Rockies' Jairo Diaz: Touches upper-90s in spring debut

Diaz (elbow) pitched two-thirds of an inning in his first Cactus League appearance Monday, giving up five runs on five hits and a walk.

Analysis:

The appearance is definitely a step in the right direction for the fireballer, and although the results are somewhat cringe-worthy, some positives can be taken away from the outing. Diaz's fastball touched 98.8 miles per hour, showing the high-octane delivery that has Rockies fans drooling. He also got the first two outs of the inning relatively quickly, one of them even being a strikeout. His rust became apparent afterward, however, as his inability to command his changeup and slider led to a home run and a premature exit from the contest. Diaz appears to be pretty healthy as of now, although he'll likely need some more work in game situations prior to being fully cleared for major league innings. His return to full-time work appears to still lie in early May.