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The exodus of Cuban baseball players continues. The young right-handed pitcher Yosbel Pérez, just 14 years old, left the country in recent days heading to the Dominican Republic, according to journalist Francys Romero on the social network Facebook.
Pérez, a native of Pinar del Río, was one of the standout figures in the recent National Under-15 Championship, where he recorded a 4-0 record with an ERA of 3.29. At 1.93 meters (6 feet 4 inches) tall, the young athlete impressed with his potential and speed, characteristics that place him among the most promising prospects in his age group.
Now, the young pitcher begins a new chapter in Dominican territory, where he will prepare with the goal of signing professionally in the future. According to the international rules of Major League Baseball, he will be eligible to sign in 2028.
A relentless exodus and a country in ruins
Pérez's departure is not an isolated case. It is part of a steady flow of young talents leaving Cuba each year, driven by the precarious conditions in sports and the widespread crisis in the country.
Baseball, once a source of national pride, is sinking into the same decay that afflicts all of Cuban society: lack of resources, training in destroyed facilities, inadequate nutrition, and the absence of a professional future.
Although many families know that not all young people who emigrate succeed in signing with an MLB organization, just the act of attempting it becomes the only viable option against a hopeless outlook within the Island.
Cuba loses another promise
The departure of Yosbel Pérez once again highlights the drain of talent that is depleting Cuban baseball since childhood categories.
Each new farewell not only leaves a team without its most promising figure but also confirms the failure of a system that is unable to retain its athletes or provide them with a dignified future.
Cuban baseball —like the country that sustains it— is living in ruins, and while the regime insists on disguising the disaster, young people continue to do the only thing left for them: to leave.
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