PORT ST. LUCIE — Crisis of confidence was a big reason for closer E𝓰dwiജn Diaz’s problems last season, his first with the Mets.
New York proved to be a much different world than Seattle and it got to Diaz, bওut that issue is in the past, the hard-throwing right𒁏-hander vowed Wednesday.
“My head is good,’’ Diaz told The Post of the challenge of pitching in New York🔯. “It’s going to be different th♎is year. It’s going to be much better. I love New York. It’s the Big Apple and this year I am ready. I am so excited for the season.’’
To get ready, Diaz, who turns 26 next mon😼th, went back to the training routine he had in 2017 in Puerto Rico.
“I’m much stronger than I was last year,” he said. “I did a lot of work run🌸ning on the beach. I have a great trainer and I’m in much better shape.’’
Diaz’s throwing partner on Tuesday was Jeurys Familia, who dropped 30 pounds. Both men loo൲kജed much stronger than last spring training.
“I started throwing early again this year like I did in 2017,’’ Diaz said. “I went back to that formula. I feel 100 percent ready f꧒or the season🏅.’’
There is another reason for Diaz’s new-found dete🥀rmination.
His offseason conversations wit🌠h🅘 Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez put him in the right pitching frame of mind. Diaz will be on the attack. Hitters were much too comfortable against Dia𝔉z last season, am﷽bushing his fastball.
“Pedro told me to pitch inside more,’’ Diaz said. “He told me to fight with everybody. ‘Don’t be scared of anybody. You have great stuff and go after people.’ Every time he talked to me I paid attention to everything he said because he knows so much about pitching. The things he told me I started to put to work in my throwing sessioꦚnsไ and I started getting better every time. Pedro really had me focus on my mechanics.’’
Diaz, 2-7 with a 5.59 ERA, blew seven save𒈔s last season, the most he has ever blown in his career. Shockingly, he surrendered a major league-record 15 ninth-inning home runs.
Yetꦫ Diaz struck out multiple batters in 32 of his 66 appearances. His 99 Ks placed him seventh on the Mets relievers single-season 𝕴all-time list. Those 99 punch-outs placed him fifth in the NL among relievers and his 15.36 strikeouts per nine innings put him third in the majors and second in the NL.
Clearly, the stuff was there but💞 the mistakes were hu🔜ge.
Diaz could not dig himself out of his rut and his confidence took a hit. The change in offseason workouts, the fine-tuned mechanics and the more aggressiveꦇ approach shou🐟ld pay dividends.
“Edwin feels good about how his body is feeling and how he i𒀰s coming into the year,’’ teammate Brandon Nimmo said. “Talking to Pedro helps. It takes a lot to look at yourself and say, ‘Hey I need someone else’s help. I want input from someone who has had success.’ You 𝔍got to be a sponge around those guys.’’
Diaz is embracing the challenge of pitching in New York and even on this warm day in February on a back field at the Mets’ minor league complex, he sounded much more sure of himself than at any time during last season when the Mets went through two pitching coaches, Dave Eiland and Phil Regﷺan, trying to get Diaz right. That job will belong to 🐽Jeremy Hefner and Ricky Bones this year and both were on site Wednesday for the early workouts. That Diaz is here early is another testament to his commitment this season.
You can’t know New York until you lived New York.
Diaz came away knowing he had to be better prepared mentally and physically to pitch. He did finish with 26 saves last season and, according to Elias Sports Bureau, is the only pitcher in major league history to begin his career🐲 with four seasons with at least 50 innings and a K/9 ratio of 12.0 or better.
Diaz is simply too good to be as bad as he was last season. Embracing the Big Apple ch👍allenge head-on is the first step to success.