Let’s get this out of the way at the top: every Astro fan loves Yuli Gurriel. The hair, the smile, the HR in the 2017 WS, the clutch hits in the 2023 postseason, the Cubanity of the man. But the idea of bringing Yuli back are just ludicrous. Let me lay out this argument by exploding three myths:
- Yuli can be a valuable bench bat. There is a universal DH and teams rarely pinch-hit in the regular season. Look at the lineup and figure out who Yuli’s pinch-hitting for. Late in the game, you could imagine Yuli pinch-hitting for Brantley against a tough lefty.