How Khadim Diaw is Changing His Catching Trajectory

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Wichita Wind Surge

There is a temptation to look at a catcher’s defensive development through one statistic. For Khadim Diaw, that statistic does not tell the entire story.

The Minnesota Twins catching prospect has allowed 123 stolen bases this season while throwing out just 10 runners. That eight-percent caught-stealing rate is difficult to overlook, particularly for a player whose long-term future could be tied to his ability to remain behind the plate.

But within the Twins organization, there is a much different evaluation of Diaw's defensive progress. On a recent episode of Inside Twins, Twins Director of Player Development Drew MacPhail offered significant praise for the work Diaw has done behind the plate this season.

“He’s made even more strides defensively,” MacPhail said. “He came in pretty raw and he’s grading now as one of our best receivers in the system.”

That is a noteworthy development for a player who entered professional baseball with plenty of offensive intrigue but needed considerable refinement defensively. Diaw is showing that refinement.

The Defensive Transformation

Diaw was never viewed as a finished product when the Twins selected him in the third round of the 2024 MLB Draft. His athleticism was one of his most intriguing traits. He moves well for a catcher and possesses enough athletic ability to spend time in the outfield, giving the organization some flexibility in how it deploys him.

But catching is still the priority. The Twins have invested considerable time into making Diaw a better receiver and improving the physical tools that come with playing the position. That includes his throwing arm.

“I think a big thing as well has been working on his arm strength,” MacPhail said. “He’s done a really nice job of that with both our pitching coordinator and our catching coordinator, Tucker Frawley, to being on an offseason program to work on his arm strength.”

The stolen-base numbers suggest there is still work to be done. But receiving is about far more than controlling the running game. Framing, presentation, blocking, preparation and working with a pitching staff all contribute to a catcher’s defensive value. Diaw appears to be making meaningful progress in those areas. 

The Bat Has Continued to Play

Diaw is not simply surviving his first exposure to Double-A pitching. He is thriving against it. Diaw began the 2026 season with High-A Cedar Rapids, where he hit .300/.405/.454 with an .859 OPS and a 127 wRC+. That earned him a promotion to Wichita.

The move up the organizational ladder did not cause his offensive production to disappear. Through his first 40 games with the Wind Surge, Diaw posted a .312/.432/.422 line over that stretch in one of the most challenging environments of his professional career, producing a 128 wRC+.

Andrew Cresci, the hitting coach at Double-A Wichita, also praised Diaw's preparation and attention to detail.

“Double-A is probably the biggest jump they'll make until they go to the big leagues, just in terms of the quality of the pitching,” Cresci said. “He did an excellent job. The guy is a perfectionist in his attention to detail. I can definitely appreciate his work in the cage and his preparation.”

Perhaps even more encouraging was his plate discipline. Diaw drew 23 walks while striking out just 18 times. That is a remarkable ratio for a young catcher adjusting to Double-A pitching. Diaw has always possessed an advanced understanding of the strike zone. He posted an 11.8% walk rate in 2025, and his ability to get on base has continued into his second professional season.

There is another number that has helped him reach base, too. He gets hit. A lot. Diaw was hit by a pitch 18 times during his first full professional season. Through 98 games in 2026, he has already been plunked 19 times, including 11 times at Double-A.

Some of that is likely a byproduct of his willingness to work deep into counts and his aggressive approach to getting on base. But there is a bigger point here. When Diaw is healthy and in the lineup, he has consistently hit.

Finding More Power

The question has never necessarily been whether Diaw can hit. It has been how much damage he can create. Diaw is likely always going to be a hit-over-power offensive player. His approach is built around contact, controlling the strike zone and doing damage early in counts rather than selling out for power.

Still, the Twins have seen signs that there could be more pop coming. Diaw made swing changes during his second professional season, including adjustments designed to unlock more power to his pull side. His Pull% has increased by 6.4% this season  His power numbers have dipped since his promotion to Double-A (his slugging percentage dropped 30 points), but some of the underlying contact metrics have moved in the right direction.

He had a 17-game hit streak from July 11 to August 8th that was the longest in the Texas League this season. In the streak, he batted .373 (25-for-67) with 12 runs scored, 2 home runs and 6 RBI. Diaw fell one game short of the franchise record for the longest streak. A player who already has the ability to make consistent contact, avoid strikeouts and draw walks becomes considerably more interesting if he can add even modest additional power.

The goal isn't necessarily to turn Diaw into a 25-home-run catcher. It is to make pitchers pay more often when they enter the strike zone.

A Catcher Worth Watching

There are still legitimate questions surrounding Diaw. The stolen-base numbers cannot simply be ignored. His arm strength needs to continue developing, and the offensive power remains more projection than certainty. But his trajectory is changing.

