The adaptation process has only just begun for Cuban first baseman Yuli Gurriel of the Houston Astros, as admitted by the player himself, who is playing his first full season with the Texan team.
It is true that in Cuba he won everything and that is why he was a star, a goal that he also wants to achieve in the Major Leagues, and for that he is aware that he still has a great margin of improvement and growth as a professional.
But he has quickly learned that a major league season is not all fun and that a 162-game schedule is no joke.
«In Cuba 90 games are played throughout the season. You play three days and then rest one. Here you can play 12 days in a row. It is different ”, admitted Gurriel to the journalists. “You have to prepare very well in winter for this long season.”
Gurriel acknowledged that “pitchers are the best in the world.”
“The pitches move a lot, it’s not like they’re throwing you straight after fastball. That is also different, “he said.
The Cuban first baseman, who played 36 games with the Astros after signing a contract last summer, has made some adjustments. He hit .304 with 28 hits in 92 at-bats, including nine doubles, five home runs and 20 RBIs in 22 games to win the AL Rookie of the Month award in July.
In that time frame, Gurriel led every rookie on the circuit in hits, doubles, RBIs, slugging and OPS.
The infielder finished Wednesday with 23 hits in his last 15 games, after going 2-for-5 on Wednesday against the Arizona Diadmondbacks.
«The season is intense. Spring training was intense, “said Gurriel. “I think the pilot does a good job giving us rest when necessary. And we have a very strong bench, so it is not that we lower the level. This is a tremendous team. I don’t feel like we’re as fresh as when the season started, but that’s normal. “
Gurriel has already played 105 games this season, a new personal best.
Remember that he once played 152 games, 90 in Cuba and 62 in Japan, between 2013 and 2014. The difference? The pause that took place between the end of the season in Cuba and the start of the activity in Japan.
“Everything is new to him, whether it be throughout the calendar or the pitchers. His adjustments to the league have been good and he understands the schedule, “said Astros manager AJ Hinch. «He is a fun boy and he is happy in the team. Everything is new, even for someone who has played so long internationally. It is a new experience for him.
The Astros have a guaranteed slugger, who has made an important contribution to the offense and defense of the Houston team, who have the second-best record in the majors and are outstanding leaders in the West Division and the AL.
“The objective is very clear, to get a pass to the final phase and there to have the opportunity to go far,” said Gurriel. “We are sure that on the diamond we can beat any rival.”
They proved it by overcoming the mini-game crisis they went through with two consecutive road wins against the Diamondbacks.
Victories that have restored confidence and enthusiasm to a franchise that has been, so far, the great winning revelation of the Majors. EFE