The Arizona Diamondbacks had already scouted Yasmany Tomas by the time their chief baseball officer, the Hall of Famer Tony La Russa, first saw him. But when La Russa did, it confirmed to him that his team had spent wisely by investing $68.5 million for six years.
“His stroke was like a young Miguel Cabrera,” La Russa said, sitting on the Diamondbacks’ bench at Chase Field before a recent game. “I mean, you watch him, he might hit it down the left-field line, left-center, right-center, down, up, in, out — he’s really got a beautiful stroke.