My Take
Yuli Gurriel is one of those guys who just makes you appreciate how much baseball talent Cuba quietly produced for decades before the world really noticed. He defected in 2016 after a legendary career on the island — he was already in his thirties and still became a legit contributor in Major League Baseball, which is not a small thing. His 2017 World Series run with the Houston Astros was unforgettable, even if it came with controversy after a racist gesture toward Yu Darvish that he was rightly suspended for. He owned that mistake and moved forward. The 2021 Gold Glove at first base was a nice capstone — smooth fielder, solid bat, a veteran who earned his keep. "La Piña" bounced around in his later years, but watching him stick around and compete into his late thirties is genuinely impressive.
Overview
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.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Yuli Gurriel
- Name (Japanese)
- ユリ・グリエル
- Reading
- ゆり・ぐりえる
- Born
- June 9, 1984 (age 41)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Rat
- Origin
- Sancti Spíritus, Sancti Spíritus Province, Cuba
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 183 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- baseball player
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2021 Rawlings Gold Glove Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.