Who Is Newest Guardians Outfielder Estevan Florial?
The Cleveland Guardians' need for outfield help is no secret to anyone. How they planned to address this was one of the biggest mysteries heading into the offseason.
The organization did make a move to increase their outfield depth on Tuesday afternoon as they acquired OF Estevan Florial from the New York Yankees in exchange for RHP Cody Morris.
Who is this newest outfielder for the Guardians?
The Yankees organization originally signed Florial to a Minor League contract out of the Dominican Republic all the way back in 2015. He was once a top-100 prospect in baseball and entered the 2019 season as the Yankees top-ranked prospect (per MLB Pipeline).
Florial finally made his debut for New York on August 28, 2020. He never fit into the Yankees outfield and was sent up and down between the Minors and Big League for the last four seasons.
Florial's Minor League stats have been encouraging as he has a career batting average of .269 and an OPS of .816. He spent the majority of last season with New York's Triple-A affiliate and finished with a .284 batting average, .945 OPS, 28 home runs, and 79 RBI.
However, that hasn't translated to the Big Leagues.
Feb 20, 2023; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Estevan Florial (90) works out during spring training practice at George M Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The 26-year-old has a career slash line of .209/.313/.296 with an OPS of .609 in MLB action. Florial's offense clearly hasn't been off the charts, but perhaps with more consistent playing time, those numbers will come around.
Constant playing time is something the Florial could potentially get for the Guardians in 2024. He played in 60 games in center field, 22 games in left field, and 12 games in right field in Triple-A last season.
Myles Straw played the majority of center field innings for the Guardians the past two seasons. However, his offense has been incredibly underwhelming since being acquired from the Houston Astros at the 2021 trade deadline.
One very important note to remember is that Florial is out of minor-league options meaning he'll need to be on Cleveland's Major League roster.
The bottom line is that Florial could be a tremendous acquisition for the Guardians if he can recreate some of his Minor League production at the Major League level. Cleveland needs to try something different out in their outfield and Florial's addition could be just the beginning of that.
