Yulieski Gourriel Castillo was born on June 9, 1984, and is a Cuban professional baseball first baseman who now plays for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball.
His nickname is “La Pia.” Yuli Gurriel is a popular name, thus he is known by many as Yuli Gurriel (MLB). Prior to joining Yokohama DeNA BayStars of the Nippon Professional Baseball League,
he was a member of the Cuban National Series (CNS) team Sancti Spiritus (NPB). Gurriel is a Cuban athlete who won a gold medal at the Olympic Games in 2004 and formerly competed for Cuba’s national team.
In the major leagues, he has also played the positions of shortstop, second base, and third base. He has always been a versatile infielder.
Yulieski Gurriel, the son of legendary Cuban star Lourdes Gurriel, was widely considered to be the finest player in Cuba in 2006.
During the 2006 World Baseball Classic, scouts from Major League Baseball projected that Gurriel would be selected in the first round of the draft should he become eligible for the draft. n 2016, he left Cuba and debuted in the big leagues the same year after making the move.
Gurriel became just the sixth player in the history of baseball to win both a gold medal at the Olympic Games and a World Series victory during his first full season in Major League Baseball.
Gurriel helped lead the Astros to a 2017 World Series triumph. Additionally, he was a key figure in the club’s success in the American League (AL) in both 2019 and 2021.
Gurriel became the second Cuban-born player to ever win the batting championship in the American League in 2021 when he did it.
He also won the American League Gold Glove Award for the first baseman in 2021, making him the player with the record for being the oldest to earn a Gold Glove at that position.
How Much Does Yuli Gurriel Make?
In the year 2022, Gurriel will bring in total pay of $8,000,000, in addition to the basic salary of $8,000,000 that he will earn. The club option for 2022 comes with a buyout of $500,000, according to the contract notes.