White Sox stars set to lead Team Cuba
Team Cuba is gearing up for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and there are some thrilling gamers on its roster who’ve both made a reputation for themselves within the Major Leagues or are within the means of doing so.
Most notably, former A’s and Mets slugger Yoenis Céspedes and White Sox stars Luis Robert and Yoán Moncada will take the sphere as Cuba tries to win baseball’s premier worldwide event for the primary time.
Here is a position-by-position breakdown of Team Cuba. Within every place, gamers are listed in alphabetical order, with any affiliation to an MLB group famous in parentheses.
Catchers: Ariel Martínez Marrero, Andrys Pérez Garcia, Lorenzo Quintana Fernández
Martínez spent the previous three seasons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, taking part in for the Chunichi Dragons. In 97 video games final 12 months, he hit .277/.354/.429 with 9 dwelling runs.
Infielders: Erisbel Arruebarrena, Dayan Garcia Ortega, Yurisbel Gracial Garcia, Andy Ibáñez (Tigers), Luis Vicente Mateo Terry, Yoán Moncada (White Sox), Yadil Orestes Mujica Diaz
Moncada remains to be attempting to rediscover his 2019 kind on the plate — he hit .315/.367/.548 with 25 homers for the White Sox that season. Last 12 months, he had an OPS of .626 in 433 plate appearances.
Ibáñez hit .218 in 40 video games for the Rangers final season earlier than being positioned on waivers and claimed by the Tigers. Gracial has spent the previous 5 seasons with NPB’s Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, and previous to that, he had performed within the Cuban National Series since 2009. He posted a .717 OPS with seven homers in 105 video games for the Hawks in ’22.
Outfielders: Yoenis Céspedes, Alfredo Despaigne Rodriguez, Yadir Drake Dominguez, Yoelquis Guibert Steven, Luis Robert (White Sox), Roel Santos Martinez
The headliners amongst Cuba’s outfielders for the WBC are Céspedes and Robert. Céspedes, 37, final performed within the Majors in 2020, and over a seven-year MLB profession, he posted an .824 OPS with 165 dwelling runs. He was runner-up for the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year Award and was an All-Star in 2014 and ’16. He additionally received the Home Run Derby twice, in addition to a Gold Glove Award in ’15.
Robert was the runner-up within the AL Rookie of the Year vote in 2020, when he additionally received a Gold Glove Award. Though he’s been held again by accidents early in his profession, he has an .808 OPS with 36 homers in 222 large league video games.
Pitchers: Frank Abel Alvarez Diaz, Ronald Bolaños (Royals), Naykel Yoel Cruz Saldivar^, Roenis Elías (Cubs)^, Onelki Garcia^, Elian Leyva Delgado, Raidel Martinez Perez, Livan Moinello Pita^, Yeudis Reyes Gamboa, Jose Rodriguez Menendez, Yariel Rodriguez Yordi, Miguel Romero (A’s), Carlos Juan Viera Alvarez, Yoennis Yera Montalvo^
Cuba may have three present Major League-affiliated pitchers for the WBC — Bolaños, Elías and Romero. Bolaños has pitched in 18 Major League video games, 5 for the Padres when he made his large league debut in 2019, and 13 over the previous three seasons with Kansas City. He gave up 9 runs over 18 1/3 innings for the Royals final 12 months, strolling 12 and putting out 12. In 28 appearances for Triple-A Omaha in ’22, he posted a 6.26 ERA.
Elías has seven seasons of Major League expertise. He gave up three runs over 7 2/3 innings for the Mariners final 12 months and had a 5.12 ERA over 37 outings for Triple-A Tacoma in 2022.
Romero made 38 aid appearances for Oakland’s Triple-A membership in Las Vegas final season, posting an 7.76 ERA.
^ Denotes left-handed pitcher
