With apologies to his team, the single-A Miami Marlins, Scott Diez didn't want to be there, he told The Miami News in June 1988.
In the seventh season since his career began, he hadn't seen AA. He just wanted to move up.
"This is getting old, I'm dying to get to a higher level," he told The News, "... I've paid my dues and struggled. There is a heavy demand for left-handed pitchers. If I was given the opportunity, I know I could definitely contribute to any team.
Diez eventually did make it to AA, but he didn't make it higher.
Diez's career began in 1982, taken by the Red Sox in the 14th round of the draft out of Miami Dade College.
Diez started with the Red Sox at short-season Elmira. He went 4-3, with a 3.66 ERA in 14 outings, 6 starts. He then moved to single-A Winston-Salem for 1983.
He returned to Elmira for 1984. The organization looked Diez to show his potential, The Elmira Star-Gazette wrote that June.
"This is his third year and we want to find out right away how he's gonna do," Elmira manager Dick Berardino told The Star-Gazette. "He's basically a curve-ball pitcher. He gets on top of his curve pretty well. He has to get ahead of the hitters, he's not a 2-and-0 or 3-and-1 pitcher."
Diez went 1-4 in 14 outings, 8 starts that year. He moved to the Tigers system for 1985 in limited action. He got into four games at single-A Lakeland.
Diez missed 1986, but returned for 1987 at independent Miami. He went 1-10, with a 4.13 ERA in 28 outings, 13 starts.
He then saw Miami again in 1988, as well as three starts with the Expos at West Palm Beach. He split 1989 between West Palm Beach and the Mets at single-A St. Lucie.
For 1990, he saw a game with the Mets at AA Jackson, then moved to the Braves at high-A Durham and AA Greenville.
Diez turned scout for 1991 with the brand new Florida Marlins. He followed his father Al Diez into the profession.
"I just wanted to stay in the game," Diez told Knight-Ridder in November 1991. "I remember when I was in sixth grade, and I was acting in the play Oliver. My father drove 500 miles to see the play and then, right afterward, drove 500 miles to see a kid prospect. This job isn't for everybody, but I think it is for me."
The extent of Diez's scouting career was unclear, but he made one more attempt at playing, in 1995. He saw six games at independent Aberdeen and one outing in Taiwan with Uni-President to end his career.
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- Elmira Star-Gazette, June 19, 1984: Opener
- Miami News, June 25, 1988: Marlins' stars hope to shine after tonight
- Ottawa Citizen, Knight-Ridder, Nov. 26, 1991: Marlins' scouts hope they're left seeing stars
Made the Majors:1,417-32.1
Never Made Majors:3,000-67.9%-X
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