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MLB scout on Yasmany Tomas: 'He's not going to be Jose Abreu in his first year'

Yuki Taguchi / Major League Baseball / Getty

Yasmany Tomas reportedly received a six-year, $68.5-million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this week largely because of the tremendous power lurking in his bat.

Scouts remain unanimous that Tomas will hit for power in the major leagues, but at least one scout is trying to unburden the 24-year-old Cuban from comparisons to one of his country's most accomplished defectors.

"He's not going to be Jose Abreu in his first year," one scout told ESPN's Jayson Stark. "Abreu was 27 years old. This guy will play at 24. Being that he's young and doesn't know the league, I think he'll hit .240 with 15 to 20 homers this year. Teams will get him on some breaking balls until he starts recognizing stuff. But I think he has a chance as he progresses to be a .260, 25-(home run) guy."

Though Tomas is not expected to approximate the success enjoyed by Abreu, who led the American League with a 169 OPS+ last season, comparisons to his fellow Cubans are as inevitable as they are daunting.

Among the 11 Cuban defectors over the last decade to receive at least 200 plate appearances in their rookie seasons, five have produced at least two wins above replacement - three of whom were 24 or younger at the time.

Player WAR/pos G OPS Year Age
Jose Abreu 5.5 145 0.964 2014 27
Yasiel Puig 4.9 104 0.925 2013 22
Yoenis Cespedes 3.9 129 0.861 2012 26
Yasmani Grandal 2.8 60 0.863 2012 23
Yunel Escobar 2.4 94 0.837 2007 24

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