Diaw entered professional baseball as an athletic catcher with an advanced offensive approach who needed significant defensive development. Now, the Twins believe he is one of their better receivers.

His offensive profile makes the development even more intriguing. A catcher who can hit for average, control the strike zone, avoid strikeouts and consistently reach base already has a foundation. If the swing changes continue to produce better contact quality and more power, his offensive ceiling rises.

Ultimately, Diaw's trajectory will depend on whether the defensive improvements continue to catch up with his offensive ability. The Twins clearly believe that process is moving in the right direction. 

And if the work behind the plate eventually matches what the organization already sees from his bat, Diaw could become much more than another piece of catching depth. He could become a legitimate part of Minnesota's long-term catching picture.

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What stands out about Diaw in 2026? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Eris]

Hmmm. Looking for comps. There is Austin Hedges who threw out 3 runners in 41 attempts. 
 

A 10% CS doesn’t really work for me. Maybe it used to be 5% and this represents a 100% improvement and that’s MacPhail was glowing about. Maybe Diaw can play CF. 

[SE23]

Diaw is a baseball player with athleticism and elite hitting skills. If his development as a catcher keeps trending up, he will be a major cog in the Twins roster for years. If he washes out at catcher, he's athletic enough to jump to an outfield spot so that his offensive skills can still be engaged. We all love our sudden prospect depth at catcher, but we really only need one of Diaw, Tait, Lackey and Tinney to reach MLB competence behind the plate.

[PuckettPond]

We need more quality catching prospects like Diaw as the Twins in history have been lacking quality catching prospects. More trades & high draft picks moving forward will help the Twins to their next World Series. We need to stop drafting catchers who tip off pitches to go home to their Mother's basement because he has trouble adjusting to drinking cold milk. Go Twins!

[Road trip]

It's great he is improving, but yeah, I can't overlook the stolen bases.  Teams are running far more in today's game.

Framing skills are nice now, but perhaps not relevant in a few years when MLB goes full robo-ump.

Offensively, perhaps he is a Luis Arraez-type with a bit more gap power and speed?  Only 19 strikeouts in AA is impressive.  

[Mike Sixel]

I really didn't give a crap about his SB numbers right now. I'm not sure I will in the majors either. Everything else is great. And if he can't catch, he'll be a good OF. 

He's under rated.

[MeleMouth]

This year in MLB, Liam Hicks is the catcher with the best plate discipline who is low on power and doesn't throw out many attempted steals. Diaw is age 22 in AA; Hicks had a similar AA season at age 24. Diaw's age 22 stats are actually mostly better than Hicks' age 24 stats, except that Hicks had better success against the run game. Being equivalent to Hicks would be a great outcome for Diaw, and there is potential for more.

[Thumbs Down Guy]

If  anyone knows how to spell Diaw phonetically, so I know how to say his name I would appreciate it you would do so. Thanks.

[Nashvilletwin]

Four solid catching prospects in the system now. It’s been a long time, if ever, we could say that.  It’s not impossible that all four  could be on the major league roster in ‘29 with Tinney at 1B and Diaw in the OF.

If it looks like there will be plenty of baseball next season, re-sign Jeffers to a three/four year deal with team trade protection after year two.  If not, finesse ‘27 with Caratini and Jackson  and hope one of the four at least is ready by ‘28.

[gman]

I don't think there is much chance that Jeffries is resigned for 3-4 years. Or even 1-2 years. He'll probably get a deal in the 60-75 million range. 

Next year in the catching department I think the the focus will be on Vahn Lackey being pushed through the system as quick as possible with Diaw and Tait coming in at #2 & #3. Right now it seems as if Diaw is slightly ahead, but the Twins gave up a lot for Tait and Jimenez and probably won't just forget about them. Diaw is the old man of the group at a recently turned 23 and his skill set looks strong if a little weak on the caught stealing department.

Even Nunez who is shy of opportunity so far has a very high OBP and a caught stealing rate close to 30%. He is also in the same age group as Tait. But probably comes in at a distant 5th following the above. 

[Andy MacPhail]

Diaw is athletic & does a few things right but his CS% is not acceptable. It's great that he's working on it but still it's not enough. I like Diaw & wish that his CS% was better but it's not & probably never will, so we need to move on from him.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

Catching is more than just throwing out baserunners. Plus even though running is becoming a bigger part of the game. It will never be as big a part of the game at the mlb level as players age.  I’ve always felt he can stay at catcher same as Tait. For being age 22 he can continue to improve throwing out baserunners. The fact the Twins are saying he is improving defensively is as good of confirmation on improvement defensively and that catcher continues to be his primary position. 

[SE23]

2 hours ago, Thumbs Down Guy said:

If  anyone knows how to spell Diaw phonetically, so I know how to say his name I would appreciate it you would do so. Thanks.

