Yandy Díaz is the American League batting champion in MLB

October 9, 2023

The infielder from Villa Clara with the Tampa Bay Rays is the third batter born on the island to achieve this award.

The Cuban infielder with the Tampa Bay Rays, Yandy Díaz from Villa Clara, won the batting title in the American League of the 2023 regular season in Major League Baseball (MLB), according to sports channel ESPN.

Díaz, who did not play in the Rays' last regular season game, won the American League batting title with a batting average of .330, in a tight battle with Corey Seager of the Texas Rangers.

The Cuban was behind Seager by just a few percentage points heading into Sunday's game, but since Texas was fighting for a wild card spot, the Ranger had to play and went 4-0, which lowered his average to .327. Thanks to that, the Villa Clara native claimed this Major League award. The Cuban is the first Tampa Bay player to win a batting title.

"To the HISTORY books. A surreal 2023. Yandy Díaz became the 3rd player born in Cuba to be a batting champion in Major Leagues. Tony Oliva (1964, 1965, 1971) .323 AVG, .321 AVG, .337 AVG. Yuli Gurriel (2021) .319 AVG. Yandy Díaz (2023) .330 AVG", wrote sports reporter Francys Romero on his Facebook profile.

Earlier this year, Díaz extended his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays for three years and 24 million dollars in Major League Baseball (MLB), according to specialized sources.

➤ Third Cuban Bat Champion in MLB
➤ Best average (.330) in a season with Tampa Bay Rays
➤ Second best OBP (.410) in a season with the Rays
➤ Second Rays player to bat over .300 and hit at least 20 HR

Díaz had a "breakout" season in 2022, when he posted an offensive line of .296/.401/.423 with nine home runs and personal bests. Most of the time he was guarding the hot corner for the Tampa Bay Rays and ranked in the "top 10" in voting as "most valuable player".

The native of Sagua la Grande and nicknamed "The Spider" made his Major League debut in 2017 with the Cleveland Indians, with whom he played two seasons.

In 2022, regarding the V World Baseball Classic, Díaz assured sports journalist Francys Romero that, although the attendance of Cuban players in Major League Baseball (MLB) is a debatable matter, he would be willing to help in whatever way he could a Team Cuba.

Finally, Díaz was not called to the preselection of 50 Cuban players for the Classic and focused on his career in the MLB, where he finished the regular season with this American League batting title.