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'It's not about me': Estevan Florial focuses on team success as he looks to revitalize career with Hanwha Eagles

Published: 05 Mar. 2025, 12:13

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Estevan Florial during the second inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves on April 27. 2024, in Atlanta. [AP/YONHAP]

When he was considered one of the top prospects in baseball a few years ago, outfielder Estevan Florial had scouts drooling over his power, speed and arm strength.

Things didn't quite play out the way many had expected for Florial, who logged only 48 games for the New York Yankees from 2020 to 2023 and then 36 for the Cleveland Guardians last year, before signing with the Hanwha Eagles in the KBO in December.

Now 27 and still in his athletic prime, Florial is confident he still has much to offer on the field. But it won't just be with his physical tools, as strong as they may be.

"I would say the best tool is I'm going to give my 100 percent every time," Florial told Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday at Incheon International Airport, upon returning from spring training in Japan. "This is the one I can control right now. This is the one I can tell you can expect from me. I'm going to do my 100 percent to try to help the team."

Though the Eagles were inconsistent in their practice games against KBO and Japanese opponents, Florial made a strong first impression on manager Kim Kyung-moon. Barring injury, Florial will be the Eagles' center fielder come Opening Day on March 22, and Kim said Florial, thanks to his combination of power, speed and on-base skills, can bat anywhere from the leadoff spot to No. 3 hole.

Florial said his focus will be on helping the team go deep into the postseason, not on any individual glory.

"It's not about me. It's about the team, and I'm just trying to be a piece of the puzzle," the Dominican-Haitian player added. "I will try to help in every aspect I can to help them win every time I go outside."

Florial said he chose to make the jump to the KBO this year because he "wanted to play at a higher level."

Cleveland Guardians' Estevan Florial celebrates during a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, California in May 25, 2024. [AP/YONHAP]

"I wanted to come here to try something different as well," he said. "But the most important thing is to play in a competitive environment. That's why I chose [the KBO]."

He admittedly didn't know much about the KBO before signing with the Eagles, though he is friends with a KBO veteran, Socrates Brito, who played for the Kia Tigers from 2022 to 2024.

Florial did try to teach himself more about the KBO after signing his contract but said he was looking forward to having more firsthand experience than just reading about his new league.

"I think the amount of knowledge you're going to learn while you're here is going to be more than anything you're reading on the internet," he said. "I have to keep learning but I am getting there."

Yonhap