Cardinals' Aledmys Diaz: Swipes two bases in opener
Diaz went 2-for-5 with a double and two stolen bases in Sunday's 4-3 Opening Day win over the Cubs.
Diaz and offseason acquisition Dexter Fowler have the look of a lethal 1-2 punch at the top of the Cardinals order, and it was the former who particularly stood out Sunday. The pair of swipes was especially noteworthy because Diaz was just 4-for-8 in steal attempts during his rookie campaign and never topped six stolen bases in his minor-league career. Now 26, Diaz burst onto the scene in 2016 in the wake of Jhonny Peralta's spring training thumb injury, providing a .300/.369/.510 line that included 28 doubles, three triples, 17 home runs and 65 RBI. With a year of seasoning at the big-league level now under his belt, 20-plus homers and 100 RBI look to be realistic goals for the blossoming star in 2017.
