Cleveland Sports Forum

McGrath, at just 17, will head to Red Sox spring training in Florida. (SMP Images / Ryan Schembri)


Aces' McGrath inks deal with Boston Red Sox

17-year-old has made 12 appearances with Melbourne this year

MELBOURNE, 8 February -

The Jet Couriers Melbourne Aces are proud to announce that 17-year-old pitcher Dan McGrath has signed a professional contract with the world-famous Boston Red Sox organisation. McGrath, originally from the Doncaster Baseball Club, has made 12 appearances for the Aces this season, going 0-3 with a 6.75 earned run average.

After recently representing Victoria at the National Youth Championships and Australia at the Under-18 Oceania Baseball Championships in Guam, signing the contract came as a relief to McGrath after weeks of mulling over several deals.

There was no doubt in his mind that Boston was the best fit.

"It was an easy decision in the end. Jon Deeble called us and my mum said we'd let him know within ten minutes and she called him back twenty seconds later, he remarked.

The year 12 student at Whitefriars College will finish his VCE in November before fully turning his attention to baseball.

"Finishing school is so important, it's tough to get through life without it, so I always knew I had to finish," he said.

The deal will see McGrath spend the next seven years plying his trade as he chases the dream of playing in the Major Leagues.

He will trek over to the Red Sox spring training facilities at Fort Myers, Florida on 1 April for three weeks to give him a taste of what to expect come 2013.

On top of signing with one of the most well-known organisations in the game, there was an extra thrill after McGrath received a call from the Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherington himself, with the contract offer.

"That was amazing, all he said is, 'what is the best time to call?' It was an honour really.>

Red Sox Pacific Rim scout Jon Deeble was on hand as McGrath signed the deal.

"The big thing is that in Boston we don't sign players when they aren't ready. Dan will take his time to get to where he needs to get and we'll ensure that he has full use of all of our support staff on that journey," Deeble explained.

Vasquez tossed a complete game, allowing just 5 hits. (SMP Images/ Scott Powick)

Heat prevail in Gm. 1 behind dominant Vasquez

Perth one win away from title repeat

PERTH, 10 February -


Game One of the ConocoPhillips ABL Championship Series was a pitcher's duel in which the 'Alcohol Think Again' Perth Heat outlasted the Jet Couriers Melbourne Aces by a 4-1 score at Barbagallo Ballpark. Former MLB hurlers Virgil Vasquez and Travis Blackley faced off, with Vasquez tossing a complete game to come out on top, allowing just five hits and striking out eight. James McOwen was the hitting star for the Heat, collecting three hits, including a home run.
Perth took the early lead, pushing across a run in the first inning. It could have been much worse, as they began the frame with three consecutive singles, but Blackley battled his way out of it and limited the damage. He forced Allan de San Miguel to ground weakly back to the mound, forcing out Mychal Givens at home to keep the bases loaded with one out. A Mitch Graham groundout scored Brenden Webb, but Blackley then retired McOwen to end the inning.

Blackley's resilience paid immediate dividends, as Keith David hit a long two-out home run off Vasquez in the top of the second to even the score. The Aces catcher has been hot all Postseason, with a .306 batting average, two home runs and seven RBI in 10 games.

After that blast, though, Vasquez was untouchable. Over the final seven innings, he struck out six and allowed just four men to reach base. He did not walk a batter in the game, throwing an incredible 92 of his 122 pitches for strikes and maintaining his velocity all the way through the final out. Slugging second baseman Brad Harman was his favourite victim, as he struck out the ABL home run leader three times.

Blackley also pitched well, but could not match the dominant Perth right-hander on this day. McOwen's solo homer in the fourth inning gave the Heat a 2-1 lead, which turned out to be all they would need. McOwen knocked in another with a sixth inning single and Tim Kennelly drove home Givens in the seventh, which gave his team a 4-1 lead that seemed much larger with the way Vasquez was pitching.

Melbourne had their best shot at a comeback in the sixth, trailing 3-1, when Dominic Ramos and Harman each had singles to give them two on with one out and Justin Huber at the plate. However, Huber flied to centre and Elliot Biddle followed with a groundout, stranding the runners and ending the Aces' best hope. Huber finished 0-for-4 on the night, ending his nine-game Postseason hitting streak.

Perth now sits just one win away from their second consecutive ABL title, while the Aces must come out swinging tomorrow with their backs against the wall. Pitcher of the Year winner Warwick Saupold will go for the Heat against Melbourne right-hander Nic Ungs.

