How Arizona’s Yoan López overcame his own doubt to reach the majors
By Yusseff Díaz
Four years ago, Cuban prospect Yoan López was one of the most sought-after international prospects in baseball. At the age of 22, he signed a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks that came with a signing bonus of more than $8 million.
And then he wanted to quit. Twice.
Blessed wemth a bemg arm, the Cuban remght-hander has spent the last few seasons tryemng to justemfy the femnancemal emnvestment the Demamondbacks made emn hemm—provemng hems worth both to the team and hemmself.
López heads into the 2019 season having accomplished that goal. But it hasn’t been easy. It’s required a focus on who he is and why he came out to the desert in the first place.
Missing Home
López’s first year in organized pro ball was not a good one, despite having a fastball that could reach 100 mph and bringing with him an array of secondary pitches that intrigued scouts. The six-foot-three prospect racked up 38 strikeouts in 54 innings, but only a 2-6 record, pitching in two levels of the Arizona system.
Whatever millions were ahead of him, whatever talent he had, he was there to learn and be coached.
Missing home played a significant role in his struggles. Moving from Cuba to Arizona for Rookie League and then to Mobile, Ala., when he was promoted to AA was a culture shock.
It was at this point López says he first considered quitting pro ball and returning home. He went so far as to not board the team bus in Mobile and then leave town without letting anyone know his whereabouts.
“My leaving the team on separate occasions had to do with lack of maturity,” he says. “A lot of young people out on their own for the first time go through this.”
He stuck with the process, with special attention from the coaching staff, but didn’t experience the success he wanted in his second year. After one rough outing, López went AWOL and again considered walking away from the professional game in the United States.
Even outside of baseball, this is a familiar story. How do you leave what you’ve known for your whole life, put aside the notoriety you’ve achieved at home and find your place elsewhere? How do you preserve who you are while also assimilating into another culture, another workplace, another life?
Keeping an eye on the goal of playing major league ball is what kept López going.
“I’m not one to abandon something I’ve already started. I never lost my love for the game, it never left my heart.”
Making it to the show
In 2017, López returned with a renewed sense of purpose. A few adjustments in his delivery and a smoother transition to a new role in the bullpen resulted in an outstanding year.
“The switch from being a starter to a reliever made me feel more comfortable,” López says. “I worked a lot on my command and my aggressiveness against hitters. I even worked on my velocity a little. All these adjustments were the key to my success.”
“My leaving the team on separate occasions had to do with lack of maturity,” he says. “A lot of young people out on their own for the first time go through this.”
In this third pro ball season, López registered a record of 2-0 with a 2.88 ERA, striking out 59 in 31 2/3 innings pitched. He also picked up eight saves.
An impressive start in 2017’s Arizona Fall League was cut short by an injury, but he had hope that his dream of pitching in the majors was within reach.
“During the last off season I worked on fine tuning a few details in my delivery. I also worked on my strength and my physique,” he said.
In 2018, as the closer for Arizona’s AA team, the Jackson Generals, López posted an impressive ERA of 2.92 and saved 12 games. On Sept. 9 he got the call to the show.
López had an emnauspemcemous start. He was shelled by the Atlanta Braves emn hems femrst outemng as a bemg leaguer, allowemng hemts to all three batters he faced—emncludemng two home runs.
Yet he was no longer the immature kid of his first couple years.The still-young pitcher known as the “Cuban Rocket” realized he had much to learn. Where before he might have looked for the first bus out of town, now he understood that failure was part of the job. Instead of shaking his confidence, that poor first outing motivated López to continue working.
After that first game, López found his footing. He didn’t give up another run in his next nine relief appearances for the Diamondbacks.
López finished the 2018 season with an impressive 3.00 ERA and SO/9 ratio of 11. His strong finish gave Arizona another big arm with which to build their 2019 relief corps.
López will be 26 when the 2019 season begins. As the Diamondbacks look to retool and end the Dodgers’ six-year stranglehold on the National League West division, López wants build on his strong finish to the 2018 season and be an important part of the team’s future.
“[My] goal was to make the majors and thank God I accomplished it,” he says. “I worked hard at my craft and gave it my 110 percent. I was also able to stay healthy and that played a big part in my accomplishment.”
Reflecting back on the times he almost walked away, it’s clear López believes the near-loss of his career fueled his current success.
“The two times I almost left were during tough times. I think these things occurred because I wanted to triumph and couldn’t. But when I returned I came back with more strength and desire.”
Featured Image: Norm Hall / Getty Images Sport