A former Marlins prospect is breaking slugging records in Korea

Success in the Major Leagues eluded Lewin Diaz during his three seasons with the Miami Marlins, but that hasn't been the case since he headed to Korea to play for the KBO's Samsung Lions. The 28-year-old first baseman has been breaking the league's slugging records. 

Lewin Diaz's tenure in the majors

Originally signed as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic by the Minnesota Twins, Diaz was traded to the Marlins at the 2019 trade deadline for reliever Sergio Romo. He would debut briefly during the 2020 pandemic-shortened season, appearing in 14 games. 

Diaz played in 112 games between 2020-22 with the Marlins, hitting just .181/.227/.340 (54 OPS+) with 13 home runs over 343 plate appearances. 

2023 was spent back in the minor leagues with Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate, before Diaz opted to play in the Mexican League at the start of the 2024 season. He'd hit well there, attracting the attention of scouts in the KBO before signing with the Lions for the final month of the season. 

Diaz is rewriting the record books 

Offensively, Diaz has taken things to a whole new level in 2025. The lefty is batting .302/.368/.625 through 598 plate appearances. Diaz has added 26 doubles, 48 home runs and 144 RBI on the year. 

The KBO single-season home run record is 56, set by Seung-yeop Lee in 2003. Lee topped the 50-homer mark a second time, while two other Korean sluggers have reached the milestone. Diaz's 48 home runs tie the mark set by Yamaico Navarro in 2015 (also for the Lions), which is the record by a foreign-born player. 

ByungHo Park set the KBO RBI record, driving in 146 runs in 2015. Diaz already has the mark by a foreign-born player and stands a good chance at surpassing Park in this last week of the season. 

The Lions have six games remaining on their schedule before the postseason.