Yulieski Gurriel Castillo (born June 9, 1984), commonly known as Yuli Gurriel and nicknamed "La Piña", is a Cuban professional baseball first baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Miami Marlins, Kansas City Royals, and San Diego Padres, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Gurriel is a former member of Cuba's national team and an Olympic Games gold medalist in 2004.
The son of former Cuban player Lourdes Gourriel, Gurriel was regarded as the best player in Cuba in 2006. At the 2006 World Baseball Classic, MLB scouts projected that Gurriel would be a first-round draft pick were he eligible for the draft. He defected from Cuba in 2016 and made his major league debut that year.
In his first full MLB season, the 33-year old Gurriel helped lead the Astros to the 2017 World Series championship over the Los Angeles Dodgers, making him the fifth player to have won both an Olympic Games gold medal and a World Series title. He also helped lead the club to American League (AL) pennants over the New York Yankees in 2019 and 2022, as well as the Boston Red Sox in 2021. Gurriel won a second World Series title with the Astros over the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022.
In 2021, Gurriel won the AL batting title, becoming the second Cuban-born player to achieve this. At age 37, Gurriel tied Tony Gwynn (.372 in 1997), Barry Bonds (.370 in 2002), and George Brett (.329 in 1990) as the second oldest player in the divisional era (since 1969) to win a batting title; the only player who was older was Bonds, who also led the NL at age 39 in 2004. Gurriel was also the AL Gold Glove Award winner at first base in 2021, becoming the oldest player to win a Gold Glove at that position until Carlos Santana won the award at age 38 in 2024.
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Baseball career
Cuban National Series
Gurriel had a solid season during the 2004–05 Cuban National Series (CNS), leading the league in hits and runs scored. However, he truly dominated in 2005–06, leading the series in runs batted in (RBI), runs, and triples. His 27 home runs, which also led the league, were one short of the record of 28. Gurriel's batting average was .327, and his slugging percentage was .676. He played his Cuban career with Sancti Spíritus and Industriales of the Cuban National Series.
Yokohama DeNA BayStars
On May 11, 2014, Gurriel signed a one-year contract with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. He joined the team at midseason, and batted .305 with 11 home runs and 30 RBIs in 62 games.
In February 2016, Gurriel and his then-22-year-old brother, Lourdes Jr., defected after competing in the Caribbean Series in the Dominican Republic and relocated to Haiti to establish residency. In Haiti in June 2016, Gurriel met future Houston Astros teammate Yordan Alvarez, who is also Cuban. In June, Major League Baseball declared Gurriel eligible to be signed by a major league team as a free agent.
Nearly 10 years prior, ESPN.com had erroneously reported that Gurriel and another Cuban national player, Eduardo Paret, had defected from Cuba and into Colombia. Gurriel refuted this claim on August 1, 2006, stating that he returned to his home in Cuba immediately after the tournament in which the Cuban national team had been playing.
"Cuban players have been systematically overhyped, but had Yulieski Gurriel defected at 21 rather than 31, he probably ends up in the Hall of Fame," said Joe Kehoskie, a former agent who followed Cuban baseball closely, in August 2016.
Gurriel's brother, Lourdes Jr., signed with the Toronto Blue Jays on November 12, 2016.
Houston Astros
On July 16, 2016, Gurriel signed a five-year, $47.5 million contract with the Houston Astros. He played in 15 games in the Astros' minor league system that year. He made his American debut in July with the Gulf Coast Astros of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, playing in two games. He was then promoted to the Lancaster JetHawks of the Class A-Advanced California League. After playing in four games for Lancaster, the Astros promoted Gurriel to the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Double-A Texas League. He batted 2-for-17 (.118) in five games for Corpus Christi, and was promoted to the Fresno Grizzlies of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He was recalled from Fresno to the major league roster on August 21. In his first 19 games with the Astros, he batted .344 with three home runs and eight runs batted in, playing mostly first and third base defensively.
