Gurriel's postseason experience rubbing off on young Royals squad

NEW YORK -- At the age of 40, Yuli Gurriel has been the Royals’ starting first baseman in each of Kansas City’s four playoff games this season, yet it wasn’t long ago that there were reasons to question whether we would ever see the legendary Cuban hitter in the Majors again.

Gurriel made his big league debut with the Astros in August 2016 after defecting from Cuba in February of that year. After not re-signing with Houston following the 2022 season, the veteran spent 2023 with the Marlins and signed a minor league deal with the Braves in April. He never saw action in the Majors with Atlanta; instead he posted a .292/.378/.485 slash line in 75 games for Triple-A Gwinnett, with 12 home runs and 48 RBIs.

When first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino fractured his right thumb at the end of August, the Royals acquired Gurriel in a trade on Aug. 31, just in time for him to be eligible for the postseason roster.

“We did as much homework as we could through people we knew with the Braves and elsewhere to find out about him, his character and work ethic,” said Royals manager Matt Quatraro. “And it was all off the charts, and that's what we've seen.

“What our expectations were, we didn't know. He had been injured, but he came in and it's been a very linear improvement health-wise, the way he's been moving. But his comfort level with us and with the team and being in the playoff race, I think, was very motivating to him.”

In eight seasons with Houston, Gurriel hit .284 with 94 home runs, 435 RBIs, and a .776 OPS, winning the World Series in 2017 and 2022. The native of Sancti Spíritus was the American League batting champ in 2021, finishing with a .319 average. That same season, he won the AL Gold Glove Award at first base.

Gurriel says he never lost hope of returning to the Major Leagues as he toiled in the Minors.

“I never lost motivation,” Gurriel said in Spanish. “It’s been a very difficult, very new year for me ... Minor Leagues are very different from the Major Leagues. I never lost that hunger. The same desire and the same drive.”

Gurriel entered the 2024 playoffs with 86 games of postseason experience, including four World Series appearances with Houston. In his first four postseason games with the Royals, Gurriel is just 3-for-13, but has been in the thick of the action with four runs scored and three walks. Quatraro has also lauded the quality of Gurriel’s at-bats, including an 11-pitch battle against Gerrit Cole in the fourth inning of Game 1 of the ALDS that Quatraro felt “took something out of” the Yankees ace. The at-bat ended in a walk, and Gurriel scored on a home run by the next batter, MJ Melendez.

And there are his intangible contributions: He says he has tried to pass on all his knowledge to his teammates, many of whom have little postseason experience.

“Practically none of them have been in the playoffs, and everyone knows it's a little different,” said Gurriel. “What I try to do is talk a lot with them so they enjoy the games and things turn out better for them.”

Quatraro emphasizes that Gurriel’s veteran presence has been incredibly valuable to this Royals squad that finds itself in a 1-1 tie with the Yankees in the ALDS.

“To have somebody that's slow heartbeat -- he moves around at first base extremely well. The guys have gravitated to him as a person,” said Quatraro. “He's very calm but he's also very focused on what he needs to do. It's a very good feeling.”