Innere » Diaz hit .315 with 12 home runs in 270 at-ba

JUPITER, Fla. -- After spending years trying to find a quality shortstop, the St. Louis Cardinals now appear to have an excess. The Cardinals introduced their newest acquisition, Cuban shortstop Aledmys Diaz, on Monday. Within the organization, some have compared him to a young Derek Jeter. "He walks like him you can see some of that there," St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said. Diaz liked to heard that. "He thinks Derek Jeter is definitely the model ballplayer that everyone should look up to, that he looked up to in the opportunities that he had in Cuba to watch baseball games," said translator Moise Rodriguez, a team employee. "Hes a world-renowned baseball player that comes across as somebody thats a leader and somebody that everybody should try to be like." The Cardinals signed Diaz to a four-year deal over the weekend only months after signing current shortstop Jhonny Peralta, a two-time All-Star, to a free agent contract of the same length. Having Peralta will allow the Cardinals to take their time with the 23-year-old Diaz, who will begin this season in the minor leagues and likely be given a chance to learn multiple infield positions. "We plan on being patient with him," Mozeliak said. "He hasnt played baseball in, really, over a year and a half competitively. Its not something where were looking to have him put his fingerprints on the major league team tomorrow. We can give him time to develop and let him, from a talent standpoint, take his time to get back to where he was." Diaz defected from Cuba to Mexico in 2012. The Cardinals scouted Diaz in Mexico and worked him out earlier this spring at the Roger Dean Stadium complex. "I thought he did a lot of things well," said St. Louis manager Mike Matheny, who attended the Jupiter workout. "You are just looking at tools at that point. You can see that hes had some repetitions out there. He knows what hes doing. Swinging the bat, the ball jumped off. Just a guy that you could tell hes been around the game a while." Diaz hit .315 with 12 home runs in 270 at-bats during the 2011-12 season in Cuba. Mozeliak expects Diaz to continue to hit for average with gap power as a major leaguer. "Were very confident that he can be an offensive middle infielder, specifically a shortstop," Mozeliak said. Diaz went through practice with his new team before Mondays game against Detroit, but it will be some time before he appears in a major league spring training exhibition. Later this week, he will return to Mexico to finalize his work visa. Until that issue is cleared, Diaz can work out with the big league club but can only play in games on the back fields. "Its always been his dream to try and compete at the highest level in the world," Rodriguez said. "Obviously this represents that. Yeah, there are some challenges and difficulties. But for him, being able to come here and try to compete with the best in the world in the industry is something that hes always looked forward to doing." Daniel Kilgore Dolphins Jersey . The Sioux Falls Canaries scored two in the seventh and three more in the eighth to come back from a 3-0 deficit and defeat the Winnipeg Goldeyes 5-3 in front of 6,769 at Shaw Park on Sunday afternoon. Danny Amendola Dolphins Jersey . The Durban-based Sharks withstood a furious second-half fightback to beat the Queensland Reds 35-20 for a fourth straight win which gave them a five-point lead atop the championship table. The Hamilton-based Chiefs scored two late tries to beat the Cape Town-based Stormers 36-20 for their third win, after the Stormers rallied from 24-6 down to 24-20 with six minutes remaining. http://www.officialauthenticdolphinsshop...jersey.html.com) - DAngelo Harrison posted 21 points to guide No. Minkah Fitzpatrick Dolphins Jersey . A 23-year-old rookie, Stroman is 4-2 with a 3.44 earned run average in 12 games this season, the past seven of those being starts. He logged the first scoreless outing of his career on Friday versus Oakland in a no-decision. Custom Miami Dolphins Jerseys . The 24-year-old right winger has one assist in nine games this season with the Sabres. In his career, he has three goals and six assists in 43 NHL games. Canadian womens soccer team veteran Melanie Booth announced her retirement Wednesday, ending a career highlighted by a gold-medal win at the 2011 Pan Am Games and Olympic bronze the following year in London. Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. "I had been preparing myself for this and it seemed like it was the right time for me." Booth had one of the shootout goals in Canadas victory over Brazil at the 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. Canada tied the game late in the second half and won 4-3 on penalty kicks. The veteran defender was initially listed as an alternate on the 2012 Olympic side but was later added to the team when injuries forced roster changes. "The hardest part (about retiring) is leaving the people that Ive been around for so long," she said. "Theyre like a second family to me." Although she never featured in London, Booth proudly stood on the podium with her teammates to receive their bronze medals after a 1-0 win over France at Wemmbley Stadium.dddddddddddd "Just the group that I was with, I was just so thankful to be around them and to be a part of that team," she said. "Just throughout my whole career thats what I strived to do -- just to look for the positive in everything and use that as motivation and try to better the people around me." Of her 65 caps, 37 came as a starter. Her lone goal for Canada came in a 4-0 win over Jamaica at the 2006 CONCACAF Womens Gold Cup. Canada won silver at that tournament. Booth also helped Canada win silver at the FIFA U20 Womens World Cup in 2002 and the Womens Gold Cup that same year. The 29-year-old played college soccer at the University of Florida. She started her club career with the Toronto Lady Lynx and also played for the Vancouver Whitecaps. Booth joined Sky Blue FC as part of the NWSLs original national team player allocation process. "We all want to thank Mel for her contributions to Sky Blues inaugural NWSL season," Sky Blue FC coach Jim Gabarra said in a release. "Congratulations to Mel on a successful career and good luck in the next phase of life." Booth has yet to finalize her future plans but intends to remain involved in the sport in some capacity. 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