Rangers Get Cheap Price On Cuban Infielder Luis Yander La O

For a relatively small investment, the Rangers are adding Luis Yander La O to their organization, reaching a deal to sign the 25-year-old Cuban infielder for $110,000. It’s a minor league deal, first reported by MLB.com, that’s exempt from the international bonus pools.

In La O, the Rangers are getting one of the more athletic players to come out of Cuba, albeit with an unorthodox skill set and profile. La O left Cuba while traveling with the national team in North Carolina in July 2015, when he was 23. However, over the last 18 months he’s shuffled through various representatives and ended up signing for far less money than other Cuban players who have received bigger bonuses despite having less talent.

So while there are legitimate risk factors with La O, the Rangers ended up getting a player who immediately becomes one of their better prospects for a price that wouldn’t even rank among the top 200 signing bonuses in the international amateur market.

La O has primarily played third base in Cuba, though he has experience at second base and has spent a little bit of time at shortstop as well. During his final season (2014-15) in Cuba, La O won the Serie Nacional gold glove award in the league’s utility player category.

At 6 feet, 185 pounds, La O is a twitchy athlete with plus speed and a plus arm, though he has a tendency to drop his arm slot, which causes his throws to sail away. He’s an above-average defender at third base, where he has quick reactions and good range to both sides and charging slow rollers.

He has looked comfortable when he’s played second base, showing the range, quickness, body control and arm strength for the position, though his inexperience shows on the double play pivot. La O has little experience at shortstop, but his overall tool set suggests that he might be able to play the position, though with La O having turned 25 last month, there’s additional risk in his ability to handle shortstop.

In 2014-15, La O batted .327/.404/.401 with 35 walks, 15 strikeouts and two home runs in 340 plate appearances. La O has good hand-eye coordination and bat speed from the right side of the plate, but he has an unconventional approach that’s geared toward shooting line drives to the opposite field. He doesn’t strike out much and usually keeps his hands short to the ball, but his swing gets big at times and he’s an aggressive hitter who will expand the strike zone. He does have the ability to make contact on pitches off the plate, but that lack of selectivity gets him into trouble.

La O can hit hard line drives, but his swing and approach aren’t conducive to driving the ball in the air, so unless he overhauls his offensive style, he’s unlikely to hit for much power. Despite his speed, La O went just 11-for-23 stealing bases during his final season in Cuba.

Based on what La O showed in Cuba, he was ready to go to the upper minors, be it Double-A or Triple-A, though it’s been a year and a half since La O last played in a competitive game in Cuba. While a lot of scouts feel La O might fit best as a utility player, there’s more upside in there. Given how much talent the Rangers have lost from their farm system in trades the last two seasons and how little risk there is to sign La O at this price, it’s a smart move for Texas to make.