Yohandy Morales pens heartfelt thank you to Miami as he begins professional career

Former Hurricanes’ star Yohandy Morales was selected in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft, at the No. 40 overall selection, by the Washington Nationals. The slugger established himself as one of the best power hitters in ‘Canes baseball history and helped to guide his team to a 42-21 overall record and a berth in the 2023 NCAA Baseball Tournament. On Thursday, Morales penned a heartfelt thank you to the school as he begins his professional baseball journey.

Check that out below.

It’s all about The U 💚🧡🙌🏼🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/UKoT9WlECL

— Miami Hurricanes Baseball (@CanesBaseball) July 20, 2023

“For the last three years, The University of Miami gave me a home. I am super thankful and honored for the opportunity to represent my hometown and wear the U across my chest. I want to thank God, my family, friends, coaches, and fans. Without any of you guys, none of this would be possible. To Gino, thank you for giving me the opportunity to play at Miami and believing in me the last three years. I am forever indebted to you for bringing me into the U family. Lopes, Brewski, J Money, Hiroshi, Julian, and Robert, thank you for everything you have done for me. I will cherish every moment we spent together. J.D. I wish you nothing but the best as you lead this University to another national championship,”

“To the University of Miami, YOU ARE MY HOME. Yohandy Morales.”

Yohandy Morales was an exceptional power hitter in college

For more on his prolific career with the Miami Hurricanes, check out this article below from On3’s Dan Morrison.

Yohandy Morales played three seasons at Miami. There, he consistently improved his offensive numbers with each season, culminating with an explosive 2023 season. He had a .408 batting average, a .713 slugging percentage, 20 home runs, and 70 RBIs in 61 games.

For his career, Morales hit .343 with a .635 slugging percentage and 49 home runs to 174 RBIs. That was in 174 total college baseball games.

On the defensive side of the ball, Yohandy Morales has also shown improvement throughout his time at Miami, allowing fewer errors every season. In 2023, he only had six errors over the course of the season.

“In many ways, Morales has a similar profile to what scouts thought he might be coming out of high school. He’s an aggressive hitter looking to do damage and he does consistently barrel up the baseball, showing an ability to drive the ball to all fields,” MLB.com wrote about Morales. “While he’s still power-over-hit, he has ironed out some of the moving parts of his swing that hurt him as a prepster, giving him a better chance to hit and get to that power, though some scouts worried about his tendency to chase pitches, especially up and out of the zone.”

On3’s Dan Morrison also contributed to this article.