What more can one say about 6' RHP Yoelvin Chirino that hasn't already been said? Chirino was born on May 13, 2005 in San Felipe, Venezuela. Notable MLB players from San Felipe include Luis Arraez & Marco Scutaro.
One could tell quickly from the time Spanish settlers first formed a community in the area in 1693 that San Felipians were made of stern stuff, even back when their town was known as Cerrito de Cocorote (which translates to "Cocorote Hill"). In 1710, the town was destroyed upon orders of the Nueva Segovia de Barquisimeto. The town was rebuilt within several years, but was once again ordered to be destroyed. In 1721, the town's inhabitants were able to receive permission to rebuild the city & they did...but despite the prior approval, the Nueva Segovia de Barquisimeto set fire to the entire town, destroying it for a 3rd time.
This did not stop the residents of the area to keep trying to push forward, independent from their arson-loving overlords. With the support of Fray Marcelino de San Vicente, they were able to obtain a Royal Certificate from King Philip V of Spain to establish an independent town. They received their certification on November 6, 1729 & immediately started rebuilding - naming their town San Felipe El Fuerte (Saint Philip the Strong) in honor of the king & their strength as a community. The city continued to expand and thrive...until being destroyed once again in 1812, this time by a large earthquake. Of course, the town's inhabitants were not perturbed, & built back again.
San Felipe is very hilly as it lies in the foothills of Cerro Chimborazo, which has a peak elevation of 7,352 feet above sea level. San Felipe has a current population of just over 220k (slightly larger than Worcester). San Felipe boasts a hot semi-dry climate with an average temperature of 77 degrees (slightly warmer than Worcester).
Chirino signed for $10 on April 15, 2023, & was assigned to DSL Red.
Chirino, whose middle name is Jose, saw his 1st of 8 appearances on the season come on July 1st against one of the DSL Pirates affiliates. This was one of his better appearances as it was one of three in which he did not allow a run, but it was a portent of things to come as he walked 2 hitters & struck out 1.
For the season, Chirino put up the following stats:
8 games
11.1 innings
12 runs
9 earned runs
9 hits
10 walks
2 HBP
8 strikeouts
7.15 ERA (6.48 xFIP), 1.68 WHIP, 7.9 bb/9, 6.4 k/9.
If we were to find some silver linings in these stats, Chirino appeared tough to hit when he was throwing strikes. On the season, opponents hit 9-40 against him for a .225 BA. He induced a high amount of ground balls (54.8%) & a modest 9.7% line drive rate. For comparison purposes, the guy generally considered to be the top DSL pitcher for the Red Sox this year, Gilberto Batista, allowed a 17.2% line drive rate.
It appears, at the moment, that Chirino is on a [very roundabout & unlikely] path to being a ground ball inducing righty who is tough on fellow righties. On the season, righties slashed .222/.405/.222 against him while lefties slashed .250/.400/.667. Both extra base hits he allowed (a triple & a homer), came against lefties, even though only 15 of the 52 batters he faced hit lefty.
