Juan Carlos Díaz was a professional baseball

Professional baseball

Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....

 first baseman

First baseman

First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...

/designated hitter

Designated hitter

In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...

 who retierd in 2011. Listed at 6' 2", 228 lb., Díaz batted and threw right-handed. He spent part of the 2002 season in Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 with the Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

.

Díaz was a veteran of fourteen minor league seasons. He started his baseball career in 1997 with the Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

 organization, playing for them two years before joining the Boston (2000–02), Baltimore

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

 (2003), Minnesota

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

 (2004), and St. Louis

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

 systems. In 2007, he played for the independent Joliet JackHammers

Joliet JackHammers

The Joliet JackHammers were a professional baseball team based in Joliet, Illinois, in the United States. The JackHammers were a member of the Northern League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From 2002 to 2010, the JackHammers played their home games at Silver Cross...

 of the Northern League. He split 2008 between the JackHammers and the Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo

Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo

The Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo formerly known as the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos were a Mexican Baseball League team that played in the Zona Norte of the Mexican League. The Ciudad Deportiva's Estadio Nuevo Laredo is their home baseball park which has a capacity of 12,000 fans...

 of the Mexican League.

In four major league games with the Red Sox, Díaz posted a .286 batting average

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 (two-for-seven) with one home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

, two RBI

Run batted in

Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...

, two runs

Run (baseball)

In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...

, one double

Double (baseball)

In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....

, a .375 OBP, and a .857 SLG. His only home run came on June 23, when he hit a two-run shot) off Dodgers pitcher

Pitcher

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 Andy Ashby

Andy Ashby

Andrew Jason Ashby is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher who played for the Philadelphia Phillies , Colorado Rockies , San Diego Padres , Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers...

 in a 9-6 loss.

From 1997 through 2008, Díaz made 936 minor league appearances, hitting for a .301 average (999-for-3209) with 230 home runs and 719 RBI.

Diaz played the 2010 baseball season for the Winnipeg Goldeyes

Winnipeg Goldeyes

The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a professional baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in Canada. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From 1994 to 2010, the team was a member of the Northern League.The...

in the Northern League. He is rumored to be retiring to spend time with his family. On January 27, 2011, it was announced that he was released by Winnipeg. Then retired 2 months later.