Estevan Florial’s journey to the big leagues has been much more trying than many expected after the hyped prospect was considered to be an outfielder of the future, but his winding road led to a memorable night on Tuesday in the Bronx.
After being passed over multiple times as the Yankees’ depleted outfield turned to the likes of Ryan LaMarre and Trey Amburgey, Florial had his name called prior to Tuesday’s series opener against the Phillies, and responded with his first major league home run, also picking up a walk in New York’s 6-4 victory, the team’s third in a row.
“That was great,” Florial said of his first big-league homer, which gave the Yanks some breathing room after Philadelphia pulled within a pair. “The atmosphere, the fans, I haven’t played around all those fans. To be able to play in front of them and hit my first home run, it was great.”
Florial appeared to be on the fast track toward the bigs before injuries began to hamper his development, and after being called up for one game earlier in the year, he began to struggle in the minors, batting just .211 with Triple-A Scranton before desperation from the Yankees led to a call-up and a chance to prove himself as a prospect that should still garner excitement. His big-league career has spanned just three games so far, but he has a hit in all of them, including a home run, which he attributes to his prophetic wife.
“I was talking to my wife before heading to the stadium, and she said ‘Hey, you can hit a homer today,’” Florial said. “I think that was the first thing that came to my mind when I was running the bases.”
With Amburgey, Clint Frazier and Miguel Andujar still on the IL, and Aaron Judge on the COVID IL, there will likely be more chances for Florial to prove himself in the short term. This will likely be the first time he is called up for more than one game in his career, giving the 23-year-old an opportunity to establish himself against top competition, and maybe even give the Yanks a spark when it’s needed most.
“It’s everything I’ve dreamed about, to come here, to play in the big leagues…and help the team,” Florial said. “That’s what I did.”
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