SCOTTSDALE – To many, a season plagued by injuries feels like a wasted year. But to Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Derek Diamond, it was an opportunity.
In his first season pitching from the bullpen, Diamond was limited to 19 1/3 innings in 2025 due to injury. Just two seasons earlier, he pitched 119 ⅔ innings in Class A and A+ and finished with 95 2/3 innings last year in Class A+.
Diamond noted that this is the first season in his life that he missed significant time because of injury, and it ate away at him mentally.
“The whole entire mental game is becoming a big thing in pro sports and especially baseball because it’s such a tough game,” Diamond said. “I really leaned on our mental performance coach. Ours was Ryan Jackson. I’m happy to shout him out because he’s a total stud. He’s helped me a ton and I really learned how to hone in on adversity and really see it as an opportunity rather than a hindrance.”
Through the help of his mental performance coach, Diamond enters this year’s Arizona Fall League with a clear mind.
He was already familiar with the Fall League after playing in it last year to help prepare him for life in the bullpen. He only threw 11 innings in last year’s fall season, but that number undervalues the lessons Diamond learned in his time in the Valley.
“I’d say I got to play freely,” Diamond said. “So many times in season you can feel tight, you can feel nervous, you can feel pressure, whatever. Out here, there was none of that, and I was able to experiment, I was able to grow, I was able to learn.
“It’s really cool to learn from kids that you don’t normally play with and people in other organizations and you can see how they do things. You pick up a thing here or there. So, it’s a huge opportunity to learn and to experiment.”
This fall, Diamond is experimenting with a curveball. His usual pitch mix consists of a fastball, changeup and slider, but he believes that adding a curveball will help elevate his game on the mound.
“I really added it in rehab this year when I was down in Bradenton (Florida),” Diamond said. “I throw a hard slider, and I throw it a lot early in counts. So, sometimes when a hitter sees a pitch once or twice before they have two strikes, it’s hard to get a swing and a miss for that strikeout.
“Adding another breaking ball is something that a lot of guys have done and seen success with. I’m looking to do the same.”
Sometimes pitchers don’t like discussing publicly what pitches they’re working on so hitters don’t expect it coming. Diamond doesn’t feel that way.
“I don’t care if they hear it,” Diamond said. “I hope they know it’s coming. I’m trying to make it better.”
Going from a starting pitcher to a reliever presents a number of differences in approach, such as facing a section of the lineup only once as opposed to the whole lineup multiple times. This has caused Diamond to change his mindset on the mound.
This fall, he is focused on attacking hitters right from the get-go.
“Here’s my best stuff, try and hit it,” Diamond said of his mentality in the AFL.
His personality is another reason why Diamond is able to pitch with a clear mind.
Whether he’s in the outfield during batting practice shagging baseballs or in the bullpen waiting his turn to go in the game, you’ll often find Diamond with a smile on his face and maybe even dancing.
“He’s always bringing the energy,” Pirates pitching prospect Joshua Loeschorn said. “He’s certainly one-of-one, and I think he definitely brings the best out of those around him, too.”
Whether with a joke or his dance moves, Diamond is able to keep the mood light around his teammates. Having that ability is key for baseball players, who are grinding at the field every day and playing over 100 games a year.
“It’s inspiring, honestly, because me being one of the younger guys in our (organization) that’s here, it’s cool to see it doesn’t really change,” Pirates pitching prospect Carlson Reed said. “Being able to have fun while still playing a sport this competitive, it’s great to see.”
For a lot of players, off-the-field activities that help them connect with teammates might include such things as hanging out over dinner or playing golf.
Diamond has a somewhat different approach to bonding with teammates: He cuts their hair.
When Diamond was a freshman at Ole Miss, he had his hair cut by Ole Miss defensive lineman Nick Haynes. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Diamond learned how to cut hair himself, since Haynes was graduating that year.
“Broke college kids do anything for a couple dollars,” Diamond said. “I started cutting my friend’s hair, and I didn’t charge anybody for like a year. But after that, it was like 10 bucks. A year later, 20 bucks. And now I’m getting 25, 30 bucks a cut.”
For the first two years of his barbering career, Diamond only provided skin fades. But with the help of lessons over FaceTime with his sister, Lindsey, who is a recent graduate from beauty school, Diamond now knows how to use shears and is expanding his styling options.
“Now I got it all, man,” Diamond said. “My favorite though, I’d say probably just the skin fade. Classic. Looks great on everybody.”
He receives good reviews, too.
“He’s been my barber since 2022, I want to say, since we first got drafted, and I think he’s done a good job through a couple different kinds of haircuts,” Loeschorn said. “We keep going with the flow, and, you know, he does a good job.
“I had a wedding last month and he gave me a good cut before. Not too many butcher jobs.”
Pirates pitching prospect Dominic Perachi has lived with Diamond for the last three years, and is also a customer. Despite having his doubts initially, Percachi has been happy with the results.
“Derek Diamond with a pair of clippers to my hair is a scary thought, but he actually does a decent job,” Perachi said.
As good as the reviews are on his hair cutting capabilities, Diamond isn’t quitting baseball to pursue a career as a barber anytime soon. Now healthy and with a clear mind and vibrant personality, he is hoping to use the fall season to take another step toward the big leagues.
