Yunior Tur has been promoted to the Las Vegas Aviators (AAA) by the Athletics after having an impressive season between Lansing (A+) and Midland (AA). Although he sports a 4-8 record, he has a 2.95 earned run average, 117 strikeouts and a 1.20 WHIP in a 113 innings on the campaign.
Tur was considered the island’s best closer when he left Cuba in 2021, but upon signing with the Oakland Athletics the team decided to convert the flame throwing righty into a starter. Armed with a 96 Mph heater and a few good off-speed pitches that conversion is bearing fruit.
Tur said this to me when I spoke to him in 2022 in the Dominican Republic about the game in the US as opposed to Cuba,”It’s different in almost everything, in Cuba you practice to play, here you practice to develop. Here they develop you a lot as a pitcher and the training regiment is way different.”
He had this to say about his goals stateside,”The first objective when one leaves Cuba is to sign with a big league organization. Thank God I was able to accomplish that feat. I feel indebted to the organization for that. My goal here is to climb the organizational chart until I reach the majors.”
The hurler has the makeup and repertoire to make his way to the big leagues and might just be the bargain the team was hoping for when they signed him for 100 K in 2023. His climb through the levels of the Athletics farm system has been very rapid and he is now a step away from the big leagues.