He can go long way at short

Diaz still needs work on offense

PORTLAND, Maine - Future Hall of Fame shortstop Omar Vizquel is his hero, and Argenis Diaz would like one day to be compared with him.

Until then, the 21-year-old Venezuelan, who was promoted to Double A Portland recently, has some work to do on his batting stroke. By all accounts of those in the Red Sox organization and other organizations, Diaz can pick it at shortstop with the best of them, including most major leaguers. We saw that in spring training when he showed flashes of brilliance. The question: Can he hit well enough to enhance an American League lineup, in which a shortstop must hit at least moderately?

Two years ago, the Red Sox had one of the slickest shortstops in the game in Alex Gonzalez, but it was determined that they needed someone at the position who could provide some offense. So they spent $36 million over four years to sign free agent Julio Lugo. They probably wish they hadn't.

Jed Lowrie might be the long-term answer because the feeling is he'll hit well enough and make the routine plays. Extraordinary? No.

Diaz is an extraordinary fielder, perhaps the best the Sox have had since Adam Everett.

Diaz is trying to make his offense as much second nature as his defense.

"My defense, I think, it's natural," he said. "I work hard and do the most with what I have, but I think what I have is God-given. I'm very serious when I take fielding practice and batting practice, so when the game comes, I repeat what I did during practice. I know I have to be a more consistent hitter to make it to the major leagues. I work hard at it every day because if I can make improvement there, I know my fielding will be good."

Why is Viquel his idol?

"He's from Venezuela and he's a god over there," said Diaz. "I wanted to be just like him. He's so smooth. I wanted to field the ball and throw the ball like he did. He makes the hard plays look easy because he is so smooth."

Diaz hit .358 in the Hawaiian Winter League and had a .421 on-base percentage, both second in the league. He hit .263 in his first season and .279 last season for Greenville. He started this year in Lancaster hitting .279, all acceptable averages to augment his glove.

"It's much better now and it's getting better," said Diaz, who hit .200 in his first five games with Portland. "The hitting coaches like Victor Rodriguez have helped me a lot. I need to be more consistent at the plate. If I hit .280 or .290, I think I can be in the big leagues. I'm trying to be more like Manny [Ramírez] and David Ortiz and Alex [ Cora]. Those guys are so patient at the plate. They helped me a lot. They're great players, every one of them."

The big thing for or a hitter is the ability to adjust to offspeed pitches.

"The guys in A ball throw hard, but I've noticed up here that everyone throws offspeed and you have to show you can hit that," Diaz said.

A taste of spring training with the major league team has given him confidence.

"My first game in spring training, I went 1 for 3 and I made a couple of good plays and I said to myself, 'This is easy,' " he recalled. "But after I played for a while, I realized how hard it was."

Power surge

Top catching prospect Mark Wagner homered Tuesday for Portland, his 10th of the season as he continues to show power. Wagner, who homered three times in seven games, understands he needs to open eyes. "I've been through a couple of seasons now and it's a grind, but this is the level where you have to start separating yourself, especially as a catcher, where you don't realize the mental strain and grind that a catcher goes through," he said. "And I'm starting to learn that here. I just have to keep learning and take it day to day and give it your all for your pitcher and your team." Red Sox director of player development Mike Hazen said, "Wagner has a lot of skills that we like - strong arm, good release, and good blocking skills. He shows good plate discipline as well and should have a chance to be an offensive catcher." . . . Lowell Spinners righthander Brock Huntzinger has not allowed a run in his last three starts and in five of his last seven. He's on an 18-inning scoreless streak, and his 0.49 ERA leads the New York-Penn League . . . Portland setup man Daniel Bard has an 0.87 ERA in his last 13 appearances and greatly impressed Connecticut Defenders pitching coach Bob Stanley. "He's one of the most talented kids I've seen in Double A," said the Steamer . . . TopProspectAlert.com released its midseason list of the top 10 Sox prospects: 1) Michael Bowden, 2) Lowrie, 3) Lars Anderson, 4) Ryan Kalish, 5) Nick Hagadone, 6) Bryan Price, 7) Che Hsuan Lin, 8) Anthony Rizzo, 9) Chris Carter, 10) Josh Reddick . . . Shortstop Casey Kelly, the Sox' No. 1 draft pick, started his career 1 for 20 while hitting third for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox . . . Lancaster catcher Luis Exposito homered in four straight games July 18-21 . . . Pawtucket president Mike Tamburro was honored last night as the Tides Family Services Humanitarian of the Year for his work on behalf of underprivileged youth in Rhode Island . . . Tickets remain for the Futures at Fenway Game Aug. 9 . . . Saturday, Aug. 2 is Dustin Pedroia Bobblehead Night at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I.

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com.