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Shears in tow, Pirates’ Derek Diamond enters Fall League with new perspective
Jack Janes, Cronkite News
November 4, 2025
SCOTTSDALE – To many, a season plagued by injuries feels like a wasted year. But to Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Derek Diamond, it was an opportunity.
In his first season pitching from the bullpen, Diamond was limited to 19 1/3 innings in 2025 due to injury. Just two seasons earlier, he pitched 119 ⅔ innings in Class A and A+ and finished with 95 2/3 innings last year in Class A+.
Diamond noted that this is the first season in his life that he missed significant time because of injury, and it ate away at him mentally.
“The whole entire mental game is becoming a big thing in pro sports and especially baseball because it’s such a tough game,” Diamond said. “I really leaned on our mental performance coach. Ours was Ryan Jackson. I’m happy to shout him out because he’s a total stud. He’s helped me a ton and I really learned how to hone in on adversity and really see it as an opportunity rather than a hindrance.”
Through the help of his mental performance coach, Diamond enters this year’s Arizona Fall League with a clear mind.
He was already familiar with the Fall League after playing in it last year to help prepare him for life in the bullpen. He only threw 11 innings in last year’s fall season, but that number undervalues the lessons Diamond learned in his time in the Valley.
“I’d say I got to play freely,” Diamond said. “So many times in season you can feel tight, you can feel nervous, you can feel pressure, whatever. Out here, there was none of that, and I was able to experiment, I was able to grow, I was able to learn.
“It’s really cool to learn from kids that you don’t normally play with and people in other organizations and you can see how they do things. You pick up a thing here or there. So, it’s a huge opportunity to learn and to experiment.”
This fall, Diamond is experimenting with a curveball. His usual pitch mix consists of a fastball, changeup and slider, but he believes that adding a curveball will help elevate his game on the mound.
“I really added it in rehab this year when I was down in Bradenton (Florida),” Diamond said. “I throw a hard slider, and I throw it a lot early in counts. So, sometimes when a hitter sees a pitch once or twice before they have two strikes, it’s hard to get a swing and a miss for that strikeout.
“Adding another breaking ball is something that a lot of guys have done and seen success with. I’m looking to do the same.”
Sometimes pitchers don’t like discussing publicly what pitches they’re working on so hitters don’t expect it coming. Diamond doesn’t feel that way.
“I don’t care if they hear it,” Diamond said. “I hope they know it’s coming. I’m trying to make it better.”
Going from a starting pitcher to a reliever presents a number of differences in approach, such as facing a section of the lineup only once as opposed to the whole lineup multiple times. This has caused Diamond to change his mindset on the mound.
This fall, he is focused on attacking hitters right from the get-go.
“Here’s my best stuff, try and hit it,” Diamond said of his mentality in the AFL.
His personality is another reason why Diamond is able to pitch with a clear mind.
Whether he’s in the outfield during batting practice shagging baseballs or in the bullpen waiting his turn to go in the game, you’ll often find Diamond with a smile on his face and maybe even dancing.
“He’s always bringing the energy,” Pirates pitching prospect Joshua Loeschorn said. “He’s certainly one-of-one, and I think he definitely brings the best out of those around him, too.”
Whether with a joke or his dance moves, Diamond is able to keep the mood light around his teammates. Having that ability is key for baseball players, who are grinding at the field every day and playing over 100 games a year.
“It’s inspiring, honestly, because me being one of the younger guys in our (organization) that’s here, it’s cool to see it doesn’t really change,” Pirates pitching prospect Carlson Reed said. “Being able to have fun while still playing a sport this competitive, it’s great to see.”
For a lot of players, off-the-field activities that help them connect with teammates might include such things as hanging out over dinner or playing golf.
Diamond has a somewhat different approach to bonding with teammates: He cuts their hair.
When Diamond was a freshman at Ole Miss, he had his hair cut by Ole Miss defensive lineman Nick Haynes. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Diamond learned how to cut hair himself, since Haynes was graduating that year.
“Broke college kids do anything for a couple dollars,” Diamond said. “I started cutting my friend’s hair, and I didn’t charge anybody for like a year. But after that, it was like 10 bucks. A year later, 20 bucks. And now I’m getting 25, 30 bucks a cut.”
For the first two years of his barbering career, Diamond only provided skin fades. But with the help of lessons over FaceTime with his sister, Lindsey, who is a recent graduate from beauty school, Diamond now knows how to use shears and is expanding his styling options.
“Now I got it all, man,” Diamond said. “My favorite though, I’d say probably just the skin fade. Classic. Looks great on everybody.”
He receives good reviews, too.
“He’s been my barber since 2022, I want to say, since we first got drafted, and I think he’s done a good job through a couple different kinds of haircuts,” Loeschorn said. “We keep going with the flow, and, you know, he does a good job.
“I had a wedding last month and he gave me a good cut before. Not too many butcher jobs.”
Pirates pitching prospect Dominic Perachi has lived with Diamond for the last three years, and is also a customer. Despite having his doubts initially, Percachi has been happy with the results.
“Derek Diamond with a pair of clippers to my hair is a scary thought, but he actually does a decent job,” Perachi said.
As good as the reviews are on his hair cutting capabilities, Diamond isn’t quitting baseball to pursue a career as a barber anytime soon. Now healthy and with a clear mind and vibrant personality, he is hoping to use the fall season to take another step toward the big leagues.
This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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