Yulieski Gurriel Castillo

Cuban baseball player who plays for the Houston Astros of the MLB.

"El Yuli," as he is affectionately called, plays third base and also second base but is recognized more for his batting.

Son of Lourdes Gourriel, once a star player for Cuba's national team. From a young age he has been part of the national selection where he earned a spot in the 2003 Santo Domingo Pan American Games. During the World Classic he was called "the phenomenon" by ESPN commentators, and after the tournament ended he was part of the all-star team.

At this moment he possesses statistics that, if they continue on a progression as they have so far, would end up with performances similar to Omar Linares in several aspects and would even surpass him in some aspects such as doubles, runs batted in, and stolen bases.

A very unpleasant moment in his sports career that all Cuban fans remember was when in the final for gold at the XXIX Beijing Olympic Games, with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, he hit into a double play against South Korea, sealing the victory for the Asians.

The statistics record him as the first Cuban baseball player to surpass the figure of 200 home runs with wood bat exclusively. He is the third player from Sancti Spíritus to achieve that figure after Lourdes Gourriel, 247 (in 20 seasons) and Frederich Cepeda, who achieved it in the LI National Baseball Series and has 204 (in 14).

In the LI National Baseball Series he was selected as a member of the All-Star Team of the championship at third base, after batting 22 home runs, driving in 85 runs, stealing 14 bases in 18 attempts, and having an OBP of .434.

On July 22, 2012, he received the distinction of Most Valuable Player of the Haarlem Baseball Week tournament in Holland. He concluded the championship with an offensive percentage of .318, on-base average of .500, in addition to driving in seven runs, scoring seven more and receiving eight walks.

In December 2012 he was selected among the most outstanding athletes from the province of Sancti Spíritus.

In the preliminary phase of the LII National Baseball Series concluded in January 2013, he contributed with his results to the qualification of the Sancti Spíritus team among the eight that participate in the second phase, work that earned him a spot in the Cuban selection for the III World Baseball Classic.

He was selected to participate in the All-Star Game of the LII National Baseball Series, which took place on March 24, 2013 at the José Antonio Huelga Stadium in Sancti Spíritus, where the Western team he represented defeated the Eastern team.

He participated in the XIV Rotterdam Interports Tournament, held in Holland from June 30 to July 7, 2013, in which Cuba reclaimed the title and he was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. He averaged .304, led in total bases (11) and committed no errors in 12 chances.

He was part of the Cuba Team that participated in the Series that took place in several cities in the United States from July 18 to 23, where all four games played were won by the host team.

As reported in provincial and national media on August 6, both Yulieski and his siblings Yunieski and Lourdes Yunielki Gourriel Castillo would not play with the Sancti Spíritus team in the upcoming National Baseball Series since they moved to the province of Havana, where their parents already resided due to health problems presented by their father.

In the early morning of Monday, February 8, 2016, Yulieski and his brother Lourdes abandon the Cuba team in the Dominican Republic, where they were participating in the 2016 Caribbean Series, with the objective of playing in the Major Leagues.

On March 2, 2016, Yulieski Gourriel and his brother arrive in Miami, after spending several weeks in Haiti.

In July 2016 he signs a contract with the Houston Astros for 4 years in exchange for 56 million dollars. With the Astros he plays first base.