Khadim Diaw attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, the same school that current MLB stars Hunter Greene and Giancarlo Stanton attended. Many former MLB and NFL players went there and learned with dozens upon dozens of actors and actresses that we watch on our TVs. Jerry Matters and Ed Begley Jr went there, and so did Kirsten Dunst, Rami Malek, and one of my first teenage crushes, Staci Keanan. Hopefully within the next  couple of years, Twins fans will have the opportunity to watch Diaw play on TV for several years. 

Sidenote: Diaw’s mom played softball at Yale in the 1980s. She’s now the department chair of anthropology at Cal State-Northridge. Isma Diaw, Khadim’s father, has been in the States for over 30 years as a post-graduate student and a product engineer. He began his own consulting company which has him splitting time between the US and his hometown of Dakar, Senegal. If Khadim gets to the big leagues, he will be the first player from Senegal. He would be the second player from the continent of Africa to play in the big leagues. For much more on the Diaw family, please take time to read Jeff Johnson’s fantastic article from last summer in The Gazette of Cedar Rapids. 

Diaw stayed close to home and played his college ball at Loyola Marymount. In 2018, he hit .364 (.985) over eight games, but he was able to use a redshirt season. The next year, he played in 52 games and hit .314 (.896) with 11 doubles and eight homers. In 2024, he played in just 20 games for Loyola, but he hit .432/.500/.716 (1.216) with eight doubles, three triples, and three homers. He spent a few weeks in the Cape before the Twins made him their third-round draft pick. He played in 24 games for the Mighty Mussels that summer which allowed him to jump straight to Cedar Rapids in 2025. 

Diaw is an exciting, unique catching prospect. At 6-1 and 215 pounds, he certainly does not fit the “pudge” nickname attributed to many shorter, bulkier backstops. He is a solid defensive backstop, and a really good athlete. In fact, he’s athletic enough that his secondary position is center field. He has the speed and instincts to play out there. That isn’t to say that he’d be an MLB center fielder, but the fact that he can handle the position means that he could find value around the diamond. 

Offensively, he has always hit for average and had the ability to get on base. He’s willing to take walks, and he’s also willing to be hit by a pitch. In 169 total plate appearances in 2025, he was hit by a pitch 18 games. That’s a lot, and one of those pitches cost him two full months with a broken thumb. He did return for one Kernels regular-season game. Back at full strength, Diaw is one of the most intriguing prospects heading into the 2026 season.