Washington Nationals prospect Yohandy Morales has been in the eye of the media for some time, not only because he is the son of former member of the Cuban national team Andy Morales, remembered for being the third baseman that hit a towering homerun for Cuba against the Baltimore Orioles in their epic exhibition game in 1999 . But rather because his torrid hitting in college baseball and his the path he has carved for himself in the minors this season, which has been truly impressive.
“El Yoyo”, as this player of Cuban descent is known by fans, was selected in the last Draft 40th over by the ballclub from the nation’s capital this year. Today he moved up to number 5 on the list of best prospects in the organization by Baseball America. This after having a brilliant performance with the Miami Hurricanes in college baseball and also having represented the United States in international competitions via the national team.
Los Nacionales de Washington eligen a Yohandy Morales, estrella universitaria con UM y uno de los mejores bateadores de su clase.
Es hijo de Andy Morales, 3B equipo Cuba en el tope vs. Baltimore Orioles en 1999. https://t.co/vhmaQ1Ulss
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) July 10, 2023
Morales has been characterized as a power hitter who also makes good contact with the lumber. With the Hurricanes he had a batting average of .408 with 33 extra-base hits, smacking 13 doubles and 20 home runs in that span. In addition, he drove in 70 runs and 58 scored times in 61 games with UM. During that period he even managed to steal seven bases, while drawing 30 walks and only striking out 58 times.
In 2023, he managed to play in 42 games and had 166 at-bats. In his time in in Class A, Advanced A, and Double A Class, the 22-year-old, 6’4″, 225-pound slugger hit .349 with 32 RBIs, 16 doubles, four triples and an OPS of .917. With those numbers last season he put the world on notice that he is a prospect on the rise and could be in the big leagues sooner than one thinks.