I say Dee-Ah, but that's a total guess. 😁

[bean5302]

While I'd prefer to have a catcher who doesn't automatically turn every BB or single in a double, the Falvinzoll Twins have always seemed to value defense differently behind the plate.

I do like the fact Diaw has been very good in regard to passed balls, though without the Wild Pitch count, it's hard to evaluate his skills behind the plate in that regard. 

Despite the overwhelming support for him being a legit center fielder, I don't see anything to suggest he has the speed to excel there. Scouting reports suggest he's an average runner, and he's frequently getting caught when trying to steal backing that speed assessment up.

[MeleMouth]

42 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Despite the overwhelming support for him being a legit center fielder, I don't see anything to suggest he has the speed to excel there. Scouting reports suggest he's an average runner, and he's frequently getting caught when trying to steal backing that speed assessment up.

In AA this year, he has 11 SB's against 2 CS's. His earlier stats were not as good, but those could be due more to inexperience than lack of speed. I mean, maybe he truly isn't that fast, but we might not be able to read much about his speed from his caught stealing numbers.

[Linus]

Sorry those CS numbers just aren’t acceptable- it’s Mathew LeCroy territory. If he continues to hit perhaps he could play a corner spot. 

[SE23]

8 minutes ago, MeleMouth said:

In AA this year, he has 11 SB's against 2 CS's. His earlier stats were not as good, but those could be due more to inexperience than lack of speed. I mean, maybe he truly isn't that fast, but we might not be able to read much about his speed from his caught stealing numbers.

He's a 50-rated runner in his scouting report -- same as Lackey, Culpepper and Mendez. So certainly fast enough to play a competent corner outfield spot, but not likely to make it as a full time CF at the MLB level.

[bjorks]

Definition of "Organizational Depth"

[Jeff K]

Hopefully he starts next season in st. Paul.

[DocBauer]

Calling a good game, working with the pitchers and having their confidence, and receiving the ball well and blocking the plate are all more important than  CS. BUT, you've got to be better than 8%. 

Let's not forget that SB numbers are not only a reflection of arm strength, but accuracy, pop time, as well as how well/poor the pitchers do at keeping base runners "honest". There seems to be a general belief that MILB pitchers don't focus much at keeping runners close to the base. But he absolutely has to improve and get closer to at least the 20% area.

As a hitter, he appears to be very advanced in contact and zone control. He could definitely use a little more pop/power just to keep pitchers on their toes. But the 34 XBH  so far this season isn't horrible and shows some potential. 

A solid defensive catcher who can hit the way he can would be very valuable, albeit as a probable #2. But if the arm never gets better, the bat could play as a 4th-5th RH OF who can also be a #3 catcher.

[DocBauer]

4 hours ago, Thumbs Down Guy said:

If  anyone knows how to spell Diaw phonetically, so I know how to say his name I would appreciate it you would do so. Thanks.

Jow

[old nurse]

7 hours ago, Thumbs Down Guy said:

If  anyone knows how to spell Diaw phonetically, so I know how to say his name I would appreciate it you would do so. Thanks.

There, straight from the source

[DJL44]

There is a minimum pop time needed to play catcher in the majors. Walks can’t turn into triples. If he can achieve that, he seems to have enough bat to contribute. We will see how he performs next season in St Paul.

[Twins 72]

With all the catching depth they have acquired the past year or so, they should be good to go with home-grown players in 2028. They need a bridge year in 2027 that doesn't kill them. They have Caratini and Jackson, but I would 100% give Jeffers that qualifying offer. They should not be scared of that. He probably won't sign it so they get the comp draft pick. It he for some odd reason did sign it, it would fit in perfect. They would be paying him a lot of money for a year, but they can suck it up. To me that would be best case scenario. You have Jeffers for one more year, you don't have to commit long term, you don't have the whole at the catcher spot and then the young ones will be ready the following  year. 

[saviking]

15 hours ago, DocBauer said:

Jow

Jow did you know that?

[saviking]

He's 6' 215 

Maybe if he coukd add sime power he could get moved to first base where he doesn't need a strong arm? 

[JD-TWINS]

20 hours ago, SE23 said:

Diaw is a baseball player with athleticism and elite hitting skills. If his development as a catcher keeps trending up, he will be a major cog in the Twins roster for years. If he washes out at catcher, he's athletic enough to jump to an outfield spot so that his offensive skills can still be engaged. We all love our sudden prospect depth at catcher, but we really only need one of Diaw, Tait, Lackey and Tinney to reach MLB competence behind the plate.

I get your sentiment but it seems that with the draft capital spent this year, the Team is surely looking for two of those four to be competent, at a minimum………Nobody has “a catcher”, at least not until the post season. Lead Catchers are around 115 games per year…...that’s 35-40 for the 2nd guy………Team has 4 vying for 2 spots opening by ‘28, at the latest……….seems to me that one of the 3 behind Lackey is a probable trade piece after things sort out in ‘27.

