Estevan Florial
Cleveland Guardians – No. 90
Outfielder
Born: (1997-11-25) November 25, 1997 (age 26)
Barahona, Dominican Republic
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 28, 2020, for the New York Yankees
MLB statistics
(through April 3, 2024)
Batting average.206
Home runs1
Runs batted in11
Teams

Estevan Haniel Florial (born November 25, 1997) is a Dominican-Haitian professional baseball outfielder for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees.

Background

Estevan Florial was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He holds dual-citizenship with Haiti due to his mother being born there. In the first couple of years with the Yankees organization, they mistakenly listed him as being born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which would have made him a forerunner to become the first Haitian-born Major League player.[1] Florial signed with the New York Yankees under the name Haniel d'Oleo in 2014. However the contract was voided after he was unable to provide a birth certificate and he re-signed with the Yankees under the name Estevan Florial in 2015.[2]

Career

New York Yankees

Minor leagues

Florial made his professional debut that season with the Dominican Summer League Yankees 1 where he batted .313 with seven home runs and 53 RBIs in 57 games. He played in 2016 with the Pulaski Yankees, Charleston RiverDogs and Tampa Yankees,[3] batting a combined .227 with eight home runs and thirty RBIs in 67 total games among the three teams.

Florial started the 2017 season with Charleston.[4] He was selected to appear in the All-Star Futures Game in July.[5] After batting .297 with 11 home runs, 43 RBIs and 17 stolen bases for Charleston, he was promoted to Tampa in August, where he finished the season[6] slashing .303/.368/.461 with two home runs and 14 RBIs in 19 games.[7] The Yankees promoted him to the Trenton Thunder for their postseason but did not appear in a game.[8]

Florial entered 2018 as one of the top prospects in the minor leagues.[9] Playing for Tampa, he broke the hamate bone in his right wrist in May and required surgery, costing him three months of the season.[10] In 2019, the Yankees invited Florial to spring training as a non-roster player.[11] He suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right wrist during spring training.[12] He returned to Tampa in June,[13] where he played for the 2019 season.[14]

Major leagues

Florial was called up to the majors on August 28, 2020.[15] He played in the first game of a doubleheader that same day against the New York Mets, where he got his first MLB hit. At the end of the day he was sent back to the minors.[16]

On July 20, 2021, the Yankees promoted Florial to the major leagues to replace the injured Trey Amburgey.[17] He recorded his first major league RBI on a groundout to first base, and later hit his first major league home run; a solo shot off of pitcher Enyel De Los Santos of the Philadelphia Phillies.[18]

Out of options in 2023, Florial made the Yankees Opening Day roster.[19] He appeared as a pinch runner on Opening Day, but was designated for assignment on April 1.[20] Florial had 63 plate appearances for the Yankees across four seasons, batting .185 with 21 strikeouts.[21] He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on April 7.[22] In 101 games in Triple–A, he batted .284/.380/.565 with 28 home runs, 79 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases. On September 11, Florial had his contract selected back to the major league roster.[23] In 19 major league games for New York, he hit .230/.324/.312 with no home runs, eight RBIs, and three stolen bases.

Cleveland Guardians

On December 26, 2023, the Yankees traded Florial to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Cody Morris.[24]

References

  1. ^ Miller, Randy, ed. (February 21, 2018). "Yankees' Estevan Florial passes on ripping Donald Trump, clarifies he's 'not from Haiti'". NJ.com. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  2. ^ Sherman, Joel (February 23, 2016). "How a new identity made one Yankees prospect a rising star". nypost.com. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  3. ^ "How Yankees gave young top prospect taste of what's to come". nj.com. March 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  4. ^ Asberry, Derrek (April 6, 2017). "Opening Day: Charleston RiverDogs start season with sights set on reaching playoffs in consecutive seasons". The Post and Courier. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  5. ^ "RiverDogs' Estevan Florial to Feature in MLB All-Star Futures Game". MiLB.com. June 29, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  6. ^ "Yankees promote 19-year-old Florial to Tampa". MiLB.com. August 1, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  7. ^ "Estevan Florial Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  8. ^ "Florial bumped up to Trenton for EL Finals". MiLB.com. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  9. ^ "Yankees prospect Estevan Florial has a huge upside". Newsday. February 24, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  10. ^ Mazzeo, Mike (May 19, 2018). "Yankees top outfield prospect Estevan Florial needs wrist surgery, could miss three months". nydailynews.com. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  11. ^ Dykstra, Sam (February 1, 2019). "New York Yankees invite Estevan Florial to Spring Training camp". MiLB.com. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  12. ^ "New York Yankees prospect Estevan Florial fractures right wrist". Northjersey.com. March 16, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  13. ^ Rosenstein, Mike (June 4, 2019). "Yankees' Estevan Florial impresses in season debut for Single-A Tampa". NJ.com. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  14. ^ Kuty, Brendan (August 17, 2019). "How Yankees see top prospect Estevan Florial's struggles". NJ.com. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  15. ^ King, George A. (August 28, 2020). "Injuries pave way for Estevan Florial's long-awaited Yankees debut". Nypost.com. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  16. ^ Siener, Jake. "FIRST TIMERS CLUB". ESPN. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  17. ^ "Yankees finally turn to Estevan Florial again with Trey Amburgey sidelined". nj.com. July 20, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  18. ^ "Estevan Florial hits first MLB home run for New York Yankees". Northjersey.com. July 20, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  19. ^ Joyce, Greg (March 30, 2023). "Yankees have 'potential deal' for pitcher after Opening Day". Nypost.com. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  20. ^ "Yankees make Estevan Florial decision, tweak active roster". nj.com. January 26, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  21. ^ Goodman, Max (April 1, 2023). "Why Yankees' Estevan Florial never panned out in pinstripes". NJ.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  22. ^ "Yankees' Estevan Florial: Outrighted to Triple-A". cbssports.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  23. ^ "Yankees' Estevan Florial: Returns to big leagues". cbssports.com. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  24. ^ "Yankees acquire pitcher Cody Morris from the Guardians for Estevan Florial". newsday.com. December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.

External links

Cleveland Guardians current roster
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