Led by major leaguer Yoan Moncada of the Chicago White Sox, the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB) announced on Wednesday the pre-selection of players who will represent the country in the Premier 12 Tournament, a key event on this year's international calendar.
The list of 60 athletes includes veterans with experience in foreign events, as well as young promises who have stood out in the last seasons of the National Series on the island.
Among the most prominent figures are Moncada, Alfredo Despaigne, Liván Moinelo, and Raidel Martínez, while the absence of the versatile Yurisbel Gracial, currently signed in Mexico, is notable.
The pre-roster, which will work under the supervision of manager Armando Johnson, includes six catchers, 15 infielders, 14 outfielders, and 25 pitchers.
The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) announced in May the competitive schedule for the tournament, set to take place from November 10 to 24, and Cuba will debut against the Dominican Republic as part of group B located in Taiwan.
The team from the largest of the Antilles, three-time Olympic gold medalists and runners-up in the first World Baseball Classic (2006), will clash against the team from Quisqueya on Wednesday the 13th, at Tianmu Stadium, while the following day they will face South Korea at the same venue.
On Friday the 15th, they will enjoy their day off before facing Australia on Saturday the 16th and Japan, the reigning champion of the competition, on Sunday, at the mentioned sports park located in the Shilin District of the capital Taipei.
The Caribbean team will close the qualifying round against the local team at the Taipei Dome on Monday the 18th.
For its part, in section A, Mexico, the United States, Venezuela, the Netherlands, Panama, and Puerto Rico will compete from November 10 to 14 at the "Pan American Stadium Charros de Jalisco" in Guadalajara and at the "Santa Teresita de Tepic" in Nayarit, both Mexican cities.
According to the competitive system, the top two spots from each group will advance to the Super Round - from the 21st to the 23rd - at the majestic Tokyo Dome in Japan. The leaders of that stage will compete for the title, while the third and fourth places will vie for the bronze medals.
The Premier 12, the main event of the WBSC, is the most important baseball tournament of 2024. The 12 participating teams qualified through the world ranking. Cuba secured its spot after finishing in eighth place, with a cutoff date of December 31, 2023.
The previous edition, organized in 2019, left terrible results for the island, as it was eliminated in the first round: it received two losses out of three possible, recorded 26 zeros out of 28, did not achieve any extra-base hits, and its batters struck out 28 times, with only four walks.
Preselection heading to the Premier 12:
List of Players (60):
Receivers (6):
- Andrys Perez
Andy Cosme
- Ariel Martínez
- Jorge Yoan Rojas
- Rafael Viñales
- Yosvani Alarcón
Infielders (15):
- Bárbaro E. Arruebarruena
- Luis Vicente Mateo
- Christian Rodriguez
- Roberto Baldoquín
- Yadil Mujica
- Yulieski Remón
- Alexei Ramírez
- Osvaldo Abreu
- Jean Walters *
- Tailon Sánchez
- Ernesto W. Martínez *
William Saavedra
- Guillermo Avilés
- Dayán García
- Yoan Moncada *
Gardening (14):
- Yoelkis Guibert
- Lázaro Armenteros *
- Jorge Noroña
- Alfredo Despaigne
- Dennis Peña
- Roel Santos
- Raico Santos
- Yasser Julio González
- Over Luis Cremet
- Francisco Martínez
- Ariel Hechevarría
- Yadir Drake
Eduardo Blanco
- Carlos de la Tejera
Pitchers (25):
Livan Moinelo
- Raidel Martínez
- Yoennis Yera
- Yoan López *
- Geonel Gutiérrez
- Yankiel Mauris
- Frank Abel Álvarez
- Raymond Figueredo
Yosiel Serrano
- Leodán Reyes
- Osdany Rodríguez
- Andy Vargas
- Frank Luis Medina
- Erlys Casanova
- Dario Sarduy
- Yusniel Padrón *
Pável Hernández
- Ronald Bolaños *
- Frank Herrera
Maykel Taylor
- Enyer Fernández
- Randy Martínez
- Branlis Rodríguez
- Randy Cueto
- Danny Betancourt
DT: Armando Johnson
Players with contracts outside of the Cuban Baseball Federation.
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