International Prospect Óscar Luis Colás – the Cuban Ohtani
By Yusseff Diaz
Óscar Luis Colás is an International Prospect out of Cuba who has an array of skills comparable to those of two-way player Shohei Ohtani.
International Prospect Óscar Luis Colás is a 21-year-old Cuban from Santiago who has a very powerful bat but can also unleash a 94 mph heater from the left side.
The young islander was so highly touted that the Nippon League’s SoftBank plucked him out of the Cuban National Series at the age of 18.
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Many media outlets have compared him to Shohei Ohtani. He shared his thoughts with me on the comparison, “It’s an honor to be compared to such a great hitter and pitcher. During his time in Japan, he was the best. For them to even utter me in the same sentence as Ohtani gives great pride.”
Last season with SoftBank’s minor league team he hit .302 with 11 bombs and 46 RBI’s in 66 games. He also slashed .350/.516/.866.
He was also named player of the month last May when he batted .333, went yard three times and drove in 21.
This earned him a call-up and the outfielder went yard in his first at-bat with the big ball club. Colás hit .278 during his brief incursion with the big hawks.
Although SoftBank still owns his rights he has been projected as one of the most sought after prospects this coming July 2nd. Any team attempting to sign the slugger from the International Prospect free agent pool will probably have to work out some kind of a deal with the Japanese league team.
Some sources have linked Colás with the Chicago White Sox for a supposed bonus of somewhere south of $5M.
Sources from Cuba confirm that Oscar Luis Colas, the Cuban Ohtani, left the island in last hours and will pursue an MLB contract. Colas debuted in 2019 on the NPB with HR on their first turn at bat. pic.twitter.com/kMcKq7eTqh
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) January 3, 2020
Although he has pitched sparingly in Cuba, mostly as a reliever he has an ERA of 2.70 and hitters hit .250 against the flamethrowing southpaw.
Another comparison that the Colás has drawn is to Cuban legend and Hall of Famer Martin Dihigo who he himself was a pitcher/slugger.
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When I asked which he prefers to pitch or hit, he replied, “I like to do both, but as of right now I’m more developed as a hitter.”