The Honduran-born Diaz, who won the $1,500 Triple Chance event at the 2011 WSOP, ended Day 2 yesterday with a towering 1.7 million in chips - more than twice his next closest competitior.
Even more impressively, Diaz had dropped to just 20k in chips at one point before running his stack all the way up to the chip lead.
Diaz does already have a WPT final table to his credit, from the WPT Borgata Open last September, but that run ended in sixth place.
With 25 players left there's still plenty of hands to play and a few major hurdles in his path - including David "Doc" Sands - but with 170 BBs Diaz certainly holds the upper hand.
Sands, Salsberg, Giannetti Still Alive
As for the "name players" still contending the one front and center is David "Doc" Sands.
Recently returned from his honeymoon with Erika Moutinho, the rest apparently served him well as he also bagged up a top 5 stack at 692,000.
Michael Linster (816,000), Benjamin Zamani (725,000) and Tim Reilly (591,000) round out the top 5.
The leading candidate for WPT Player of the Year, Matt Salsberg, is also still battling with 405,000.
Importantly for Salsberg he's already guaranteed himself another 50 points in the POY race, stretching his lead out over Paul Volpe with just two events to play.
WSOP November Niner Matt Giannetti also managed to bag up a stack to end Day 2, albeit a small one at 275,000.
The top 10 in chips:
1. David Diaz 1,705,000 2. Michael Linster 816,000 3. Benjamin Zamani 725,000 4. David Sands 692,000 5. Tim Reilly 591,000 6. John Dollinger 537,000 7. David Bell 524,000 8. Raj Vohra 501,000 9. Chad Deberry 491,000 10. Aaaron Lucas 477,000Action picks up again at noon ET from Jacksonville and will get down to a final table of six tonight. Follow along with the WPT Live Updates team here.
Check out the end of day interview with Diaz below:
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