Yasmany Tomas’ agent is really pumping his client’s tires.
Jay Alou, who represents Tomas, told reporters Monday at the general managers meetings in Phoenix, Ariz., that the Cuban outfielder stacks up favorably with Chicago White Sox slugger Jose Abreu, who just earned American League Rookie of the Year honors.
“He’s got more power than Abreu. He’s got a lot more power,” Alou said. “Abreu’s a little older, more mature with his bat. Sometimes it takes guys longer to figure things out. And the last couple of weeks, a lot of things have clicked for Yasmany. I can tell you he’s got a lot more power than anyone I’ve ever seen. A lot.”
Alou clearly is doing his job in hyping up Tomas, who is free to sign with any MLB team after defecting from Cuba. Comparing Tomas’ power to Abreu’s is one way to get people talking, as the White Sox first baseman is coming off a rookie campaign in which he crushed 36 homers and posted a .964 OPS.
Tomas is especially intriguing because he’s turning only 24 this week. There’s been speculation that the outfielder could land a $100 million contract on the open market.
“I’m not the team owner. They have to decide when to pull the trigger,” Alou told reporters. “After Jose Abreu did what he did this year, I’m sure there were plenty of teams out there that said, ‘Why didn’t I get that guy? What happened? What went wrong? Why didn’t I get him?’
“Yasmany Tomas is very, very special. You don’t find that kind of power, and we might not find that kind of power for a while, because the guys with that build, they’re playing in the NFL.”
The Boston Red Sox recently hosted a private workout for Tomas in the Dominican Republic. It’s likely the Red Sox simply were doing their due diligence, though.
“I don’t see a need,” Alou said of Boston potentially pursuing Tomas. “They have their outfielders. I mean, he could play third base. Everybody could use some pop.”
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