[JD-TWINS]

1 hour ago, Twins 72 said:

With all the catching depth they have acquired the past year or so, they should be good to go with home-grown players in 2028. They need a bridge year in 2027 that doesn't kill them. They have Caratini and Jackson, but I would 100% give Jeffers that qualifying offer. They should not be scared of that. He probably won't sign it so they get the comp draft pick. It he for some odd reason did sign it, it would fit in perfect. They would be paying him a lot of money for a year, but they can suck it up. To me that would be best case scenario. You have Jeffers for one more year, you don't have to commit long term, you don't have the whole at the catcher spot and then the young ones will be ready the following  year. 

Keeping Jeffers for a bridge or offering him an extension for 3 years makes sense. He can be traded in ‘28 or ‘29 if it makes sense……… he can DH ……… Trading Caratini, if Jeffers signs up would be a way for the Team to offset nearly all of Jeffer’s raise. Caratini makes $7M & has a $3M buyout for ‘28……..seems there’s no way they would keep him in ‘28 - therefore his salary is $10M owed while with the Team in ‘27…….Basically, Jeffers current salary + Caratini’s cost going forward = 80% of a QO for Jeffers……..should not hesitate. (I do think a Caratini trade would take another solid prospect from Twins OR they would have to pay some of the $10M he’d be owed)

[bean5302]

19 hours ago, MeleMouth said:

In AA this year, he has 11 SB's against 2 CS's. His earlier stats were not as good, but those could be due more to inexperience than lack of speed. I mean, maybe he truly isn't that fast, but we might not be able to read much about his speed from his caught stealing numbers.

Okay, let's ignore the sample size you don't like?

First, his scouting reports indicate he's an average runner. While scouting reports on run speed aren't concrete by any means, looking for data which supports or detracts from it is common sense for me. Khadim Diaw has been poor at stealing bases this year.

Second, you're cherry picking, ignoring the fact he was caught 3x in 6 attempts in Cedar Rapids.

Third, 2 CS in 11 attempts isn't good. Anything worse than 75% success and you're literally hurting the team more than helping. His CS rate is "adequate" in AA, it is very poor in A+, and overall, it's below acceptable.

Fourth, the fact Diaw has only attempted 19 steals this year despite being on first base at least 136 times when stolen base attempts are so common in the minors speaks quite a bit on its own (81 singles, 55 walks). Khadim Diaw ranks 18th of 32 players in the Twins' MiLB system in stolen bases this year, and 17th in attempts. That's despite ranking 3rd in singles and 8th in BBs. He's had far more opportunities to attempt a steal than most other players, but he doesn't try. That suggests he knows he'll probably be thrown out.

 

[MeleMouth]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

Okay, let's ignore the sample size you don't like?

First, his scouting reports indicate he's an average runner. While scouting reports on run speed aren't concrete by any means, looking for data which supports or detracts from it is common sense for me. Khadim Diaw has been poor at stealing bases this year.

Second, you're cherry picking, ignoring the fact he was caught 3x in 6 attempts in Cedar Rapids.

Third, 2 CS in 11 attempts isn't good. Anything worse than 75% success and you're literally hurting the team more than helping. His CS rate is "adequate" in AA, it is very poor in A+, and overall, it's below acceptable.

Fourth, the fact Diaw has only attempted 19 steals this year despite being on first base at least 136 times when stolen base attempts are so common in the minors speaks quite a bit on its own (81 singles, 55 walks). Khadim Diaw ranks 18th of 32 players in the Twins' MiLB system in stolen bases this year, and 17th in attempts. That's despite ranking 3rd in singles and 8th in BBs. He's had far more opportunities to attempt a steal than most other players, but he doesn't try. That suggests he knows he'll probably be thrown out.

 

FanGraphs rates Diaw's speed at 50, which is slower than many top CF prospects, but other CF prospects in their top 100 are also rated at 50, including Walker Jenkins.

It's not a question of cherry-picking stats or saying whether he's good at stealing. He's a raw talent who is supposed to be improving, which he is. Further, the main point is that stolen base totals, particularly for raw players in the minors, is an unreliable metric for assessing a player's speed. Lou Brock would often say that he wasn't the fastest player on his team. If a player isn't trying to steal, that means at least as much that he doesn't feel confident in his skills other than speed, including the abilities to get a jump and not get picked off. It may also mean that the coaches don't want him to. 

It's all pretty moot for now, because he's primarily focused on being a catcher.

Diaw was drafted as a raw prospect and this is the first year he's been able to play most of the season. He may become great or he may not be any good, but the paint's still really wet. However, if you need to conclude now that he's too slow to play CF, have at it.