The Yankees roster is inflexible in 2016 thanks to a slew of veterans that are locked into expensive contracts, but the Bronx Bombers might have to act first and adjust later if Cuban slugger Yulieski Gorriel really does have his sights on wearing pinstripes.
Gourriel, 32, played second and third base for the Serie Nacional Industriales in Cuba last season, and put up truly absurd numbers. He slashed .535/.604/1.012 with 10 home runs, 15 walks and just one strikeout over 23 games (106 plate appearances). Gourriel played in Serie Nacional from 2001-2013, spent some time in Japan, and returned to the Cuban league before defecting.
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“This is the dream of all players — to play at the maximum level of baseball in all the world,” Gourriel said in April 2015, naming the Yankees as the team he’d like to play for so he could be teammates with his idol Alex Rodriguez.
While Gourriel’s power numbers and overall impact as a hitter garners the most attention, scouts have also been impressed by his defense. “Every time you see [Gourriel], you see something special,” Eric Nadel, a Rangers announcer told Yahoo. “He rises to the occasion in international tournaments. He’s no secret.”
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The problem facing the Yankees is that they have Chase Headley entrenched at third base, and just traded for Starlin Castro, who projects to start at second base. They also have prospect Rob Refsnyder ready to contribute at the MLB level should Castro get hurt or play poorly.
Headley made a career-high 23 errors in 2015, which severely diminished his value since he posted a negative offensive rating per Fangraphs. If the Yankees believe Gourriel’s success overseas can translate, he may be a candidate to outright replace Headley as the everyday third basemen while Headley backs up both corner infield spots and fills the role the team hoped Greg Bird would take over. Bird is out for the season with a torn labrum.
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