Elías David Díaz Soto (born November 17, 1990) is a Venezuelan professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

for the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

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(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

and

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

. Díaz has also represented the Colombia national team.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Minor leagues

Díaz signed with the

as an international

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2008. He made his professional debut in 2009 for the Venezuelan Summer League Pirates. From 2010 to 2013, he played for the

Gulf Coast Pirates The Florida Complex League Pirates are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Pirates. The team plays its hom ...

(batting .210),

West Virginia Power The Charleston Dirty Birds are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a MLB Partner League, partner league ...

(batting .221, and then .208 the following year) and

Bradenton Marauders The Bradenton Marauders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Bradenton, Florida, and play their home games at LECOM Park, which also serves as the ...

(batting .279). Díaz started 2014 with the Double-A

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of ...

. In August he was promoted to the Triple-A

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

after hitting .328 with Altoona, but he then batted .152/.243/.182 in Triple-A. On November 20, 2014, Díaz was added to the Pirates'

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

to protect him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Díaz spent most of the 2015 and 2016 seasons in Triple-A. In 2015, he was an

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

All-Star and was named to the

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...

. He also was named the best minor league catcher by ''

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.'' His 2016 season was limited by injury, as he had surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow in early May, then suffered an infection in his left leg in early September.

Major leagues

Díaz made his major league debut on September 12, 2015, as a pinch hitter. He went 0-for-2 as a Pirates pinch hitter in 2015, never playing defensively. He played in one game for the Pirates in 2016, going 0-for-4 on July 24. He did get his first career MLB RBI and picked off runner Carlos Ruiz at second base. He was the Pirates' primary backup to

Francisco Cervelli Francisco Cervelli (born March 6, 1986) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball catcher and current manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, and Miami Marlins from 2008 ...

in 2017, batting .223/.265/.314 with one home run in 200 plate appearances. He again backed up Cervelli in 2018, improving his offensive production to a .283/.339/.452

slash line This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries. 0–9 0 :"Oh and ..." See count. 1 ...

with 10 home runs in 277 plate appearances. Díaz was the Pirates' primary catcher in 2019, but his offense cratered, batting .241/.296/.307 with 2 home runs in 332 plate appearances. On December 2, 2019, Díaz was non-tendered by Pittsburgh and became a free agent.

Colorado Rockies

On January 6, 2020, Díaz signed a minor league contract with the

. Díaz made the

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Díaz batted .235/.288/.353 with two home runs in 73 plate appearances over 2020. In 2021, he batted .246/.310/.464 with 18 home runs and 44 RBI in 106 games. On November 18, 2021, Díaz signed a three-year, $14.5 million extension with the Rockies. On September 10, 2022, Diaz went 4-for-5 with two home runs and seven RBI, including a three-run

walk-off home run In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will not have an opp ...

, leading the Rockies to a 13-10 win. In 2023, Díaz was named to the

2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 93rd Major League Baseball All-Star Game, held between the American League (AL) and the National League (NL) of Major League Baseball (MLB). The game was played on July 11, 2023, and was broadc ...

. He hit the game-winning home run for the National League in the eighth inning and was named the game's

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

. In 141 games for Colorado in 2023, he slashed .267/.316/.409 with 14 home runs and a career-high 72 RBI. Díaz played in 84 games for the Rockies in 2024, hitting .270/.315/.378 with five home runs and 36 RBI. He was released by Colorado on August 16, as the team promoted catcher Drew Romo .

San Diego Padres

On August 26, 2024, Díaz signed a minor league contract with the

. In 4 games for the Triple-A

El Paso Chihuahuas The El Paso Chihuahuas are a Minor League Baseball team based in El Paso, Texas. The Chihuahuas compete in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) as the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Sou ...

, he went 3–for–12 (.250) with one home run and six RBI. On September 1, the Padres selected Díaz's contract, adding him to their active roster. In 12 games for San Diego in 2024, Díaz batted .190/.292/.429 with one home run and 3 RBI. He made his postseason debut in Game 2 of the

National League Division Series In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring e ...

, striking out in his only at bat. He became a free agent after the season. On January 28, 2025, Díaz re-signed with the Padres on a one-year, $3.5 million contract.

International career

Born in Venezuela, Díaz's father was from Colombia, making him eligible to represent the

Colombia national baseball team The Colombia national baseball team (Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de Colombia'') is the national baseball team of Colombia. The team represents Colombia in international competitions. Colombia has won two international baseball championship ...

. He was slated to play with Colombia at the

2017 World Baseball Classic The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts wer ...

, but was not permitted by the Pirates organization due to injury reasons. He was named to the Colombian roster for the

2023 World Baseball Classic The 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball tournament and the fifth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. It began on March 8, 2023, and ran until March 21. It was originally scheduled to take place in ...

, where he shared catching duties with Meibrys Viloria. Díaz hit .250/.250/.375 in eight at-bats in the tournament. He hit an RBI double in the team's 10-inning win over

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Personal life

Díaz is married to Katherine Delgado and has two children, Eliana and Elanie. Díaz's parents are Ana Soto and Porfirio Díaz. His father died when he was six years old. His mother was kidnapped in Venezuela in 2022, one of several such incidents involving ballplayers' family members in Venezuela. His older brother Emison Soto played in the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

minor league system from 1990 to 1994 and continued to play in Mexican and American independent baseball until 2004.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Diaz, Elias 1990 births Living people Altoona Curve players Baseball players from Maracaibo Bradenton Marauders players Bravos de Margarita players Colorado Rockies players Gulf Coast Pirates players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball All-Star Game MVPs Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela 21st-century Venezuelan sportsmen National League All-Stars Pittsburgh Pirates players San Diego Padres players Scottsdale Scorpions players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Venezuelan people of Colombian descent Venezuelan Summer League Pirates players West Virginia Power players 2023 World Baseball Classic players