Cuban Outfielder Yadiel Hernandez Cleared To Sign

Cuban outfielder Yadiel Hernandez is one step closer to beginning his major league career, with Major League Baseball clearing him to sign today.

Hernandez, 28, is a corner outfielder who is exempt from the international bonus pools, meaning he can sign a major league contract with any team with no restrictions. Hernandez, who ranked as the No. 16 player in Baseball America’s rankings of the Top 20 players still in Cuba in April 2015, is a lefty with a short swing and good plate discipline and the ability to use the whole field. He doesn’t have prototypical power for a corner outfielder, but he has a chance for 10-15 home runs, with his value tied more to his on-base skills. In the 2014-15 Serie Nacional season, Hernandez batted .369/.509/.535 in 369 plate appearances with 77 walks, 47 strikeouts and seven home runs playing for Matanzas. He ranked second in the league in batting average, OBP and walks, fifth in slugging and tied for third with 20 doubles.

Hernandez had an open showcase for teams in Mexico on Feb. 23, holding private workouts with clubs since then that will likely crank up now that he is eligible to sign. Hernandez left the Cuban national team last year in July while in North Carolina with the team’s warm-up series in North Carolina prior to the Pan American Games.