View Full Version : Yuliesky Gourriel
the pyromaniac
08-01-2006, 08:46 PM
So who's heard the rumors of his defection, and are they true?
Quicksilv3r
08-02-2006, 03:34 AM
Apparently it's not true, but I'm still hopeful.
Agente Libre
08-02-2006, 04:50 AM
Good grief ... Gourriel gave ESPN an interview *from Cuba* 2 days ago.
He did NOT defect.
Quicksilv3r
08-02-2006, 06:24 AM
Well but we can't be sure it's really Gourriel?
Agente Libre
08-02-2006, 04:23 PM
So you think Gourriel defected, but he and his agent are keeping it a huge secret and having his family fake interviews with ESPN saying he didn't defect?
Kiefer
08-04-2006, 09:44 PM
What a stupid guy!:mad:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?id=2536573
the pyromaniac
08-08-2006, 07:33 PM
I had just read an article that included a one-sentence reference to his defection and couldn't find anything on it at the time. Thanks for clearing it up! :)
ozziethesaint
08-09-2006, 09:10 AM
I wish it had been true, I would have loved to see him play in the MLB
Redondos
08-11-2006, 06:31 AM
With speculation running rampant on Fidel Castro's health and what impact this would have on the tight lid that is kept on Cuba's baseball players, it would have been unusual if Gourriel defection rumors didn't get started.
SportStarMarc
08-12-2006, 09:40 PM
What a player, my gosh..he could be on the all-star team his first year. We shall wait and see, hopefully he knows whats best for him. I've read an article on him, he leaves the stadium, signs some autos, and goes home on the bus. If he comes here he will show up in his Escolade, leave the game and retire to his mansion while he counts his millions. Let's see what he does lol.
Agente Libre
08-12-2006, 10:17 PM
Let's keep in mind, folks, that while Gourriel is a good player, he hit .273 in the WBC with 2 HR and made an error that almost single-handedly lost an important game.
Listening to the hype, one would think Gourriel hit .400 in the WBC with 3 walk-off HR and played flawless defense.
Cubano100%
08-13-2006, 05:04 AM
Agente:
Gourriel is a 3B in Cuba. It is true he is being used at 2B in International games but he does not play 2B too much.
I am sure that great MLB players did much better than him.
http://ww2.worldbaseballclassic.com/2006/stats/stats.jsp?t=l_bat&lid=160&sid=wbc
Gourriel also faced better pitchers than the USA hitters.
MLB Bruce Chen from Panama
Puerto Rican, Dominican, Venezuelan (Santana) pitchers.
Japaneses pitchers (Matsusaka probably the best in Japan)
How about the USA hitters?
South Africa
Canada (Adam Lowen was a A ball pitcher at the time)
That 273 ave does not look that bad compared to Ivan Rodriguez, Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, Damon, Texeira and Young.
I think the WBC is too short of a tournament to judge a player by his performance in it, but just for the heck of it:
Bernie Williams and Vernon Wells: 250
Pudge: 238
Miguel Cabrera:211
Victor Martinez:200
Adrian Gonzalez:188
Carlos Lee:182
Bobby Abreu and David Ortiz:150
Carlos Guillen: 111
Magglio Ordonez:100
PS: Gourriel did look like he was trying to hit the ball outta park every time up.
Agente Libre
08-13-2006, 09:11 AM
Right, but all of us have seen Bernie Williams, Miguel Cabrera, etc., hundreds of times, whereas a lot of these people who are going crazy over Gourriel only saw him during the WBC. And the fact is, if you only saw Gourriel during the WBC, you shouldn't be that excited about him. I watched every one of Cuba's games, and I don't remember Gourriel have any huge hits or make any spectacular defensive plays.
There's no question he's a great player, but it's not even a given he's the best player in Cuba, let alone the best player by far. There are players down there with very similar numbers that no one ever mentions.
I dont think he'll be an instant All-Star, he'll need his period of adjustment down in the minors, bu hes got a pretty huge upside, and i do think he is the best player in the island right now.
PS: How about his throw home, with a wet ball, against PR, to nail Pudge at the plate?
Cubano100%
08-14-2006, 04:23 AM
This is all speculation.
Yuni Betancourt made it in 3 months after not playing for a while. Kendry did not fare well in 200 AB but we have not seing the last of Kendry yet. So why can not Gourriel make it straight from Cuba?
It all depends wether or not he wastes a lot of time out of baseball after defecting and also the team that sign him.
Please, he can be playing for several teams with little talent such Kansas City, Tampa, Nationals and so on.