The Aces celebrate their Game 2 victory. (SMP Images/ Scott Powick)

Aces outlast Heat in 13 to force deciding Gm. 3

Harman knocks home winning run in 13th

PERTH, 11 February -

Game Two of the ConocoPhillips ABL Championship Series was a second straight pitcher's duel, with the Aces coming out on top this time, 3-2, in 13 innings, sending the series to a deciding Game Three. The Aces bullpen combined to pitch 8.1 shutout innings, with Kevin Reese going the last three for the win. Brad Harman was the offensive hero for the winning side, knocking home the go-ahead run with his 13th-inning single and playing spectacular defence all night. Mitch Graham had four hits for the Heat. Sunday's Game Three will begin at 4:05 WST with the winner taking home the Claxton Shield championship trophy.
In a repeat of Friday's game, each starting pitcher came out firing. Perth's Warwick Saupold, the Pitcher of the Year, induced three double play groundouts in the first four innings, getting himself out of each situation unscathed. He went 6.1 innings, allowing just two runs, both of which were unearned.

Melbourne's Nic Ungs matched his performance through the first four, allowing base runners in each inning but working his way out of each jam without surrendering a run. He showed his mettle in the second, when he worked around a pair of Scott Wearne errors, which left runners on second and third with just one out. In this potentially hazardous situation, Ungs came up with his best pitches, forcing consecutive groundouts by Matt Kennelly and Corey Adamson to get out of the inning with the game still scoreless.

The Heat were first to break through, putting a pair of runs on the board in the fifth. Mychal Givens led off the inning with a high chopper over the head of third baseman Scott Wearne and used his speed to stretch it to a double. After advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt, he came home on Tim Kennelly's fly out to deep left, scoring the game's first run.

Perth then started a two-out rally, as Allan de San Miguel doubled down the left field line and Mitch Graham followed with an RBI single, giving the Heat a 2-0 lead. Aces manager Phil Dale decided not to hesitate in making a pitching change, calling on Bubbie Buzachero to replace Ungs. The move paid off, as Buzachero forced a James McOwen groundout to escape the inning. Ungs finished the game having allowed six hits and two earned runs in 4.2 innings.

In the top of the sixth, Melbourne rewarded their pitchers' efforts by climbing back into the game. Josh Davies reached on an error and Dominic Ramos followed with a single off Saupold. Wearne then laid down a perfect bunt down the third base line, sacrificing the runners to second and third with one out. Saupold then retired Brad Harman for the second out, but Justin Huber came through in the clutch with his first hit of the series, knocking home both runners to tie the score. Huber has an ABL-best 13 RBI during the Postseason.

After the score got to 2-2, the pitching battle returned, with each team going scoreless through the ninth inning to force extras. The Aces had a great chance to take a lead in the 10th, as John Edwards led off with a single and Dominic Ramos had another with one out, putting runners on first and second. That brought Scott Wearne to the plate, but Cameron Lamb got him to ground into an inning-ending double play, the fifth of the game for the Heat defence.

In the 11th, the Heat had their shot to walk off with the victory. James McOwen led off with a single and moved up to second on a Dylan Jones bunt, bringing Matt Kennelly to the plate. He hit the ball hard in the hole to the right of shortstop Ramos, who made an excellent play to retire the batter. The next batter was Corey Adamson, who smoked one at second baseman Harman, who made the second consecutive outstanding defensive play for Melbourne, sending the game to the 12th inning.

Once the game reached the 13th, Harman made sure it would end there. In the top of the inning, the ABL home run leader hit a two-out RBI single to centre, scoring Josh Davies for the first run in seven innings, giving his team a 3-2 lead.

Harman then began the bottom of the inning with a spectacular defensive play to rob Allan de San Miguel of a base hit.

Back-to-back singles then put runners on first and third for the Heat, but Kevin Reese got a strikeout against Jones and forced Matt Kennelly to ground out, finishing off his third inning of work for the win. The Aces bullpen was outstanding, with Buzachero, Andrew Russell, and Reese combining to throw 8.1 shutout innings, allowing just six base runners and striking out five.

After two great games, the series now goes to a winner-take-all Game Three on Sunday. Undefeated left-hander Geoff Brown is expected to start for the Heat against Jeff Jamnik of the Aces, who won the Round Two clincher against Sydney.

