- Julio Robaina, Omar Estévez, Narbe Cruz and Erisbel Arruebarrena were among the 11 participants who emigrated
- The Cuban representation in the Little League World Series was left out of the competition
14ymedio/Swing Completo, Havana, 21 August 2024 — Of the 11 exiled players who had agreed to play for the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB) in the international Premier 12 competition, four recently “declined” despite the fact that they had committed to the Island team. The refusal of Julio Robaina, Omar Estévez, Narbe Cruz and Erisbel Arruebarrena complicates the plan of the Federation, which last January announced that it would form a competitive squad with Cuban members from teams of the United States Major Leagues.
Initially, the institution contacted emigrated players who compete in 40 teams but barely convinced a dozen, among them the habanero Narbe Yadán Cruz. The athlete left the Island in 2019 and a year later got a contract with the Houston Astros for 218,000 dollars. He is currently part of the Asheville Minor Leagues team, and, despite committing to the Cuban national team, his interest is focused on returning to the major league circuit rather than representing the Island.
Estévez, for his part, faces a bad streak in the sport. His performance has been declining since his contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers ended in 2022. The matancero [player from Matanzas Cuba] barely added seven games since then – five of them with the Mexican team of the Tomateros de Culiacán and two with the Puerto Rican club Leones de Ponce.
Robaina is also going through a difficult time after suffering an injury that has kept him away from the game, in addition to the fact that this year his contract with the Houston team ends, which will allow him to re-sign or look for another team to play with. This could be the reason why he gave up defending Cuba in the Premier 12, an event that brings together a dozen of the best national teams of the World Baseball and Softball Confederation, said Pelota Cubana. His future could be in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, but nothing has been finalized yet, the same media added.
Finally, Arruebarrena is in full recovery from an obligatory surgery due to a knee injury, so he was taken out. This athlete from Cienfuegos played for the FCB as part of Team Asere in the 2023 World Classic, where the Cubans lost.
The obstacles to forming a national team do not end there. The national baseball commissioner Juan Reinaldo Pérez Pardo admitted on Tuesday that the participation of the Major League players “is not entirely safe” and will depend on “the authorization of the clubs, if they declare them in extreme fatigue due to the number of games played during the season. It will also depend on the medical insurance that is not covered on this occasion by the World Confederation of Baseball and Softball,” according to Juventud Rebelde.
Also among the dubious participants is the baseball player Elián Leyva, who may not attend the contest due to his contract with the Leones del Escogido (Dominican Republic) for the winter. “It’s most likely that he won’t be able to participate,” Pelota Cubana said.
On September 10 Cuba must deliver a list of 60 players from among whom it will choose those who make up the national team to present themselves in the Premier 12. The emigrated players, however, seem insufficient. The FCB’s list also includes Alexei Ramírez, Yoan López, Yadir Drake, Roberto Baldoquín, Lázaro Armenteros, and Darién Núñez. According to the sports authorities, the name of Yusnier Padrón is also mentioned.
In other international competitions, the Island has not managed to achieve a good status either. Represented by the Santa Clara team, Cuba was eliminated this Monday by Mexico 6 to 4 in the Little League World Series, held in the American city of Williamsport (Pennsylvania) . “The relay pitching could not hold out,” said the official media Jit.
The Cuban team was invited by the organizers to play the tournament this year; however, next year it will have to compete with other representatives to be able to participate in the event.
This Tuesday the World Baseball and Softball Confederation announced the qualifying groups for the upcoming World Classic of 2026, which will take place in the United States, Japan and Puerto Rico. Cuba is part of Group A, where Puerto Rico – the venue for this group – Canada, Panama and another team to be defined are also included.
Group B was left with the United States, Mexico, Italy, Great Britain and another team to be defined. They will play at the Minute Maid Park stadium in Houston, Texas. Group C, for its part, is made up of Japan, Australia, Korea, Czech Republic and another country, while D is made up of Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Israel, the Netherlands and one last participant.
Translated by Regina Anavy
____________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
