The Houston Astros continue to find talent through the international pipeline as they are set to sign an LHP Yanquiel Sanchez, out of Cuba, in two weeks, as first reported by Francy Romero. With this signing, the Astros continue to lead all of Major League Baseball as they will be set to sign their 16th Cuban player within the organization.
Astros Set To Sign Cuban Pitcher
-Rolando Espinosa
-Julio Robaina
-Frank Pérez
-Aledmys Díaz
-Yordan Nodal
-Roilan Machandy
-Luis Javier Vega
-Narbe Cruz
-Norel González
-Leosdani Molina
-Lorenzo Quintana
-Anibal Sierra
-Yoanys Guiala
-Jesus Balaguer
-Cionel Perez
-Alejandro Garcia
-Rogelio Armenteros— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) August 18, 2021
What To Expect
With the soon-to-be addition of Sanchez, the Astros continue to impress as they continue to find talent. In January, the Astros signed top Cuban prospect Pedro Leon, who quickly made an impact at Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks, which earned him a promotion to Triple-A Sugar Land just a few weeks ago. The Astros are hoping to have that same success with Sanchez.
Source: Cuban LHP Yanquiel Sánchez (20) will sign with the Houston Astros in about two weeks and will become the 16th Cuban to belong to the Houston system, leader among MLB teams. Sánchez left Cuba in 2020 and has a good fastball (92 mph), CV (78 mph) and CH (80 mph). pic.twitter.com/nYRXtrDQvm
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) August 18, 2021
The 20-year old pitcher defected from Cuba in 2020 joins a list of Cuban-born players currently playing for the Astros organization, all of which have followed the lead set by Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel. Sanchez is a power left-handed pitcher with three pitches, fastball, curveball, and a changeup. His fastball is good at 92 mph, a curveball at 78 mph, and his changeup sits around 80 mph.
Sanchez had a 6.39 ERA during the Cuban National Series, with 11 strikeouts in 12.2 innings pitched. This is something the Astros can build on.
Sanchez lanzó 1-0, 6.39 con los Alazanes de Granma en la 59 Serie Nacional, 11 SO en 12.2 IP. pic.twitter.com/cpHmnV9bxl
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) August 18, 2021
As he develops, we should see an increase in velocity with all of his pitches, primarily his fastball. The Astros are one of the best teams when it comes to developing their talent, and the future is bright with Sanchez. It won"t be long before we see him pitching in Minute Maid Park.
Follow me on Twitter at @ripgriffin2 for more of my content. Don’t forget to check out our baseball podcast, Cheap Seat Chatter! We’ll see ya there!
Come join the discussion made by the fans at the Overtime Heroics forums! A place for all sports fans!
Main image credit: Embed from Getty Images