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The Heat celebrate their 2nd straight Claxton Shield title. (SMP Images/ Theron Kirkman)

Heat win Gm. 3 thriller, repeat as ABL champions

Perth outlasts Melbourne in 13 exciting innings

PERTH, 12 February -

The 'Alcohol Think Again' Perth Heat pulled out the Game Three victory over the Jet Couriers Melbourne Aces, repeating as Claxton Shield champions in the 2012 ConocoPhillips ABL Championship Series. For the second straight night, this tightly-contested game went on for 13 pressure-packed innings, with James McOwen racing home on a wild pitch to score the winning run. Reliever Jack Frawley threw four scoreless innings to finish off the game and earn the win. Virgil Vasquez, who pitched his team to a complete game victory in Game One, was named series MVP.

In the first inning, each team made a statement that this would not be a low-scoring affair like the first two games. The Aces loaded the bases against Geoff Brown with one out, bringing centre fielder Elliot Biddle to the plate. The ABL's RBI leader showed exactly how he achieved that feat, hitting a deep fly ball to the wall for a bases-clearing triple.

Trailing 3-0 to begin their half of the first, the Heat wasted no time in responding. Mychal Givens led off with a double and two batters later he was knocked home by Tim Kennelly, quickly cutting the deficit to two. Next up was catcher Allan de San Miguel, who crushed a home run to left field, tying the score at three.

Melbourne kept up the attack in the second, scoring two more against the normally stellar Brown. Brad Harman remained hot, knocking home Josh Davies and Dominic Ramos with a single and Brown was knocked out before the inning was completed. The Pitcher of the Year finalist lasted just 1.2 innings and surrendered five earned runs, his shortest start and most runs allowed this season.

The Aces scored another in the third, going up 6-3 and giving starter Jeff Jamnik his second three-run lead to work with. This one didn't last either, however, as Perth's bats remained hot. They added one in the fourth and two more in the fifth, the tying score coming on a McOwen sacrifice fly.

After the fifth, with the score tied 6-6, the bullpens took over. Bubbie Buzachero was incredible for the Aces, throwing 115 pitches over 8.0 innings just a day after throwing 49 pitches in 3.1 scoreless frames in Game Two. He took over for Jamnik with a runner on in the fifth and pitched all the way into the 13th, allowing just four hits and two runs, striking out seven.

Perth's bullpen was equally outstanding, with Jacob Clem quieting the Melbourne bats after Brown's rough start, surrendering just one run over 6.1 innings before giving way to Brendan Wise and Jack Frawley. Wise pitched a scoreless ninth to send the game into extras, while Frawley allowed just one hit over four shutout frames, striking out four.

Each team had only a few chances to score in the late innings. The Aces had Josh Davies at second base with one out in the 11th, but consecutive groundouts by Scott Wearne and Brad Harman ended the inning. Perth had Mychal Givens on base in the 9th and 11th, but he didn't reach scoring position on either occasion. Givens had four base hits in the game.

This one went all the way to the 13th before the Heat were finally able to dispose of Buzachero. After he hit McOwen with a slider to begin the inning, Andrew Russell was brought on to replace him. A sacrifice bunt and groundout followed, leaving McOwen standing on third base with two outs and Corey Adamson in the batter's box. The second pitch of the at-bat was a wild slider that eluded catcher Kevin David, sending McOwen racing for home plate. He just beat the tag, scoring the winning run to clinch the championship, earning redemption just a year after watching the Heat take the title against his Adelaide Bite.

Frawley earned the win for his outstanding performance, needing just 42 pitches to get through the final four innings, allowing just one runner to reach base. Buzachero was tagged with the loss as the Heat celebrated their second consecutive Claxton Shield.

Even with all the tremendous performances in this series, one stood out above the rest, as Perth's Game One starter Virgil Vasquez was named Championship Series MVP. Vasquez got the complete game win in Friday's contest, surrendering just five hits and one run, almost single-handedly getting the Heat that important first victory.

Thrilling climax garners worldwide attention

Reaction from all corners as Perth repeat as champs

SYDNEY, 13 February -

Capping off an outstanding second season of baseball in Australia, the Melbourne Aces and Perth Heat went to the brink and then some in the decisive Game 3 of the ABLCS.

One night after dropping a 13-inning game, the "Alcohol Think Again" Perth Heat came back to win another 13-inning thriller to clinch its second consecutive Australian Baseball League championship.

James McOwen scored the game-winning run by coming home on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 13th to give the Heat a 7-6 victory over the Jet Couriers Melbourne Aces.

