Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Born on October 10, 1993, Lourdes Yunielki Gurriel Castillo Jr. is a Cuban-American professional baseball player who currently plays as a left fielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks in Major League Baseball (MLB). Gurriel previously played for the Toronto Blue Jays Sancti Spíritus and the Industriales of the Cuban National Series before he defected from Cuba.

After his defection, Gurriel was recognized as one of the top international prospects and signed a seven-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was soon assigned to the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Advanced-A Florida State League to begin his professional journey. Gurriel Jr. later advanced to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats before making his Major League debut on April 20, 2018, against the Texas Rangers. Presently, he is under contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks where he continues to showcase his talents and skills.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s Personal Information

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s Early Life

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. comes from a family of baseball players as both his brother and father have been actively involved in the sport. This led to Gurriel Jr. making his professional debut at the age of 16 in the Cuban National Series with Sancti Spiritus in 2010. In his debut season, he batted .200 in 15 at bats over 16 games, primarily as a pinch hitter. Later on, he played with the Industriales. He also agreed to a contract with the Yokohama DeNA Baystars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), however Gurriel Jr. did not appear in any games and was placed on the restricted list.

Moreover, he won a gold medal with Cuba at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games. This was followed by a gold medal at the World Port Tournament in 2015. However, in 2016, he defected from Cuba with his brother Yuli Gurriel after competing at the Caribbean Series held in the Dominican Republic.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s Personal life

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. comes from a family that loves baseball. His father, Lourdes Gurriel, was once a player for the Cuban national team and also played in the Cuban National Series before taking up roles as a manager in the later part of his career.

His personal life is also filled by his brothers Yuli Gurriel and Yunieski Gurriel. Additionally, his mother, wife and three children make his personal life complete and fulfilling. Moreover, he is a loving father and a son who has never been hesitant in expressing his love for his family on social media. He enjoys playing PlayStation and FIFA Soccer in his free time, with the latter being his favourite game.

Interestingly, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. became a United States citizen on May 8, 2023.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s Family Background

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was born to a Cuban baseball player and Olympic gold medalist Lourdes Gurriel Delgado and his wife Olga Castillo on October 10, 1993.

His father represented Cuba at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, where he won the gold medal while playing baseball for the Cuban national team. Moreover, he clinched gold medals at the 1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, and 1994 Baseball World Cup. He was also part of the team that clinched gold at the Intercontinental Cup in the 1979, 1983, 1995, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1995 editions of the tournament. Furthermore, in his portfolio are four gold medals at the Pan American Games ( 1983, 1987, 1991, 1995), three gold medals at the Central American and Caribbean Games ( 1986, 1990, 1993) and was also part of the Goodwill Games in 1990, where he clinched gold with Team Cuba. All these international accolades aside, his father was also part of the Cuban National Series where he represented Azucareros and won the Cuban National Series Rookie of the Year Award in 1977.

After retiring, he transitioned into managerial roles, starting with Centrales and leading them to the Super League title in 2003. He also coached the Cuban national team at the 2005 and 2009 World Baseball Classics.

Lastly, his brother Yuli Gurriel is currently playing under the Atlanta Braves organization and has won two World Series so far in his career. Prior to joining Major League Baseball, he played 15 seasons in the Cuban National Series. Their eldest brother Yunieski Gurriel, is retired and played nearly two decades in the Cuban National Series. However, since retiring as a player he has transitioned into coaching.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s Wife

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is married to Jennifer Alvarez. The duo met at a Halloween party and their relationship developed soon after. They pair eventually got married in 2019.

Although Jennifer is private about her personal life, Lourdes often shares pictures with his wife and kids on his social media handle. Moreover, She is often seen attending events with her husband and sons.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s Kids

Lourdes Gurriel C Jr. has three children: Mason, Jan Lucas, and Jordan.

Notably, his children sported matching colorful pineapple sweatsuits during Gurriel Jr.’s first MLB All-Star trip.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s Social Media

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has an active social media presence. He is active on Instagram as @yunitogurriel and has 688 posts and 168K followers on it. He uses this account to keep his followers updated on his professional baseball career as well as his personal life with his friends and family members.

Gurriel Jr. is also active on X as @yunitogurriel with 36.3K followers in it.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s Other Sources of Income

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has ventured into the fashion world with Gurriel Store. This venture was founded by him and his family. The aim of the brand is to introduce as many people as possible into sports and become healthier and stronger both mentally and physically. The brand is also known as Piña Power brand.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s Career Stats

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s career stats are presented below in a table for better understanding of how good a player he is:

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s Achievements

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has garnered quite some honors to his name since moving to the MLB. This includes, AL Rookie of the Month honors (in 2018), Blue Jays MVP honors (in 2019), Blue Jays Most Improved Player of the Year honors (in 2019), MLB Play of the Week honors and AL Player of the week honors (both in 2020) and lastly he received an MLB All-Star Game nomination while playing with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s Contracts

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Is currently under a three-year, $42,000,000 contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, including $42,000,000 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $14,000,000. For the 2024 MLB season, Gurriel Jr. will earn a base salary of $10,000,000, while carrying a total salary of $10,000,000. Notably, the contract also has certain clauses attached to it:

• 2027 club option includes a $5 million buyout

• Player opt-out available after 2025

Furthermore, he will commence free agency in 2028.

Prior to his current contract, he was under a seven-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. The contract was worth $22,000,000 with a signing bonus of $3,000,000. The average salary on the contract was $3,142,857.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s House

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. recently bought a home in Miami for $4.8 million. The house is a one-acre property and features ten bedrooms, 9.5 bathrooms, a resort-like backyard with a pool, spa and an outdoor kitchen. Moreover the house has an impressive front entrance and was listed for $5.2 million before Gurriel bought it.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s Cars

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has not shared any details regarding his car collection.