According to Francys Romero, the White Sox are in agreement on a deal worth two million dollars with Cuban pitcher Yosimar Cousín. This continues the White Sox-Cuban pipeline, as he looks to join Cuban greats in Chicago like Luis Robert Jr., Yoan Moncada, and Oscar Colas.
Cousín Looks To Bolster The Rotation
According to initial reports, Cousín left Cuba in January of 2022 and is 25 years old.
According to Romero, he projects to be a solid starter in the majors, as he features a mid-nineties fastball with an above average slider. He also has a changeup and a curveball in his repertoire. It remains to be seen if his stuff will translate into the big league rotation, but if he can display 2-3 good pitches plus another solid pitch, he will likely remain a starter. If he cannot show that he has a 3-4 pitch arsenal, he will likely be regulated to the bullpen where he can feature fastball and slider and be successful in short inning stints.
Yosimar Has Been Hailed As The Best Pitcher In Cuba
There have been a few sources that have claimed that Cousín is the best pitcher in Cuba. Since he left in 2022, he has not played organized baseball, so the stats we have are based on his Cuban National Team performances and other organized baseball from 2014- 2021.
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When he pitched for the Cuban National team in 2019, he pitched in three games to a 2.38 ERA. Along with this, he had 11 strikeouts in 11 innings. Sitting around a strikeout an inning is a great place to be as a starter.
While his other stats in other leagues are not outstanding, he was very young playing against guys that are significantly older. People feel that his best baseball is ahead of him. This is good news for the White Sox.
Overall in all his appearances, he has pitched to a 4.7 ERA, but it was inflated by one singular season that he struggled after some issues surfaced with him possibly leaving Cuba. He clearly has the talent, as he got a very large contract from the Sox, especially when you look at the other international free-agency deals.
Moving Forward
While it is unclear when and where Cousín will start, it may be a little bit before we see him in the major leagues. Typically with some of the younger Cuban players that are signed, it takes a bit of time before they make it to the US to play in the minors.
This signing may be different, as he is 25 years old. Since he is one of the older prospects in the international free agency market we may see him much sooner. If he plays minor league baseball this year, there is a chance that he could be on the team by the end of the season. That is unlikely, but if he is able to come to the US and dominate in the minors, we may see him in 2024 if spots open up in the White Sox bullpen or rotation.
The wording by Romero reporting that it is a two-year MLB deal may indicate he will be here sooner than we think, but with the initial report coming out today, we will likely learn more in the coming days.
Regardless, it is nice to see the pipeline refreshed with high-level talent, and if this moves pans out he will be one of the many successful Cuban players to make it to the White Sox.
