Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
Toronto Blue Jays – No. 13
Infielder / Outfielder
Born: (1993-10-19) October 19, 1993
Sancti Spíritus, Cuba
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Medal record
Men’s baseball
Representing  Cuba
Central American and Caribbean Games
2014 Veracruz National Team
World Port Tournament
2015 Netherlands National team

Lourdes Yunielki Gourriel Castillo Jr., also known as Lourdes Gurriel Jr., is a Cuban professional baseball infielder and outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for Sancti Spíritus and the Industriales of the Cuban National Series before defecting. Gurriel was ranked as one of the top international prospects available following his defection.

Professional career

Cuban National Series

Gurriel debuted with Sancti Spíritus in 2010 as a 16-year-old and was used as a pinch hitter, hitting .200 in 15 at bats over 16 games.[1] The following season, Gurriel appeared in 55 games and batted .227 with three home runs and 16 runs batted in (RBI).[1] In his final season with Sancti Spíritus, Gurriel hit .253 with four home runs and 32 RBI in 67 games.[1]

In 2013 Gurriel joined the Industriales, playing 45 games and hitting .218 with one home run and 17 RBI.[1] Prior to the start of the 2014 season, Gurriel represented Cuba at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games, earning the gold medal. He appeared in 63 games in 2014 and greatly improved upon his 2013 campaign, batting .308 with eight home runs and 42 RBI.[1] With the Industriales in 2015, Gurriel hit .344 with 10 home runs and 53 RBI.[1] After the Cuban League season, Gurriel agreed to a contract with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), but did not appear in any games for the team and was placed on the restricted list.[2][3]

In February 2016, Gurriel and his brother Yulieski defected after competing in the Caribbean Series in the Dominican Republic.[4]

Toronto Blue Jays

In August 2016, Gurriel was declared a free agent by Major League Baseball (MLB), and ranked as the sixth best international prospect available.[5] In September, he held a showcase of his skills at Rod Carew Stadium that was attended by 60 MLB scouts.[6] On November 12, Gurriel signed a seven-year, $22 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.[7] Gurriel took part in spring training with the Blue Jays, and was assigned to the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Advanced-A Florida State League on March 17, 2017.[8][9] Gurriel began the season on the disabled list with a leg injury. He made his minor league debut on April 18, but left the game with a recurrence of the same injury.[10] On July 12, Gurriel was promoted to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats after appearing in 18 games for Dunedin.[11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Register Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  2. ↑ Garcia, Anne-Marie. "Cinco cubanos verán accion en la liga de Japón". MLB.com (in Spanish). Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  3. ↑ Badler, Ben (June 5, 2015). "Something is up with the Gourriel brothers". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  4. ↑ Strauss, Ben. "Star Brothers Are Apparently the Latest to Defect From Cuba". The New York Times. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  5. ↑ "2016 Prospect Watch". MLB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  6. ↑ Sanchez, Jesse (September 14, 2016). "Younger Gurriel brother, Lourdes, on display at showcase". MLB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  7. ↑ Sanchez, Jesse (November 12, 2016). "Cuba's Gurriel Jr. signs 7-year deal with Blue Jays". MLB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  8. ↑ Chisholm, Gregor (March 18, 2017). "Top prospect Alford, 3 others among spring cuts". MLB.com. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Toronto Blue Jays Transactions in March 2017". MLB.com. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Blue Jays' Lourdes Gurriel: Injured in first minor-league game". cbssports.com. April 20, 2017.
  11. ↑ Campbell, Morgan (July 12, 2017). "Blue Jays promoting infield prospect Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to Double-A". thestar.com. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
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