beach Dodgers players World Baseball Classic players of the Dominican Republic 2017 World Baseball Classic players Olympic baseball players of the Dominican Republic Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Venezuela