"It Was Something That was Extremely Special" Davis Diaz Reflects on Vanderbilt Career

Davis Diaz gets the chance to think a lot more now than he did in his three years at Vanderbilt.

It was always go, go, go for Diaz on West End, which he “loved.” Now he’s adjusting to having mornings and sometimes nights to catch his breath before playing every day for the Lansing Lugnuts–the High A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics–though.

As a result, it’s significantly easier for Diaz to find time for a phone call before reporting to the ballpark a little ahead of the 2:45 time he’s required to be there by for a 7:05 time. He’s got more time to work on his own schedule rather than doing everything with his teammates. He’s also got more of a chance to reflect.

The former Vanderbilt third baseman–who played 182 games over three seasons for Vanderbilt–appears to have done plenty of that since being drafted in the eighth round last July.

“It’s hard to put into words to reflect on it, but it was something that was extremely special and I’m fortunate enough to cherish it forever,” Diaz told Vandy on SI in regards to his Vanderbilt career. “To this day I still look back and the biggest thing that comes out from it is just how grateful I am for the people I was around each day, the things I got to learn on a daily basis and see on a daily basis.”

Diaz joined Vanderbilt a little under four years ago as a freshman that the Vanderbilt staff didn’t know if they would get through the MLB Draft. The Pittsburg, California, native believed he was ready to bypass school if the opportunity presented itself, but he ultimately choose to pursue a career at Vanderbilt rather than signing.

The Vanderbilt third baseman became a starter as a freshman and held down third base until signing as a junior. Vanderbilt never made it out of a regional with Diaz on the roster, but he still looks back on his decision to bypass the draft as the right one.

“Coming out of high school as a senior I think if you would’ve asked me I would’ve told you I was ready, but after those three years at Vanderbilt I realize I would’ve been nowhere near ready,” Diaz said. “Those three years at Vanderbilt helped me mature so much, especially for professional baseball.”

“It’s a drastic change comparing who I was as a senior coming out of high school and being able to do those three years at Vanderbilt just makes me feel like I was able to learn so much.”

Now that Diaz is in his first professional season, he cherishes the memories of classroom sessions with Vanderbilt coach TIm Corbin. He cherishes the memories of being with his teammates every day. He also cherishes the memories of winning.

Diaz wants you to know that even though he didn’t always do it, he cared deeply about the results in his time at Vanderbilt. Still does.

“Just a guy that went out and tried to do everything that he could to win,” Diaz said when asked how he wants to be remembered by Vanderbilt fans. “That’s my goal anytime I step out on the field and it’s really the only thing I can think about is what I can do to help our team win and put ourselves in the best position possible.”

Shortly after hanging up on his reflective interview, Diaz headed to Jackson Stadium in Lansing, Michigan, to go back to business. Things aren’t as comfortable there for the third baseman and now catcher as they were in his college home or his previous assignment in Stockton, which is 40 minutes from his parents’ house. He’s got a job to do now, though.

Diaz tries to view it as a gift to go out on the field, but knows his numbers matter greatly at this stage of his career. So far, so good for the Athletics’ draft pick. Diaz is up to his second affiliate of the season after repeating the start of the season at Low-A Stockton, he’s now _ games into his tenure at High A and is hitting for a .237 average and a .681 OPS.

The former Vanderbilt third baseman is chasing his dream of becoming a big leaguer daily and is doing all he can to get there–including playing a good portion of his games at a position he hasn’t played in his career outside of a few high school games–but he’s not forgetting where he came from.

“I’m so unbelievably grateful for what they’ve done for not only me, but my family,” Diaz said of those within the Vanderbilt program and its fanbase. “Including us in that environment and honestly just them supporting us through everything, they helped make it the most special three years of my life.”