Yohandy Morales
 |
| Photo: MASN Sports |
Bio:
Age: 22
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 225 lbs.
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Draft Profile: 2nd round, 40th pick of the 2023 draft by Washington Nationals
Drafted Out of: Miami University
Career Stat Line: .302 AVG .384 OBP 1 HR 39 RBI 1 SB 0.948 Fielding %
We're making the trip down 95 for this week's Minor League Spotlight, with a look at the Nationals' #4 prospect Yohandy Morales. Yoyo, as many refer to him, was always around the game growing up, so the fact that he's doing the thing professionally should surprise nobody. But we have to take a trip way further down 95 to see where things got started.
A cool 15-hour drive south of DC will land you in Miami, Florida, where Yohandy was born to parents Andy Morales and Daiyana Castillo. Warm weather year round and bountiful local competition provided opportunity to routinely sharpen his craft, but having a father who played for the Cuban National Team surely helped to inspire the kid (SportsKeeda). Andy also was a member of the Yankees and Red Sox organizations, after managing to defect from Cuba in 2000.
It wasn't long though before Yoyo's talents were beyond those around him in South Beach, leading him to tryout for the U-12 Team USA squad. He joined the likes of Anthony Volpe, Carson Tucker and Adam Crampton on the 2013 team in Chinese Taipei, taking home the gold with a 10-1 record overall. Morales played in 8 of the 11 games, finishing with a .538 batting average, 10 RBI and perfect fielding percentage (MLBStatic). Solid impression on the international circuit.
Morales' prep ball experience went down at local G. Holmes Braddock Senior High, as a four year member of the varsity team. In the spring of 2018, he burst onto the scene, establishing himself as a prospect to be followed. The sophomore finished that season with a .415/2/12 line while being elected captain by his teammates and coaches (Miami Dade High School Baseball). He was as safe a bet to get on base as any player in the state.
 |
| Photo: Miami Herald |
That summer, Yohandy was representing the USA again on the international circuit as a member of the U-18 team. He started every game of the tournament, posting a .200/2/5 line as they once again captured gold-- capping off a 9-0 tournament with a 17-2 victory over the host Panama (MiLBStatic).
2019 was equally productive for Yoyo, with his on field accolades earning him an invitation to the 2019 Under Armour All-American game (MLB.com). COVID abruptly ended his time on the diamond at G Holmes Braddock, while severely hampering his draft hopes by reducing the draft to just five rounds. The senior, who wrapped up his .359/8/50 stat line, unsurprisingly went unselected, which lead him 20 minutes east to the University of Miami.
Morales' freshman campaign was promising, hitting .284 with 11 home runs and 45 RBI while playing mostly on the hot corner (Miami Hurricanes). It was an encouraging surge in power as the young man began to fill out his 6'3" frame in the collegiate weight room. He'd spend his offseason in the Cape Cod League playing for the Wareham Gateman (247Sports). While it wasn't the dominant showing he promised, the extra work paid off in the subsequent years.
 |
| Photo: Samuel Lewis/ Getty Images |
As a sophomore, the super projectable prospect began to catch the eyes of pro scouts. He showed more patience at the dish, nearly doubling his walk numbers, while raising his slugging percentage .120 points. His junior year was even more impressive, slashing .408/.475/.708, 20 home runs, 70 driven in, plus career lows in errors and strikeouts (Miami Hurricanes). He'd also bulked up to about 225 pounds, looking the part of a corner infielder on the next level.
But where would he end up? Some pundits had him as high as the middle of round one, while others weren't quite as optimistic. He had a big frame, quick hands and was serviceable with the glove. He also didn't display the best decision making with his pitch selection, something pro pitchers could exploit (Sports Info Solutions).
But no prospect is without their flaws, and despite a little tumble, it wasn't long before Morales heard his name called in the 2023 MLB draft. With the 40th overall pick, the Washington Nationals selected the Miami native to join their organization. The Nats paid up a $2.6 million dollar signing bonus, about $500,000 over slot, to sway the corner infielder from his final year of collegiate eligibility (SI.com).. It was an offer that was too good to refuse, and Yoyo was officially a professional ball player.
DC put their new corner infielder right to work too, with the second rounder ascending four levels of the minor league system in just over two months time. He played just two games in the Florida Complex before a hasty promotion to Class-A Fredericksburg, where he slashed .390/.448/.571 with 17 RBI in 18 games. He'd tally that same number of appearances at A+ Wilmington, sustaining minimal drop offs in all of his slashes-- something not unexpected with the move up in competition.
Yohandy spent the final week of his 2023 season going 4-14 in AA Harrisburg, where he almost exclusively played first base. It's exactly where his 2024 year has kicked off as well, albeit with a few more growing pains. Currently, Washington's 4th ranked minor leaguer's rocking a .161/1/7 line through 16 games, with a slightly regressing 3.5:1 K:BB ratio (MiLB.com). Given how he's performed at every level thus far though, we don't expect these struggles to continue.
Make sure to keep an eye on Yoyo in the coming months, they tend to always come up after being down for a little.
------
@Choppinglines
*I own no rights to any images found in this blog
Comments
Post a Comment