Elliott: Diaz aided by an Edmonton angel

Prairie Baseball Academy INF Wily Diaz was signed by the Minnesota Twins scout Walt Burrows as a free agent. Photo: Tyler King.

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

This is an Only in America story that unfolded in Edmonton -- with the help of an angel.

Free agent INF Wily Diaz signed with the Minnesota Twins for a $20,000 US signing bonus. Twins veteran scout Walt Burrows (Brentwood Bay, BC) signed Diaz from the Prairie Baseball Academy Dawgs.

Burrows might have done the signing and Diaz (Edmonton, Alta.) may have worked his butt off but there are two other leading roles in this one:

_ Wily’s mother Eunice, who immigrated to Edmonton in 2010 and then brought Wily and her son Loriel north sixth years later. Eunice came to Edmonton for a better life for her family. Eunice worked 10 hours a day, seven days a week. The first month she slept sleep on a mattress laid on the floor.

_ And a regular lunch customer named Carl Shields. Waitress and customer met in 2010. Eunice was working at Zenari’s Italian restaurant at the base of the 36-storey Manulife Place. Shields was a lunch time regular.

Carl Shields with his daughter Leslie and son Graham.

Shields worked for Canada Life from January 1965 until November 1994. Then, he started the CHS Benefits Consulting Group Inc. with his son Graham and daughter Leslie. Shields has been married to Carole for 62 years on July 19.

Shields went to Central Secondary School in Hamilton where he met his future wife. Carole was a cheerleader, while Shields played football for the Golden Gaels, as well as playing hockey for Central as well as rowing for the school team.

Eventually through continual lunch time servings, Eunice got to meet Shields and mentioned that her son Wily “was a pretty good ball player (at age 15).”

“Carl is the reason I’m a pro, he’s the reason I went to PBA, he’s the reason I am who I am,” Diaz said. “He’s my angel.”

Shields grew up in Hamilton playing in Police Minor ball program, then senior ball in Ontario for manager Fred Stroud and coach Jack Newton. He also umpired in Kingston. So, he knew what a “pretty good ball player” looked like.

What exactly did Shields do in order to earn the nicknames “Angel” or “Grandpa” from Diaz? Drive him to practice? To games? Well, we know prairie people don’t mind driving, but Edmonton to Lethbridge, home of the PBA is a hike. Roughly five hours.

Well, he did the Canadian thing. He stood up for Diaz. He fought for Diaz. How did he fight for the youngster? Let us count the ways.

_ In 2016, Shields applied to the St, Francis Xavier Academy in Edmonton to get the infielder enrolled. Shields said they were told, “We’re full.” “Then they saw him play and made room for him,” said Shields. “But I was worried if they could expose him to the baseball world.”

_ Shields arranged for Diaz to attend a Milwaukee Brewers open tryout camp in Arizona and then a San Diego Padres camp in San Diego.

_ For the 2019 season Diaz accepted and registered to attend Wabash Valley College in Illinois on a scholarship with Shields paying for the tuition. Diaz had a visa to be in Canada, but Shields thought Diaz should go from Edmonton to the US immigration office in Calgary and obtain a student visa.

“The Immigration officer declined the student visa application and cancelled the visa Wily had, which was good until 2027,” Shields said. “And they didn’t give a reason.”

Shields was not giving up the fight. He moved on to a former congressman for help. Since Shields had spent time in Palm Springs, Calif. he knew a former congressman from California. He asked the congressman for help and contacted Tom McClintock, from the 4th District.

“There was a stage I went through where I was to the point where I said, ‘I’m never going to the United States again.’” Shields recalled. “I spoke to the current congress woman’s executive assistant and she helped.”

The congressman’s assistant, Danielle Costantini Crowley, arranged to have a letter sent to immigration in Calgary asking the office to review the application appeal and they said he would have to reapply in December for a regular visa and was declined again.

Shields drove Diaz to the Calgary immigration office and Diaz received approval on Jan. 28, 2020. Shields promised Crowley a bottle of wine for all her help. California wine.

The way Shields is paying it forward is the same the way former Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista did with his Bautista Family Fund. He gave 3B Nolan Bumstead (Calgary, Alta.) financial help for four years ... and another ex player studying for his law degree. Donald Odermann had helped Bautista reach Chipola College, when the Cincinnati Reds backed out of a syringing bonus in 1998.

* * *

In February, Burrows came to Lethbridge to see Diaz work out. He told coach Todd Hubka that Diaz needed to show him something extra to be signed.

“Walt watched and said he needs to show me more, Walt told me to tell him,” Hubka said. “I told Walt that he should tell him. They had a conversation and the kid figured it out. The goal was to get better every day.”

Diaz remembers the 1-on-1 conversation as a turning point.

“Mr. Burrows told me what I needed to improve and how to be better,” Diaz said. “I’m ready for this moment.”

* * *

PBA’s opening trip to Henderson, Nev. was winless: five losses against the against the No. 2 ranked College of Southern Nevada Coyotes -- Bryce Harper’s old school -- and three losses facing Salt Lake City Bruins. Diaz batted .200 (3-for-15) with six walks and 10 strikeouts.

“Wily had never seen that kind of pitching before,” Hubka said. The best player Diaz had ever seen before that weekend? Former Okotoks Dawgs LaRon Smith (Edmonton, Alta.) who was drafted by the Twins.

The next weekend he was hitless in a doubleheader against Blue Mountain Toppers with a walk and five strikeouts. Then, he went 4-for-8 facing the Walla Walla Warriors with two homers and six RBIs, while walking twice.

Diaz with Roberto Alomar at T12. Photo: Toronto Blue Jays Academy

At the time of the signing, Diaz was batting .156 (5-for-32) with two homers and six RBIs while walking six times and striking out 14 times.

“Old fashioned scouting,” said Burrows, who obviously loved Diaz’s speed, his athletic ability, an above average major league arm and some bat speed.

“I saw him at T12, again at the Canada Cup and I saw him take ground balls outside when I was in Lethbridge in February,” Burrows said. “We think he is an infielder.”

* * *

Zenari’s Italian restaurant celebrated its 35th anniversary last month and one month later closed its doors in the Manulife building. The popular place would re-open on Rice Howard Way.

And when Diaz finally signed?

The Angel known as Grampa Shields took Eunice a bottle of wine to celebrate Diaz’s signing.