1 Rays veteran proving that he could be even better in 2026

Entering his 8th season with the Rays, Yandy Diaz should finally be considered a veteran for this organization as we can compare his tenure to franchise greats like Evan Longoria (10 seasons), Kevin Kiermaier (10 seasons), and even Brandon Lowe (8 seasons). However, one thing appears to be different for Diaz as opposed to some of these long-tenured Rays. He's getting better every year.

When Diaz joined the Rays in 2019, the MLB immediately saw a totally different player. The complaint in Cleveland about his playing style was that he didn't get lift and carry on the ball at a high enough rate, leaving the slugger with only one Guardians home run in two seasons. However, his first season with the Rays saw him suddenly raise that total to 14 homers in 79 games. We don't want to jump to conclusions, but there could be a multitude of factors that went into this: new ballpark, new club, or new coaching. Regardless, you have to give the Cuban infielder some credit for working through his power struggles.

2020 saw a dip in power due to the shortened campaign, but other than that, Diaz has raised his home run totals pretty much every season. The most impressive part is that his batting average is also rising as he's collected three different .300+ AVG seasons since his debut in Tampa Bay. Diaz's most notable campaign was his AL batting title year where the 6'0 athlete hit .330 with 22 home runs and 78 RBIs. The only players with a better batting average in 2023 were Luis Arraez (.354), NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr (.337), and Freddie Freeman (.331). That is some solid company to be aligned with across a full season of baseball.

A skeptic would assume that Yandy Diaz couldn't keep up this production into his mid-30's, but they may be wrong about that. In 2025, the prolific hitter returned to the .300 mark in batting average and produced career highs in home runs (25) and RBIs (83). You could argue that he was chasing the young Junior Caminero as the prodigy sought out historic numbers, but it's still an impressive feat.

Now, at the ripe age of 34, Diaz will be looking to break his own personal records as he leads this newly assembled club back into Tropicana Field. He's definitely on the right track so far with a .400 AVG and two homers through his first 10 spring at-bats.