Baseball: Four players who left Cuba join Major League teams

Havana/In the last eight days, four Cuban baseball players between the ages of 17 and 19 achieved their dream of joining a United States Major League team. The most recent agreement is that of Rodelvis Santiesteban with the Chicago Cubs. According to journalist Francys Romero, the 17-year-old man from Guantanamo will be given “a $20,000 bonus” as an incentive.

The communicator highlighted Santiesteban’s athletic build and his speed. “Now he receives a great opportunity to start his professional career.” The young man is part of the team that last April hired another Cuban, Naikys Piedra, who has a pitch average of 96-98 miles per hour (mph) and who will be used as a reliever.

Santiesteban left the Island at the age of 15 and settled in the Dominican Republic, where he was welcomed by Jorge Luis Toca, the man who played national series with Villa Clara and who had a short-lived stint with the Mets. He was then sent to the Minor Leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals.

Toca has the GT Baseball Academy, in Punta Cana, where it trains talents from the age of 14. Cubans William Alejandro Álvarez and Lázaro Herrera Jr. have also arrived at this academy. The team is in charge of organizing events that are usually attended by scouts from Major League teams.

On June 5, left-hander César Morales reached an agreement with the New York Mets. His signature is pending physical examination. The pitcher left the Island in June of last year with a history in the Cuba U-17 team.

Morales arrived in the Dominican Republic, where he has been trained by Cuban Bárbaro Rodríguez, which has allowed him to perfect his pitches, with fastballs between 88 and 91 mph

With the arrival of Morales, the Mets strengthen their minor league system. “Major League teams tend to especially value left-handed pitchers due to the demand at all levels of professional baseball,” considers the sports media. Full Swing.

In the first days of June, Jonathan Torres reached an agreement with the Baltimore Oriols for the current international period. The agreement is pending physical. Journalist Romero, who has closely followed the hiring of Cuban baseball players, said that the Havana native left the Island two years ago.

“Another player who had to navigate a long path of sacrifice and work and had to go from the position of outfielder to pitcher,” Romero recalled.

Cuban catcher Andy González signed on May 30 with the Houston Astros in the Dominican Republic. He stands out as a catcher with defensive tools. He and his brother, Alex, also with the Astros, are grandchildren of the 2004 Athens Olympic champion and pitcher for the Cuban team for more than 15 years.