Cutting Diamond

Scott Diamond went 19-27, 4.43 in parts of three
seasons with the Twins.

The move came last week while I was cavorting between Class A parks in Iowa:

Trevor May came off the disabled list for the Twins Triple A affiliate in Rochester, and to make room, Scott Diamond was released.

I am admittedly a Diamond fan, but I can't argue with cutting him loose. He fared ill this year in Rochester. A 6.52 ERA is a long way from getting it done, and 10 homers in 80 innings is too many for a guy who lives on the ground ball. There were, by the end, a lot of pitchers in the upper levels of the farm system ahead of him.

The Twins got a good year out of Diamond in 2012, but even that year, his low strikeout rate was an ominous sign of what was to come. As I noted during his 2013 struggles, for him to succeed, it wasn't enough to be good at his strengths. He needed to be the best -- the best at getting ground balls, the best at avoiding walks. He was merely a bit above average at those things last year. And it wasn't any better this season.

The Cincinnati Reds have already signed the lefty to a minor league contract. Maybe Diamond, who's only 27, can revive his flagging career with the Reds. I'll be rooting for him.