Mychal Givens led Perth with four hits, while Allan de San Miguel and Mathew Kennelly each knocked two. Jose Davies went 4-for-6 to lead Melbourne.

Each team scored three times in the opening inning and Melbourne later took the lead by keeping up the early fireworks, leading, 6-3, after three innings. Perth came back quickly, scoring once in the fourth and twice in the fifth.

The game remained tied until the 13th inning, when McOwen led off by getting hit by a pitch and then was sacrificed to second and moved to third on a ground out. With two outs, Melbourne's Andrew Russell threw the second pitch to Corey Adamson wildly, bringing McOwen home and ending the game.

A record nine Australians played in the Majors last season, and about 70 more in the Minor Leagues, with some of them participating in this ABL postseason. Paul Archey, MLB senior vice president of international business operations, said this ABL season has been indicative of the sport's rising popularity in Australia and a growing stream of talent.

"Australia has been a growing market for us over the last 20 years," Archey said during the last round. "We saw a lot of development take place because of the old Australian Baseball League -- players choosing baseball because it had a profile, and this was a market where we thought we could start the ABL back. Not just for the fans, but for development as well.

"We're seeing great talent at the youth level, and you'll continue to see Australia in the Major Leagues, that's for sure."

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Perth's Vasquez named Championship Series MVP

Right-hander earned complete game win on Friday

Vasquez allowed just 5 hits and one run in the Gm. 1 win. (SMP Images/ Scott Powick)


PERTH, 13 February -

Following the 'Alcohol Think Again' Perth Heat's victory in the 2012 ConocoPhillips ABL Championship Series, Game One starting pitcher Virgil Vasquez was named Championship Series Most Valuable Player. The American right-hander from Santa Barbara, California pitched a complete game on Friday night, allowing just five hits and one run to earn the important 4-1 first-game win for his team.
After Aces catcher Kevin David launched a long home run in the second inning, tying the score at 1-1, Vasquez shut down the Melbourne attack for the remainder of the night. Just four more base hits were recorded against him, none of which came after the sixth inning. Once the victory was in sight, he turned the intensity up a level, retiring the final 11 batters in order. He notched four of his eight strikeouts in the final three frames.

The righty's control was excellent, as 92 of his 122 pitches went for strikes. He showed great stamina, as well, maintaining his velocity throughout the contest. Matched up with Travis Blackley, another hurler with Major League Baseball experience, Vasquez came out ahead and carried his team to the series lead, which they finished off on Sunday.

The 2003 seventh round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers joined the Heat prior to Round 10 of the regular season and fit in immediately. In his four total starts for Perth, he pitched 27.2 innings, surrendering just seven runs (2.28 ERA) and striking out 22 overall. He suffered two broken wrists in a vehicle accident in April 2010 and has been working his way back since, with this stint in the ABL showing that he is not only healthy, but ready to excel once again. Vasquez has pitched in MLB for both the Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates and hopes to get back to that level soon.

Hip Hip Hoo Ray for the ABL Championship series. These guys put on one helluva show. Hope some of you out there had a chance to watch the games on the MLB Baseball Channel. If you did not see any of these games, you missed a great series. That's what baseball is all about.

What a way to wind down the Winter Baseball League programs from Panama, to the Caribbean, and all the way down under to Australia!!!!!

I hope everyone that read this discussion got a taste of how and what the other half of the baseball season is all about.

I also hope that all the visual aids helped to express the emotions, the thrills of victory, the agony of the defeats that these players feel and have towards these games. That was my intent.

Hopefully all of the translation of the translations for the articles gave some new, fresh, or otherwise additional information on how the games are played in other parts of the world.

Only one league still in progress and that season will soon be approching their halfway point with the upcoming Cuban all star game.

It's been fun!

Baseball: Iwakuma soaks up 1st day of spring, likely won't debut in
Japan

PEORIA, Arizona -

Hisashi Iwakuma loved every minute of his
first day of spring training in the majors with the Seattle Mariners
on Sunday, and manager Eric Wedge said he would likely make his debut
in the United States and not during the season-opening series in
Japan.

''I had a lot of fun,'' Iwakuma said, after working out for two
hours as pitchers and catchers reported to camp. ''I didn't think it
would end so fast. We didn't do a lot, but it was enough to get me
loose.''

Spring Training American Style shoud be a cakewalk for Iwakuma, Darvish, and the other Japanese pitchers that will attend their first spring training American style.

Japan has a reputation of burning out pitchers too soon.

