MLB’s Cuban infusion continues with Yasmani Tomas
The Philadelphia Phillies may have missed out on Rusney Castillo who landed with the Boston Red Sox. Lucky for them there is a new Cuban star ready to be picked up by a Major League ball club.
Yasmani Tomas defected from Cuba in late June and has been waiting to either establish residency in another county, a lot of Cuban defectors go to Mexico, or for the United States to clear him. Now all he needs is for the league to declare him a free agent and he can sign with any MLB team he likes.
He is free to do this because he is 23 years old and has spent the last five seasons playing Serie Nacional, Tomas doesn’t count against the international bonus pool.
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Tomas is a power hitting corner outfielder. Like most power hitters he has the tendency to strike out a lot but Keith Law projects that he will hit between 20-30 home runs a season. Law says that Tomas’ defense is blow-average due to the simple fact that he is not very fast in the field or on the base paths so don’t expect him to steal a lot of bases. These might not sound like the best statistics in the world but every team could use a 30 homer a year hitter.
Although he did have a 2014 slash line of .291/.348/.452 so that can’t hurt his chances of a good contract. He had 21 walks and 46 strikeouts in 257 plate appearances.
Law also wrote that he expects the young Cuban to command more money than his actual statistics might be worth because of the success of the Cuban hitters that have come before him.
Tomas was able to showcase his abilities for Major League Baseball managers and scouts while playing the the last World Baseball Classic for Cuba.
There’s a good chance the Philles will jump at the chance to sign Tomas, according to Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly. They has wanted Castillo so Tomas would be a good second choice.
"“There are indications they will be aggressive players for the next highly touted Cuban slugger, Yasmani Tomas. The 23-year-old power-hitting corner outfielder — just what the club needs — is expected to hit the open market this winter,” Salisbury writes, “If the Phillies were able to land Tomas, he would project as the team’s next leftfielder, a middle of the order piece that would either replace or complement Ryan Howard.”"
And so, the Cuban infusion in the MLB will continue as soon as Tomas gets declared a free agent by the league.