Cuban Baseball Beyond Domestic
Stadiums
The magic
of Cuban baseball keeps gaining ground in the
world´s major leagues as Cuba has allowed its
players to take part in top foreign tournaments
under a policy that is being improved constantly.
 Cuban
players and coaches are enhancing the prestige of
championships in Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama,
Brazil, Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands,
Canada and the major leagues in the U.S.. In the
case of the latter, they are compelled to give up
their Cuban nationality to be able to play in that
country as part of an exclusive and mean policy
criticized worldwide.
This
latest episode of the history of Cubans playing in
other major baseball leagues began two years ago
with a sort of pilot project when third baseman
Michel Enríquez, first baseman Yordanis Samón and
slugger Alfredo Despaigne were allowed to play in
Mexico´s professional league.
That
marked a milestone in the history of this country´s
baseball as, except for a very few cases, Cuban
players had never been allowed to show their talent
and skills in foreign professional leagues ever
since professional sports were banned here more than
50 years ago.
Thanks to
this new policy, Cuban players can add quality to
tournaments in other nations and gain personal and
professional benefits, among others.
They all
have the chance to be signed by a foreign club, a
goal which compels them to show their skills to the
fullest and shine with their respective provincial
teams in the domestic championships.
Among the
recent players signed by foreign clubs are third
baseman Yulieski Gourriel, outfielder Frederich
Cepeda and reliever Héctor Mendoza, all of them on
Japanese squads at present. Meanwhile, center-fielder
Yunieski Gourriel has joined Canada´s Quebec
Capitales, which is not affiliated to the U.S. major
leagues.
In case
I´m successful here, that may allow for other Cubans
to play in Canada legally, said Gourriel, who has
played 14 national championships at home.
Needless
to say other players are likely to be signed in the
face of the Cubans´ inborn skills to play baseball
which they have shown for more than a century in the
world´s major leagues.
There´s
no doubt the decision to allow Cuban baseball
players to show their top class at foreign leagues
will also add to the good quality of the sports back
home and its results will be seen at major
tournaments like the 2017 World Classic.
(Taken
from CubaSi)
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