Who is Yuli Gurriel?
Yulieski Gourriel Castillo is a Cuban professional baseball first baseman who currently plays for the Houston Astros. Castillo was born on June 9, 1984.
In the past, he has competed in the Cuban National Series with Sancti Spiritus and in the Nippon Professional Baseball for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars (NPB).
A former member of Cuba’s national team and winner of an Olympic gold medal in 2004, Gurriel won the competition in 2004.
During the 2004 Summer Olympics and World Cup of Baseball, Gurriel served as a second baseman for the Cuban national baseball team.
He hit eight home runs in the 2005 World Cup, the most of any hitter. With an on-base percentage of.342 and slugging percentage of.515, he hit 273 in the tournament.
A double play versus South Korea in the 2008 Beijing Olympics finals was his final out. Cuba’s World Baseball Classic team lost to Japan in the finals of the 2009 tournament, with Gurriel hitting 333 at-bats
His younger brother, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., is a member of the Toronto Blue Jays and he is their older brother. Gurriel is a right-handed batter, therefore his batting average is higher against right-handed pitchers than it is against left-handed pitchers.
He is also better at hitting against breaking balls away from the bat, especially sliders, because of his batting hand.
Where Was Yuli Gurriel Born?
His birthplace is the Cuban city of Sancti Spiritus. Located in the province of Sancti Spritus in central Cuba, Sancti Spritus is one of the earliest European colonies in the country.