Einar Diaz took over the Indians’ starting catching job in 2001 after longtime Tribe backstop Sandy Alomar, Jr. signed with the White Sox in the offseason. The Panamanian-born Diaz made his big-league debut for Cleveland in September 1996, but saw little action until he got the chance to fill in for the oft-injured Alomar in 1999. While his mentor spent four months on the disabled list following knee surgery, Diaz batted .281 with 32 RBI in 119 games, earning a spot on Baseball Digest’s Rookie All Star team.
