Henry Urrutia is the son of one-time Cuban national team outfielder Ermidelio Urrutia, and Henry followed in his footsteps by playing for Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He then proceeded to rake throughout the 2009-10 season (.397/.461/.597), but then had to sit out the 2010-11 season due to a failed defection attempt. He managed to defect by 2012, but didn’t get to play at any time last year due to visa issues. This year, he’ll finally get an opportunity to show the Orioles what he’s made of.

Before we get into his skill sets and playing ability, let’s all watch this interview with him wherein he describes why he defected – to support his family:

BA points out that at age 25 Urrutia is physically mature and “doesn’t offer much projection.” He bats switch and hits more for average than power, hitting slightly better from the left. He has a strong arm and according to BA “an average arm,” so the best fit for him is right field. (Except there’s this guy there already named Nick Markakis.) BA projects him to start off 2013 in AA Bowie, but doubts he’ll need much time in the Minors. I can’t imagine he’ll be there long, either.

Now let’s watch him play baseball. Dan Duquette cameos in the second video.