Yuli Gurriel begins his sixth season in Major Leagues

February 22, 2021

Yulieski Gurriel is already training, as is his custom, days before joining the Houston Astros for spring training. This 2021 will be his sixth season in the Major Leagues. Time has flown since he decided to pursue the dream of reaching and establishing himself in the world's best baseball.

Gurriel begins by taking more than 50 ground balls between third and first base. Jorge Luis Toca, a former star infielder from the 1990s in Cuba who arrived in the Major Leagues with the Mets in 1999, hits him balls to both left and right. There is something that stands out about Gurriel, and it is that he always seems like the same player. Time does not pass by him.

"We are working with Yuli to see if he can reach that Gold Glove that has eluded him," says Toca, who has helped Gurriel for years.

Yuli steps up to the batter's box and takes around 100 swings to all parts of the field. The exit velocity of the contacts is sharp. His older brother, Yuniesky Gurriel, is the pitcher.

Yuli hits with the same violence as always, line drives between the routes of the outfields.

"I have not had any discomfort or injuries and we have had the time to do everything we wanted and prepare ourselves in all aspects, mainly those that affected us the most last year," says Gurriel, after finishing training.

He will turn 37 in a few months and it seems like just yesterday that he decided to leave the Cuba team at the Caribbean Series alongside his brother Lourdes Jr., in February 2016. Five years have already passed within the world's best baseball and the results are there: he has won a World Series ring, two Gold Glove nominations, and has established himself as one of the best contact and clutch hitters in the Majors.

Gurriel joined his first Cuba team in 2002. He was an Olympic champion in Athens 2004 and is considered one of the best Cuban ballplayers of the current century. His dedication and commitment to training, his discipline and devotion to the game have allowed him to reach the final stage of what is already becoming a long career healthy and without injuries.

"The main thing is not to lose your love for baseball. One has a long career and that can happen. In my case it hasn't occurred and I feel pretty good," he confesses.

He also does not consider himself within the typology of baseball players who do not accept retirement. He wants to spend time with his family and his children, but for now he plans to keep playing as long as his performance allows.

Although he comes off his worst offensive campaign — .232 batting average and six home runs in 57 games — the Astros trusted in the Cuban's stability and extended him a new contract that will pay him 6.5 million, plus another two million in bonuses for performance incentives in 2021.

Yuli shows optimism about the reality of the Astros in the upcoming season, despite the departure of George Springer, one of baseball's best outfielders and Houston's leader since 2014, now signed by the Toronto Blue Jays.

"The team is good. It's the same team with the same base. It's just the case of Springer, who couldn't return. But we also have Yordan (Álvarez), who this year, God willing, will be at 100%."

Since his MLB debut, Gurriel has an impressive offensive line of .287/.324/.468. No infielder surpasses him in K/% (strikeout percentage) with an unlikely 10.8% since 2016. If we analyze the numbers of the Spiritu player in retrospect, between 2017 and 2020 we see how he anchors in the top-10 of infielders in RBIs (9th, 286), hits (5th, 531), doubles (3rd, 128), stolen bases (9th, 13) and batting average (8th, .288).

"Last year we had some absences in pitching and even so we were able to reach the seventh game of the American League Championship Series. It's no secret to anyone that this year the goal is to make the playoffs and then keep advancing until the World Series."

Since 2018, the adjustments at first base have been more evident in Gurriel. He has saved six runs and that places him as eighth among all at his position in MLB; that is, he has become an above-average defender.

After playing until age 32 in positions very different from first base, Gurriel achieved another quality leap, adapting to and mastering first base.

"I spent my entire career playing other positions. It's not easy. [First base] is the simplest base in the infield, but when you play it you see that it is different. It has its degree of complexity and I have been able to accept it."

The key in this quality leap has been nothing more than practicing every day. There is no other secret.

"Playing a new position since I arrived here has been a challenge, but as time has passed I have been adapting, working every day on defense. So far I feel pretty confident and quite happy with the work done."