Does Yuli Gurriel Speak English? Yuli Gurriel is a Cuban professional baseball player. He is bilingual, speaking both Spanish and English fluently.
Many people believe that because Gurriel is of Cuban descent, the 38-year-old Cuban-born first baseman for the Houston Astros can only communicate in Spanish. He is, however, fluent in both English and Spanish.
Although Yuli Gurriel is well-known for his talent on the field, he has recently gained attention for something else: his hair. Throughout the playoffs, Gurriel has worn his wild hairstyle with pride, leaving onlookers wondering how he maintains such a look.
Gurriel became only the fifth baseball player in history to win an Olympic gold medal and a World Series championship in his first full season in Major League Baseball (MLB). This accomplishment made him the fifth player in history to accomplish this feat. He also played a significant role in the club’s success in winning the American League pennant in 2019 and 2021.
He was injured in his left hamstring near the end of the season and was unable to play in any of the remaining games. Furthermore, he had surgery on his left wrist, and as a result, the first baseman would be out until the start of spring training in 2023.
Quick Facts About Yuli Gurriel
| Full Name | Yulieski Gourriel Castillo |
| Age | 38 years |
| Ethnicity | Cuban |
| Language | Spanish and English |
| Marries Status | Married |
| Wife’s Name | Lianet Barrera |
| Net Worth | $15 million. |
Does Yuli Gurriel Speak English? What Is His Native Language?
Yes, Yuli Gurriel is able to speak English properly. He gave his first-ever interview in English in 2019.
There’s no doubt that Gurriel has an improved his communication skills and excellent command of the English language over the years. He came to the United States in 2016 when Houston Astros signed him.
While he could recognize a few key phrases and terms in English then, he struggled to put together coherent thoughts in the language. However, even if he did understand a few words and phrases, his vocabulary was still too limited.
But sports do not need language, they say. The only language an athlete must learn is the winning language. Despite his inability to communicate in English, he and the team speak the same “winning language,” which is what matters.
Because of the consistency and commitment he showed, Gurriel developed into one of the most underestimated first basemen in the sport. Moreover, with his extraordinary ability to scoop throws, he consistently comes through with saves for them.
After all those years, Gurriel is still not confident enough to speak and communicate in English. It is sufficient to say that he can have informal discussions in English. But he is still learning. “I love you Houston. Working hard on my English, what do you think?” he tweeted in 2021.
Yuli Gurriel Native Langauge Is Spanish
Born in Cuba, the 38-year-old baseball player’s native language is Spanish. The official language of the Republic of Cuba is Spanish.
Cubans speak a dialect of Spanish that differs from Castilian Spanish; it was introduced to the island nation by Canarian emigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today’s two most common languages on this dynamic island are Cuban, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.
The Tano Indians, who inhabited the Cuban peninsula before the advent of the Spanish, contributed to the development of Spanish in the country. It is funny that Gurriel is earning English from his teammate, and he subsequently teaches them Spanish.
Yuli Gurriel Early Life, Parents Ethnicity and Family
Yuli Gurriel was born Yulieski Gourriel Castillo on June 9, 1984, to his Cuban parents, Lourdes Gourriel and Olga Ledia.
Yulieski Gurriel, the son of legendary Cuban star Lourdes Gurriel, was widely considered the finest player in Cuba in 2006.
During the 2006 World Baseball Classic, scouts from Major League Baseball predicted that Gurriel would be selected in the first draft round should he become eligible for the draft. In 2016, he fled Cuba and made his debut with a big-league baseball team the same year.
Gurriel, a player who had previously competed for Cuba on the national team, was awarded the gold medal in the 2004 Olympics. Throughout the course of his career, he has also appeared in the big leagues playing the positions of shortstop, second base, and third base.
Left His Family And Relocated to Haiti
After playing in the Cuban baseball league and spending two years in Japan, Gurriel returned to his country Cuba. But he did not see a future there.
Gurriel chose to separate from his family in Cuba to pursue a baseball player career abroad. The choice was not simple for him to make, but he was aware that he needed to act in this manner.
In Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, he and his young brother Lourdes Jr. were competing in the Caribbean Series alongside one another. According to MLB, the two boys “defected in the middle of the night” and went to Haiti to live there.
In June of 2016, while he was in Haiti, Gurriel was introduced by his future teammate Yordan Alvarez, Cuban. Alvarez would go on to play for the Houston Astros. Gurriel was declared to be a free agent by MLB in June, which allowed him to be considered for signing by any major league club.
Is Yuli Gurriel Married? His Wife And Kids
Yuli Gurriel is married to his wife, Lianet Barrera, with whom he shares three kids.
Gurriel has not disclosed much about his personal life in interviews or on social media; nonetheless, he is married, and he and his wife are the parents of a boy. Even though he does not publish too many photographs of his family, he has published a few photographs of his kid, particularly in the most recent few months.
It is thought that Gurriel brought his wife with him when he relocated to the United States. The couple has been learning Engish in aid of an Astros instructor since they arrived in the country.
Barrera has never felt the need to expose her line of work to the general public; nonetheless, it is common knowledge that she is the mother of three children, the youngest of who was born in April 2022 and the oldest of whom was born in April 2022.
The relationship between Lianet and Yuli has been going strong for a significant amount of time and seems to have the potential to continue far into the foreseeable future.
They have three handsome sons, of whom they are justifiably proud. Yulieski Gurriel’s 2016 MLB debut coincided with the birth of the couple’s first baby. After three years, in 2021, Lianet and Yulieski updated their audience on their plans for a third child’s arrival. The joyful father made the news, seeming delighted at the thought of becoming a father for the third time.
In early April of 2022, it was reported that the Gurriels’ long-awaited child had arrived. They were elated when Lianet Barrera and her husband broke the news to their admirers.
What Is Yuli Gurriel Net Worth in 2022?
Houston Astros star Yuli Gurriel has a projected net worth of $15 million as of 2022. Yuli, a brilliant and well-liked baseball player, makes a comfortable living as a professional.
He just extended his deal with the Astros, which would increase his yearly compensation to $6.5 million beginning in 2021. There is an $8 million year option in 2022 as part of the agreement.
Formerly, he was under contract with the Houston Astros for five years and $47,500,000 total, with a $2,000,000 signing bonus, $47,500,000 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $9,500,000. Per the terms of the agreement, he will get a base pay of $10,000,000 and a total compensation of $10,400,000 in 2019.
Gurriel agreed to a deal with the Houston Astros that would pay him $47.5 million over the course of five years in 2016. Recently, he guided the club to victory in the World Series, and for his efforts, the American League awarded him Rookie of the Month honors.
One of the highest-paid players on the club in 2018, along with Justin Verlander, Brian McCann, and Josh Reddick, Yuli Gurriel made $12 million. Besides, he has made a total of $51,009,557 over his four years in Major League Baseball.