1. After the season when most pitchers in the Major Leagues take a vacation, pitchers in Japan keep up a rigorous training program sometimes throwing more than 200 pitches a day, more than American pitchers throw during a week during the off-season.

2. Japanese pitcher have often been throwing hard and often since they were 12. An American who played in Japan told the International Herald Tribune, “They throw easily two or three times more pitches in their career than Americans. They play 360 days out of the year. It’s taken to an extreme that you don’t see in America.”

3. It is not unusual for a star pitcher to throw six inning in one game, then come out of the bullpen in the tenth inning two days to save a game and throw 167 pitches two days later in important game. One Japanese pitcher told Sports Illustrated: "In America, pitchers look for help when they get close to about 100 pitches. In Japan we value a complete game more." [Source: Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated]

4. The Japanese pitching philosophy is sometimes described as "Throw until you die." According to one survey only 25 percent of Japanese pitchers are still playing at the age of 30, compared to 40 percent in the U.S. Among Japanese pitcher that played in the United States, Nomo was released at age 30, Irabu was finished at 33 and Kaz Ishii was done at 32.

5. Bobby Valentine, who coached in both the Major League and the Japan League, takes a different view. While he said that overthrowing is a “definite problem,” he told the International Herald Tribune that the superior mechanics of Japanese pitchers may help them avoid injury. “Pitchers in Japan are taught at an early age what proper form is. They’re less prone to injury than in America where they deal with results rather form.”

6. Valentine told Sports Illustrated, “I’m convinced we’ve done a bad job of coaching in the U.S. for pitchers...Japanese pitchers have...wonderful balance and a core foundation of strength, They work the small muscle groups, [Americans] work the large ones. The large ones make you look better.”

We know how Bob Feller felt about that issue!

In the majors: Yoennis Cespedes ... way to Oakland

by Ray Otero

February 14, 2012

Yoennis Cespedes, the Granma centerfielder decided to leave Cuba and take a step at American professional baseball, has just signed on Monday the first contract for a player of that region from the Caribbean nation.

Yoennis Cespedes wore the flannels of the Granma Colts in Cuba's National Series. The center fielder is now preparing to start his career with the club's Oakland Athletics of the American BAseball League of America.

The team that opened the door, or rather, who won the competition among several contenders to take the player Creole, was the Oakland's Athletics, West of the American League. The details of the contract indicate generally that Yoennis will receive $ 36 million over the next four years and at the end of that, the A's do not have to give the player something called arbitration and he is ready after contract to be a free agent and may seek a contract far more lucrative depending on what has been done by him in the majors.

The announcement was made ​​official after the Cuban player passed required physical examination. In this way, Oakland finished taking one of the players that high expectation was created before spring training and apparently left the Florida Marlins, which reports an offer between $ 36 and $ 40 million player for a term of 6 years, but was not willing to pay the $ 9 million per season in the end that the A's ended up paying.

This fact is also a disappointment to the large community of Cuban and Latino residents in South Florida.

Cespedes after leaving Cuba was officially established in the Dominican Republic had been declared a free agent on Jan. 25, but could not sign with any team until the Department of Treasury through OFAC (Office of Control Foreign Assets) for its acronym in English, gave the nod. achieved the latter, Cespedes was ready to sign and did not take long to get a contract as he himself said, was his main goal since leaving Cuba.

For the Granma star, he is still a step further away must still get a work visa that allows him to join the cast of Californians during spring training in Arizona.

Then, for those who love statistics, we offer the official stats Yoennis Cespedes during his career 8 seasons in the Cuban Baseball Championship, the National Series, using the following link. Statistics Yoennis Cespedes National Series:

In CBDL expects a new format

After a day of reflection, in the league expect the 2012-2013 championship season to be played differently

CARACAS. -

The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League received two proposals to change the format in which the local tournament is played. The day of reflection organized by the agency today at a renowned hotel in Caracas. According to the league president, José Grasso Vecchio , it is likely that for the 2012-2013 season to be played there will b a new structure on the calendar, however, claimed that the proposals will be analyzed and as of February 23 a final decision will be made.

Other items approved:

* It approved the trip to Cuba by the Confederation of the Caribbean, March 10, to assess the inclusion of the island circuit in the Caribbean Series.

* The league decided to incorporate a new vice president to its board, Dr. Ricardo Carbonell .

* There will be continuous monitoring of the umpires and the arbitrators keeping statistics, work will be conducted by Jorge Bauza .

