Triple-A’s Home Run King Works Toward MLB Return

Yasmany Tomas currently makes more money than Christian Yelich, Javier Baez, and George Springer. All four of the aforementioned players were All-Star Starters, except for one difference.

Yelich, Baez, and Springer play in the MLB. Tomas plays in Triple-A for the Reno Aces.

At this past week’s Triple-A All-Star Festivities in El Paso, Tomas won the Triple-A Home Run Derby on Monday night, and then had two hits starting for the Pacific Coast League in the All-Star Game on Wednesday.

But Tomas isn’t your average All-Star.

Most of the players at Triple-A All-Star week were young wide-eyed prospects, like Houston Astros consensus Top-20 prospect Kyle Tucker or Former Cardinals 1st-Round Pick Jake Woodford.

Both the Pacific Coast and International League rosters were scattered with young players eager to get their first taste of the Big Leagues and earn their first MLB paycheck.

But Tomas has already earned that coveted six-figure contract, and playing in cities like Reno and El Paso were modest compared the bright lights of MLB Stadiums.

That’s because Tomas has had that taste of the big leagues with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks signed Tomas in 2014 from his native Havana, Cuba, where he starred for league power Industriales, Cuba’s equivalent of the New York Yankees.

Tomas initially got out to a great start in Arizona, and hit 31 home runs in 2016.

But after undergoing core surgery in 2017, Tomas was demoted to Triple-A Reno, where he has remained ever since.

Arizona inked Tomas to a six-year 68.5 million dollar contract, for which he is still getting paid today in the minor leagues.

So now as he waits for his return to the Majors, whether with Arizona or another club, Tomas goes from park to park in Triple-A, clubbing home runs.

After hitting a whopping 59 home runs on Monday night to win the Home Run Derby, there’s definitely power in his 11-million per year bat.

And despite the grind of the Triple-A schedule and previous injuries, Tomas’ passion for the game is still there.

“I’m going to try and push harder to get as far as I can this week. I’m just happy because I had to get up early for a flight because yesterday I was playing in Reno against Sacramento. And then fly to Arizona and then to here. But it’s nothing.”

Obviously, Tomas would prefer the Major Leagues, but taking solace in the smaller victories like the Triple-A Home Run Derby is what helps fuel his return to the MLB.