Over 139 games in 2017, Gurriel batted .299/.332/.486 for a 121 adjusted OPS (OPS+). He hit 3 doubles, 18 home runs, 75 RBI and had 22 walks and 62 strikeouts. He finished seventh overall in the American League (AL) in doubles, second in at bats per strikeout (8.5), while seeing the fewest number of pitches per plate appearance in the major leagues (3.43). He led major league rookies in batting, ranked second among AL rookies in hits (158) and extra base hits (62), and third in runs (69) and OPS (.817). Gurriel set club rookie records for doubles and extra base hits—previously held by Hunter Pence (30 and 56, 2007); for slugging percentage—previously held by Jeff Bagwell (.437, 1991); and for total bases—previously held by Joe Morgan (251, 1965). Defensively, Gurriel ranked second among AL first basemen with 90 assists.
Gurriel placed fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. The Houston chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) named him the Astros Rookie of the Year.
In Game 3 of the World Series, Gurriel hit a home run off Japanese Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish, and upon returning to the dugout, made a racist gesture mocking the pitcher. Gurriel was caught on camera stretching the sides of his eyes and mouthing the Spanish word chinito, which translates to "little Chinese Boy". Gurriel apologized and said that anyone from Asia is called a chino in Cuba, although he acknowledged that he knew the term was offensive from having played in Japan. Gurriel was suspended for the first five games of the 2018 season without pay but not for the World Series. He was required to undergo sensitivity training in the offseason. The Astros said that they would donate Gurriel's salary lost during the suspension to a charity that supports diversity efforts.
Miami Marlins
On March 10, 2023, Gurriel signed a one-year minor league contract with the Miami Marlins. On March 26, the Marlins announced that Gurriel had made the Opening Day roster and would have his contract selected to the 40-man roster. On April 25, Gurriel recorded an inside-the-park home run off Atlanta Braves reliever Jesse Chavez after the ball got away from outfielder Kevin Pillar.
The Astros presented Gurriel his 2022 World Series ring during a pregame ceremony at LoanDepot Park on August 16, with former teammates Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Martín Maldonado, Justin Verlander, and manager Dusty Baker. In 108 games for Miami, Gurriel batted .245/.304/.359 with four home runs and 27 RBI. He became a free agent following the season.
Atlanta Braves
On April 13, 2024, Gurriel signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves. In 75 games for the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers, he slashed .292/.378/.485 with 12 home runs, 48 RBI, and 11 stolen bases.
Kansas City Royals
On August 31, 2024, Gurriel was traded to the Kansas City Royals for cash considerations. The next day, Kansas City selected Gurriel's contract, adding him to their active roster. He made his season debut against the Astros on September 1, hitting an RBI single against Tayler Scott. In 18 games for Kansas City, Gurriel hit .241/.338/.296 with no home runs, six RBI, and one stolen base. He batted 4-for-21 in the playoffs.
San Diego Padres
On February 17, 2025, Gurriel signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres. On March 27, the Padres selected Gurriel's contract after he made the team's Opening Day roster. In 16 appearances for San Diego, he batted .111/.200/.139 with no home runs and three RBI. Gurriel was designated for assignment by the Padres on April 29. He cleared waivers and elected free agency on May 3. He was the fifth oldest player in MLB in 2025.
International career
Gurriel represented the Cuba national team before his defection. He helped the national team win a gold medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics, as well as at the World Cup of Baseball championships in 2003 and 2005. During the 2005 World Cup, he led all batters with eight home runs.
Gurriel played second base for the Cuban national team at the 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC), striking out for the final out for Cuba in their championship game loss to Japan. He batted .273 in the tournament, with a .342 on-base percentage and a .515 slugging percentage. Later in the finals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics tournament, he again made the final out, by grounding into a double play against South Korea.
Gurriel played for Cuba again in the 2009 WBC, as their third baseman. He batted .333 in the tournament with two home runs and six RBIs.
In December 2023, Gurriel was announced as part of FEPCUBE's "Patria y Vida" team of expatriate Cuban ballplayers participating in the inaugural Intercontinental Series in Barranquilla, Colombia. It would have been the first time Gurriel represented Cuba, albeit unofficially, in an international tournament since the 2011 Pan American Games. However, the tournament was cancelled due to diplomatic pressure from the Cuban government.
Player profile
In MLB, Gurriel has had a limited platoon advantage, with a slightly better batting average against right handed pitchers than left-handers but more patient and power against lefties. He is better at batting against breaking balls away from the bat, especially sliders.
Personal life
Gurriel is the older brother of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. who plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks and is the son of Lourdes Gurriel. His family currently resides in Miami, Florida.