Apr 15, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Edwin Díaz reacts after getting a save against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images John Jones-Imagn Images

Mets' Carlos Mendoza explains where Edwin Diaz must improve

Originally posted on New York Mets on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Feb 26, 2025 4:44 PM ET

There's no question that New York Mets right-handed reliever Edwin Díaz is one of baseball's best closers.

As recently as the 2022 season with New York, Díaz produced a sterling 1.31 ERA and 32 saves in 35 save opportunities in 62 innings pitched, which earned him MLB Reliever of the Year honors.

A few months after that 2022 campaign ended, Díaz suffered a complete right patellar tendon tear in his leg while celebrating a victory for the Puerto Rican National Team during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, which caused him to miss the entire 2023 season for the Mets.

Edwin Diaz has two seasons with over 30 saves for the Mets. How many saves will he have in 2025? pic.twitter.com/mRGZ5Avi84
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) February 13, 2025

Díaz returned to the mound in 2024 but didn't always look like the same dominant closer the Mets had gotten used to in 2022. While he still posted a respectable 3.52 ERA, he blew 7 of his 27 regular season save opportunities.

However, the most eye-opening statistics from Díaz's 2024 campaign had to do with stolen bases. He conceded 22 stolen bases during the regular season (with just one caught-stealing), which is almost double the most amount of stolen bases he had conceded in any regular season to that point.

This article first appeared on New York Mets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: