Promise of Cuban baseball leaves Cuba with a view to the Major Leagues

The right thrower Robier Hernandez, barely 16 years old and one of the members of the national team that competed in the U-15 World Cup of 2022 held in Mexico, left Cuba in search of signing with a Major League organization.

In the last hours the journalist Francys Romero reported on the departure of Hernández, a young man from the province of Sancti Spíritus.

Robier is the brother of Roberto Hernandez, who managed to sign with the Cleveland Indians in 2017, although the following year decided to abandon a contract of more than 300 thousand dollars to return to Cuba because he felt “a lot of longing for his people.”

“He is 16 years old and was in the 2022 U-15 World Cup with Cuba. He has starter potential, height (6'3) and physique to throw in the high 95 miles," Romero wrote in Facebook about Robier.

According to Romero, this departure means “number 17 of 20 to leave the country among those who made up the Cuba U-15 a year ago (85% of the team).”

Baseball talent continues to say goodbye to seek better horizons, in a wave of escapes that is present in all categories.

In July, three Cuban pitching prospects left the island. The first of them was Roger Bolaños, brother of Ronald Bolaños, who has pitched four seasons in the Major Leagues - today he is at the Marlins' Triple A level - and was also part of the Cuba team that participated in the most recent World Classic.

According to Romero, Roger is "an explosive 20-year-old pitcher who touched 90 miles since he was a youth," although he needs to work with his command. The boy pitched in 2023 with the Mayabeque Hurricanes.

The other is Marlon Vega, who at just 21 years old already exhibits a record that includes Rookie of the Year selections in the 60th National Series and MVP in the 61st, the integration of the island team to the U-23 World Cup in 2021 and 2022 and having served as a reserve for the team Cuba that attended the fifth Classic.

Vega, in mid-November, signed with the Mayos de Navojoa in the Mexican ARCO League of the Pacific.

The third pitching prospect to depart was Daivel Alvarez de la Torre, only 16 years old, who worked with Havana in the National Under-18 Championship.