Yoan Lopez was cleared by the United States government. The 21-year old Cuban defected in 2014 to chase his dream of signing a Major League contract. The right handed flame thrower masters a cut fastball, a changeup, a curveball and a slider, but he is best known for a fastball that has reached 100 mph and usually hovers in the 93-95 mph range.
Lopez played three years in the Serie Nacional for the Isla de la Juventud where he sported a 3.12 ERA.
After he fled Cuba, he resided in Haiti. Last November he held a showcase for various MLB scouts and participated in private workouts in the weeks thereafter.
Traditionally the Yankees are said to be interested in the player. But so are the Dodgers, the D-Backs and the Padres. It would make sense if the Yankees signed him, since they are very thin in their starting pitchers.
But I think that the Yankees have had enough problems with flame throwers like him. Michael Pineda, CC. Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka have had arm problems due to throwing hard. It is something that you see a lot lately; hard throwing pitchers that get injured and need TJ surgery: Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy of the Braves, Ivan Nova of the Yankees, Patrick Corbin of the D-backs, Josh Johnson and Cory Luebke of the Padres, Matt Moore of the Rays, Luke Hochevar of the Royals, Bobby Parnell of the Mets and Bruce Rondon of the Tigers to name a few.
So you would think that the Yankees (and other teams) have learned their lessons with the tsunami of pitchers that needed Tommy John surgery.
You can bet that this kid will ask for a big contract. You can wonder if he is worth the risk.
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