How Yuli Gurriel has adjusted to his role with Marlins. And what Schumaker likes about him
Up to this point in his MLB career, Yuli Gurriel had a defined role. He was an everyday starter during his seven seasons with the Houston Astros, starting 762 of the 816 games he played. It was almost assumed that he was in the lineup if he was healthy.
This year hasn’t been that way, and Gurriel knew from the start that would be the case.
When he signed a minor-league deal with the Miami Marlins on March 10, Gurriel knew his path to the big-league roster, at least to start, was going to be in a bench role. He would get spot starts at first base when Garrett Cooper needed a day off his feet, but his time was likely going to come as a defensive replacement or a pinch-hitter.
“This is a new role for me,” said Gurriel, who just two years ago won both a Gold Glove at first base and the American League batting title. “I was feeling a little bit lost at the beginning, but you continue working to try to get better, which is part of the role.”
So far, Gurriel has handled the role well.
Gurriel has at least one hit in all seven games he has played. He has a .346 batting average (9 for 26), with one double and one home run along with two RBI and three runs scored. He has struck out in just four of his 27 plate appearances.
“He works,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “He’s preparing like he’s going to start every day so that when he gets that opportunity, he’s ready. His timing is there. He’s doing all he can to make sure he’s hitting off the machine. ... We feel good about when he’s in the lineup because he’s a professional hitter. It’s not like he’s sitting down and not doing anything for the days he’s not playing. He’s ready. But yeah. It’s not an easy role. That bench role is not easy, especially when you’ve been playing every day for six or seven years like he has, so credit to him for the work he’s putting in between starts.”
He’s getting more playing time now, too.
After starting just two of Miami’s first nine games, Gurriel was in the lineup for each of Miami’s final four games of the past road trip — starting at first base in the finale against the New York Mets on Sunday and all three games against the Philadelphia Phillies. Injuries to outfielder Avisail Garcia (left hamstring) and Cooper (left upper leg) this road trip opened the door for the extra starts.
“It’s been helping a lot,” Gurriel said of the playing time. “Every game that you get, you get better and chances to make adjustments.”
Even when he’s not playing, Gurriel is making an impact in the clubhouse. His track record for success — two World Series championships with Houston, a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics and silver in 2008 plus a runner-up finish at the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006 with Cuba — is something the Marlins hope he can help instill on a team trying to find its own winning ways.
“He knows what winning looks like,” Schumaker said. “He’s been a winner his whole career. Even in Cuba, he was a winner. ... And it’s more than just the production on the field, and that’s what you can’t quantify. When you walk by and there’s a bunch of guys around him in the locker room and in the food room, the table is full with him in the middle of it. That stuff just goes a long way. He makes other people better.”
This and that
▪ Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez, who on Tuesday hit for the first cycle in franchise history, has a .500 batting average through 13 games played. He is just the fifth qualified hitter to have a batting average of at least .500 through his team’s first 13 games in the Wild Card era (since 1995). The others: Ramon Hernandez in 2006 (.526), Barry Bonds in 2004 (.500), Sandy Alomar in 1997 (.512) and Mike Piazza in 1995 (.525).
▪ One year after losing 40 one-run games, the Marlins so far are a perfect 3-0 in games decided by one run: a 2-1 win against the Mets on March 31, a 1-0 win over the Minnesota Twins on April 4 and a 7-6, 10-inning win against the Phillies on Wednesday.
▪ Through games played Wednesday, the Marlins’ 15 home runs are tied for 11th in baseball and tied for sixth in the National League. Those 15 home runs have accounted for 24 of Miami’s 41 runs. Soler leads the team with four home runs, one of 20 players to have at least four homers already this season.
.JPG)