Miami's hitting guru talks; former LA Dodger seeks a comeback; two off-season stories
The oldest of the Gurriel brothers evolved from a productive player in Cuba to a world-class hitting coach in Miami: how he did it?
The offseason has ended. Spring Training has arrived. Months and months of work have been key to reaping results in a season as long and mentally demanding as today’s MLB game.
That’s why, during one of my visits to a training session in Miami, I spoke with coach Yunieski Gurriel about the enormous responsibility of training in these times. Yunieski is the older brother of Yuli and Lourdes Jr. He came to the United States as a veteran, already retired from a productive career in Cuba. He was a center fielder with above average offensive ability, and over time he became a contact and average hitter, eventually making Team Cuba for the 2015 Premier 12 and leading hitters in the now defunct Canadian American Association League with the Quebec Capitales in 2015.
Living in the shadow of two MLB brothers is not easy. But Yunieski has studied modern hitting, immersed himself in understanding today’s game, and trains multiple MLB players each offseason, including his brother Lourdes Jr., Abraham Toro, Mauricio Dubón, Bryan Ramos, and Cuban prospects such as Anthony Scull, Yiddi Cappe, Dyan Jorge, and Johan Rodríguez.