* Approved the establishment of three committees to review the league bylaws , conditions for championship season, and arbitration .

* There is a possibility that the all-Star team will be played ​​against Cuba .

* It is expected to increase the fines for the non-uniformity of the equipment.

* The annual convention plans were completed will be the second week of May in Bogota

* The clause 4.5 of the Terms of Championship ( substitutes ) will be discussed at the annual convention. It plans to lower the substitutes, but that will depend on the new format.

* The start of the tournament will be between 9 and 12 October. * Relations with Japan were also analyzed.

I thought I'd post this Cespedes UTube video here. When I see the pains this kid took to get this far, I just marvel at the thought. Looks like all that hard work paid off.

Normally, the Cuban media does not hype these defections much, but they did give some good press and nice remarks about Cespedes. He was well liked and one of the players the fan could associate with by the numbers he racked up during his 8 years in the Cuban baseball league.

There really is some impressive training footage in this video. If interested you can watch the entire 18 minutes or just check out the video from the 6 minute mark.

For a kid supposedly 6'-0"and 210 lbs, some impressive stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW9ge8l3jY8

Freddy Asiel Alvarez replaces Robelio Carrillo

Changes in Eastern Star

Havana (15 Feb). -

Injuries to players from the Eastern team generated changes in the team that will face on Sunday the Western team at the XXV All-Star Game next Sunday of the 51 National Baseball Championship, hosted by the Victoria de Giron Matanzas stadium carried live on Feb. 19.

Good news is that the Derby home run and game of veterans will also be broadcast live from two in the afternoon of Saturday.

These are the players for the WESTERN team:

Receivers: Yosvani Peraza (PRI, 8525) and Lisbán Correa (IND, 7214).

Infielders: Jose Dariel Abreu (CFG, 9056), Jose Miguel Fernandez (MTZ, 8017), Yulieski Gourriel (SSP, 7673), Roberto Carlos Ramirez (MET, 8488), Juan Carlos Torriente (IND, 7670) Rudy Reyes (IND, 7414) and Alexander Malleta (6681).

Outfielders: IRAIT Chirino (IND, 8175), Guillermo Heredia (MTZ, 7957), Frederich Cepeda (9062), Yadiel Hernandez (MTZ, 6018) and Yoelvis Leyva (CFG, 5 274).

DH: Serguei Pérez (IND, 8055)

Starting pitchers: Jorge Alberto Martínez (MTZ, 7235), Yadier Pedroso (ART 6756), Odrisamer Despaigne (IND, 6657), Ismel Jiménez (SSP, 6372) , Yohan Hernandez (MTZ, 5780) and Norberto Gonzalez (CFG, 5694).

Relievers: Felix Fuentes (MTZ, 6277), Duniel Ibarra (CFG, 5514) and Jose Angel Garcia (ART, 4839). Mentor: Lázaro Vargas.

These are the players for the EASTERN team:

Receivers: Yosvani Alarcón (LTU, 6789) and Ricardo Lednier (CMG, 3324).

Infielders: Ariel Borrero (VCL, 7 218), Hector Olivera (SCU, 6140), Yeniet Perez (VCL, 6390), Yordan Manduley (HOL, 7192), Marino Luis (CMG, 5195), Yordanis Samon ( GRA, 5033) and Alexander Ayala (CMG, 4405).

Outfielders: Rusney Castle (CAV 6392), Alfredo Despaigne (GRA, 7523), Reutilio Hurtado (SCU, 5799), Andy Zamora (VCL, 6238) and Silva Edilse (SCU, 5773).

DH: Isaac Martinez Dorta (CAV 2857).

Starting pitchers: Fredy Asiel Alvarez (VCL, 4124), Alain Sanchez (VCL, 5383), Yaumier Sanchez (SCU, 5235), Yasmani Hernandez (VCL, 4989), Yoelkis Cruz (LTU, 4655) and Alain Dela (SCU, 4355).

Relievers: Pablo Millán Fernández (HOL, 6025), Yolexis Ulacia (VCL, 5755) and Rabbi Yadir (BAC, 4695).

Mentor: Ramon Moret.
Frederich Cepeda
Jose Dariel Abreu

The most voted for player in the west was Frederich Cepeda who received six more votes than Jose Dariel Abreu.

The east led by the slugger Alfredo Despaigne.
Alfredo Despaigne
Yadier Pedroso
Yulieski Gourriel

The next wave of some young and exciting ballplayers making their mark on Cuban baseball.