Foreign player Estevan Florial has agreed to a contract with the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He was released by the Guardian earlier this summer and was designated a free agent at the end of the season.
Florial signed with the Yankees as an international free agent in 2015. He quickly started turning heads in the organization with his strong performance in the underclassmen. Entering the 2019 season, MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, and FanGraphs all ranked him as the No. 1 prospect in the program. He was as strong as they come, with plus speed, great big strength, and a powerful throwing arm over the middle of the field.
Unfortunately, Floria never found a way to tap into her full potential at the highest level. In parts of four seasons with the Yankees from 2020-23, he appeared in just 48 games, hitting .209/.313/.296 with a 75 wRC+. The Yankees traded him to the Guardians after the 2023 season, and he got plenty of playing time in Cleveland, appearing in 36 games for the Guardians in April and May. However, his results were equally poor. Over 111 trips to the plate, he posted a .173/.264/.367 batting line, good for an 80 wRC+. Cleveland designated him for assignment at the end of May, and he spent the rest of the season with Triple-A. Columbus Clippers.
While Florial hasn’t looked better with the Clippers than with the Guardians (.213 AVG, 83 wRC+), he has had success in Triple-A in the past. Since 2022-23, he has posted an impressive .283/.374/.523 slash line over 202 games for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. During that time, he hit 43 home runs, stole 64 bases, and produced a 127 wRC+. That’s the level the Eagles hope to replicate in their first season in the KBO.
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