The community projections are back (mainly as filler until games start, but we do need to round out the rest of the players expected to make the opening day roster). First up is Matt Diaz, a Magellan in the outfield. Bobby Cox recently alluded to the fact that Diaz could certainly be an everyday player on Bobby's team. Well, I'll see it when I believe it. Until then he's likely relegated to a platoon roll with young up-and-comer Brandon Jones (though, spring is a tough beast to tame, and Jones could stumble, leaving Diaz alone in left).

The real question we should be asking ourselves is "why shouldn't Matt Diaz be an everyday player?" The guy has only gotten better each of the last two years as he's received more playing time. A .338 average in 135 games is a pretty rare thing. Add to that the fact that he hits right-handers almost as good as he hits left-handers, and he's more than just a platoon player. His .318 batting average last year against right-handers is certainly more than any of other candidates we have are expected to put up. The only knock on him when facing right-handers is that his patience and power decrease dramatically, but that could be remedied by more frequent reps against them which comes with increased playing time.

We will have to wait and see what Brandon Jones does this spring to know if he will make the team in a platoon role with Diaz. While some people are saying Jones will make the team, I'm with those that think he will be sent to triple-A for more seasoning. He only got half a season of triple-A last year, and he looked rather lost in his few big league at-bats. Therefore, in my book Diaz gets the starting left-field job full time (but again, spring could tell a different story).

Here is my projection for Matt Diaz based on a full-time role this year:

.332/.370/.507 with 19 HR, 67 RBI, 29 BB, and 78 SO

I think he's primed to add more power this year (with regular playing time usually comes more power). The daily grind will cause him to regress a bit in his average, though it will still be among the tops in the league. The only damaging thing about Diaz in the lineup everyday is that it takes away possibly our best pinch hitter off the bench. It's still worth having Diaz in the lineup everyday. You can't ask for a better hitter to round out the 7th or 8th spot in your batting order.