In the name of giving credit where credit is due, What the Heck, Bobby beat me to the punch in pointing out that the Astros should consider adding Dayan Diaz to their 40-man roster this off-season.
True, Diaz was only in short season Tri-City in 2011, and his time on the mound marked his first solid season pitching in the United States. However, to find precedent for adding a pitcher in Diaz's situation to the 40-man roster, one needs only look back to last season and Jorge DeLeon.
2010 was DeLeon's first season as a pitcher (he is a converted shortstop). In 2010, with Tri-City, DeLeon, who turned 23 while he was a Valley Cat, posted an 0.64 ERA in 28 innings. He allowed only 26 hits and struck out 29. In 2011, as part of the 40-man roster, DeLeon led Lexington with 16 saves, posting a 3.42 ERA in 55 1/3 innings.
By comparison, Dayan Diaz was a Valley Cat in 2011. He missed almost all of 2009 and 2010 with injury, so 2011 was in some sense his first year as a pitcher(a healthy one at least). Diaz, who turned 22 prior to the season, posted a 1.98 for Tri-City in 50 innings pitched. He allowed only 27 hits and struck out 70 batters.
Granted there is additional talent in the Astros' system compared to last off-season, so it may be difficult to find space on the 40-man roster for a long-term project like Diaz. However, history indicates that such a move is a possibility.
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