This Braddock prospect for the MLB Draft is a mirror image of former Hurricanes star
For Harold Martinez, it’s like looking at a mirror.
Martinez, a former Braddock High and University of Miami baseball star, is now an assistant coach at his prep alma mater, and he has spent the past three years mentoring MLB Draft prospect Yohandy “Yoyo” Morales.
The similarities between the two players are striking.
“From day one,” Martinez said, “Yohandy reminded me of myself at that age.”
In his prep days, Martinez was a 6-3, 190-pound shortstop. After three years at UM, he was drafted in the second round by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2011. He outgrew shortstop in college and became a 210-pound corner infielder in a seven-year, minor-league career that reached Triple A but never the majors.
Meanwhile, Morales is a 6-4, 190-pound Braddock shortstop who has signed to play with UM but is expected to get selected by the second round in this year’s June 10-11 draft. Scouts believe he, too, could outgrow shortstop, but it’s not a sure bet.
“I’m a shortstop until someone switches me,” said Morales, 18. “I think I can stay at shortstop. If I have to switch, I will, but I’ve been working on my agility, moving side to side and getting to balls in the gaps.”
Ironically, Morales’ first position was third base. He played the hot corner from age six to 13. Third base was also the position of his father, Andy Morales, who signed a four-year, $4.5 million contract with the Yankees in 2001 after becoming a star in Cuba.
Andy Morales never made the majors — he played in Double A for a couple of seasons before retiring — but he has trained his son to take the next steps.
“He taught me everything and has always been on the practice field with me,” Yohandy said of his father. “He said the easy part is getting to pro baseball. The hard part is staying there and making it big.”
Martinez, 30, can relate. His pro career ended in 2017. He was hired at Braddock in 2018 — one decade after he graduated from the large high school in the West Dade area.
Once he arrived at Braddock as a coach on Wesley Morejon’s staff, Martinez immediately spotted Morales’ talent.
“My first impression was that (Morales) would be a first-rounder and a major-leaguer,” Martinez said. “I know what a major-leaguer looks like, and (Morales) has raw talent. I’ve never had a doubt about his ability.”
Besides himself, Martinez saw some other players in Morales’ game.
“Every time you see a 6-3/6-4 shortstop, you think about [Alex Rodriguez] and Manny Machado,” Martinez said.
“The reason I came back to coach in high school was to help kids like Yohandy. I had gotten such great help from my coaches, that I wanted to do the same.
“[Morales] is an easy player to coach. You tell him something, and it’s, ‘Yes sir’, and he does it. I was excited to work with somebody of his talent and to get him at an age where I could mold him in every aspect of the game.”
Morales said he appreciates Martinez’s mentorship.
“I learned a lot from him,” Morales said, “especially hitting and my positioning at shortstop.”
Morales, a four-year starter, hit .359 with a .396 on-base percentage and .565 slugging numbers in 237 career at-bats. He also hit 19 doubles, three triples and eight homers with 50 RBI.
But as good as those numbers are, he was off to his best start this year, hitting .500 with four homers in just 28 at-bats when the season was called due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“He’s not a show off,” Morejon said, “but he’s confident in his ability.”
Martinez, who is now a family man with two young children, said the bond he built with Morales is special.
“I approached it like he was my little brother, and I taught him everything I knew,” said Martinez, who earned his Bachelor’s degree in sociology this past December. “I tried to feed [Morales] every single tip I could. I gave him my best advice.
“But, to be honest, he was going to do well with or without me. Even in pro baseball, I’ve rarely seen guys hit like him.”
This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 2:02 PM.