Serie Nacional: Yunior Tur might be Cuba’s next dominating closer

We talk to one of Cuba’s premier talent’s Yunior Tur of la Serie Nacional about being left off the Cuban national team and more!

Yuinor Tur established himself last season as one of the most effective young relievers in Cuba, during last year’s Serie Nacional with the Santiago Red Wasps the young flamethrower was virtually unhittable and lights out in save situations.

In 22 innings last season, he only allowed one earned run and opponents hit a paltry .111 against the hard-throwing righty. He also struck out 24 batters and posted a WHIP of 1.09 in 17 games. Even though his SO9 was 9.82 he was inexplicably left off the Cuban 2019 Premier 12 team. Yunior Tur’s season was cut short by injury not long after his exclusion from the national squad.

Although this happened Tur he’s without a doubt is the next lights out closer to come out of the island. His build and repertoire remind many of a young Yoan López.

You gave up one run in 22 innings this season, how did you prepare in the off-season to attain those results?

Basically I spent all off-season working on my craft and participating in the Sub23 tournament before the season really helped me get in game shape. Also reporting earlier to Santiago’s training camp helped me plenty.

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You weren’t selected as a member of the Premier 12 team, did that upset you?

It upset me plenty, especially because I was Cuba’s best closer going into the tournament. Not being selected was very disheartening.

Did they give you an explanation for why you weren’t selected?

No! none was given to me at all, they just told me I didn’t make the cut.

Despite the defections, Santiago still has a young and talented core, what has the coaching staff done to develop this talent?

They have let us play ball and play freely, but one thing they have stressed is unity. We have a lot of baseball ahead of us to play.

You were close to breaking Norge Luis Vera’s record, how did that make you feel?

Although I didn’t break the record it was an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence as Vera, who is a legend in Cuba. Chasing his record gave me great pleasure.

What is your goal for the upcoming season?

First of all and most importantly is to win a Cuban League title, now secondly is to improve on last season’s performance. But the most important goal is to stay healthy.

Do you admire any current or former pitcher?

Of course, it’s the aforementioned Norge Luis Vera.