Estevan Florial

1. Overview

Estevan Haniel Florial (born November 25, 1997) is a professional baseball outfielder who currently plays for the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO League. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians. Florial holds dual citizenship with the Dominican Republic and Haiti. His career has seen him rise through the minor league systems, debut in the major leagues, face challenges with injuries and roster changes, and eventually transition to international play.

2. Early Life and Background

Estevan Florial's early life included his birth in the Dominican Republic and a period of initial contract complications related to his identity.

2.1. Birth and Nationality

Estevan Florial was born on November 25, 1997, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where he was also raised. He possesses dual citizenship with Haiti, a status he holds due to his mother's birth in that country. Early in his tenure with the New York Yankees organization, Florial was mistakenly listed as being born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This misidentification briefly made him appear as a potential candidate to be the first Haitian-born player in Major League Baseball.

2.2. Initial Contract Issues

Florial initially signed with the New York Yankees in 2014 under the name Haniel d'Oleo (Haniel d'Oleo^Spanish). However, this contract was subsequently voided because he was unable to provide a valid birth certificate. Following the revelation of misrepresentation concerning his background, Florial was banned from signing a professional contract for one year. He later re-signed with the Yankees in March 2015, using his correct name, Estevan Florial.

3. Professional Career

Estevan Florial's professional baseball career began in 2015, progressing through various leagues and teams, including both minor and major league stints in North America, before moving to the KBO League.

3.1. New York Yankees

Florial spent a significant portion of his early professional career within the New York Yankees organization, developing through their minor league system and making his MLB debut.

3.1.1. Minor League Career

Florial made his professional debut in 2015 with the Dominican Summer League Yankees 1. In 57 games, he batted .313 with seven home runs, 53 RBI, and 15 stolen bases.

In 2016, he played across three minor league teams: the Pulaski Yankees in the Appalachian League, the Class A Charleston RiverDogs, and the Class A-Advanced Tampa Yankees. Across these three teams, he appeared in 67 games, recording a combined batting average of .227 with eight home runs and 30 RBI, alongside 10 stolen bases.

Florial started the 2017 season with the Charleston RiverDogs. At the time, MLB.com ranked him as the 78th best prospect in baseball, and 17th within the Yankees' organization, a ranking that later improved to 3rd within the organization during the season. In July 2017, he was selected to represent the World Team in the All-Star Futures Game. After batting .297 with 11 home runs, 43 RBI, and 17 stolen bases for Charleston, he was promoted to the Class A-Advanced Tampa Yankees (now known as the Tampa Tarpons) in August. He finished the season with Tampa, hitting .303 with two home runs and 14 RBI in 19 games. The Yankees further promoted him to the Double-A Trenton Thunder for their postseason, though he did not appear in a game. Following the regular season, he also participated in the Arizona Fall League with the Scottsdale Scorpions.

Entering 2018, Florial was considered one of the top prospects in the minor leagues. While playing for the Tampa Tarpons, he suffered a broken hamate bone in his right wrist in May, which required surgery and sidelined him for three months of the season. He also played for the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Yankees (East and West teams) that year. Across all three teams, he played 84 games, batting .283 with six home runs, 35 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. For the second consecutive year, he participated in the Arizona Fall League, playing for the Glendale Desert Dogs.

In 2019, the Yankees invited Florial to spring training as a non-roster player. However, he sustained another injury, a non-displaced fracture in his right wrist, during spring training. He returned to play for the Tampa Tarpons in June and remained with the team for the entire 2019 season. In 74 games with Tampa, he hit .237 with eight home runs, 38 RBI, and nine stolen bases. To prevent his exposure in the Rule 5 Draft, the Yankees added Florial to their 40-man roster on November 20, 2019.

3.1.2. Major League Career

Florial received his first call-up to Major League Baseball on August 28, 2020. He made his MLB debut on the same day, starting as the center fielder in the first game of a doubleheader against the New York Mets. In this game, he recorded his first MLB hit with a single. After the game, he was sent back to the minor leagues.

On July 20, 2021, the Yankees again promoted Florial to the major leagues to replace the injured Trey Amburgey. He recorded his first major league RBI with a groundout to first base and later hit his first major league home run, a solo shot off pitcher Enyel De Los Santos of the Philadelphia Phillies. In 11 games for the Yankees in 2021, Florial went 6-for-20 (.300) with one home run, two RBI, and one stolen base. In 2022, Florial made 17 appearances for New York, batting .097 (3-for-31) with one RBI and two stolen bases.

In 2023, Florial, being out of options, made the Yankees' Opening Day roster. He appeared as a pinch runner on Opening Day but was designated for assignment on April 1. He had accumulated 63 plate appearances for the Yankees across four seasons, batting .185 with 21 strikeouts. Florial cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on April 7. In 101 games in Triple-A, he had a strong performance, batting .284/.380/.565 with 28 home runs, 79 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. On September 11, Florial's contract was selected back to the major league roster. In 19 major league games for New York that year, he hit .230/.324/.312 with no home run, eight RBI, and three stolen bases.

3.2. Cleveland Guardians

On December 26, 2023, the Yankees traded Florial to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for pitcher Cody Morris. He started the 2024 season in the major leagues with the Guardians. In 36 games for Cleveland in 2024, he batted .173/.264/.367, achieving career-highs in home runs (3) and RBI (11). On May 31, 2024, Florial was designated for assignment by the Guardians. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers on June 7. Florial elected minor league free agency on October 21, 2024.

Year	Team	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	TB	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2020	NYY	1	3	3	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	.333	.333	.333	.667
2021	NYY	11	25	20	3	6	2	0	1	11	2	1	0	5	6	.300	.440	.550	.990
2022	NYY	17	35	31	4	3	0	0	0	3	1	2	0	3	13	.097	.200	.097	.297
2023	NYY	19	71	61	5	14	3	1	0	19	8	3	1	7	20	.230	.324	.311	.635
2024	CLE	36	111	98	11	17	6	2	3	36	11	2	1	11	41	.173	.264	.367	.631
MLB Total: 5 Years		84	245	213	23	41	11	3	4	70	22	8	2	26	82	.192	.291	.329	.691

4.2. Fielding Statistics

Year	Team	Left Field (LF)						Center Field (CF)
Year	Team	Games	Putouts	Assists	Errors	Double Plays	Fielding %	Games	Putouts	Assists	Errors	Double Plays	Fielding %
2020	NYY	-						1	1	0	0	0	1.000
2021	NYY	-						11	16	0	0	0	1.000
2022	NYY	2	0	1	0	0	1.000	14	24	1	0	0	1.000
2023	NYY	-						19	40	0	1	0	.975
MLB Total		2	0	1	0	0	1.000	45	81	1	1	0	.988

5. Awards and Honors

All-Star Futures Game selection: 2017 (World Team)

6. Uniform Numbers

90 (2020-2024, New York Yankees & Cleveland Guardians)
34 (2025-present, Hanwha Eagles)