Cleveland Sports Forum

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Villa Clara continues to be unstoppable

Winning streak reaches 10 in a row

Taken from Latin Press

Thursday, March 03, 2022 10:15 PM

Havana.-

Villa Clara's performance in the 61st National Baseball season has been remarkable. Their winning streak continues at 10 in a row after defeatng Guantánamo 4-1. Villa Clara is living a sweet moment on the diamond and they have already played 10 consecutive games without knowing the bitter taste of defeat, in what constitutes the longest streak in the season. However, Villa Clara is still far from the 18 undefeated games that they achieved in 1983 when they won the league championship with an impressive record of 41-8. In the game against the Indios Guantanameros, winning pitcher Alain Álvarez (4-1, 8.0, 1R, 1ER, 7H, 8K, 3BB, 2BI) was masterful. In front of the home fans reliever Mailon Alonso (3INN, 1.0, 0R, 1BB) fulfilled his mission before scoring the save, while Javier Iglesias (0-1, 0.2, 1R, 1H, 1K, 1BB) was charged with the loss.

Pinar del Río beat Camagüey 10-1 in a game where Yordanis Samón slammed his 200th homer of his career. He became the 42nd player to reach that number.

Las Tunas beat Artemisa 6-3, Isla de la Juventud beat Ciego de Ávila 9-7, Sancti Spíritus beat Industriales 5-3, Mayabeque beat Holguín 9-4, Granma beat Matanzas 42, and Cienfuegos beat Santiago de Cuba 11-2.

After these games:

Matanzas (18-9) continues at the top of the standings
Mayabeque (17-10)
Villa Clara (17-10)
Santiago (17-11)
Ciego de Ávila (16-12 )
Sancti Spíritus (14-13)
Industriales (14-13)
Artemisa (14-13)
owners of the places with access to the postseason.

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Regret over the death of pitcher Ulfrido García

JIT Drafting

Friday, March 04, 2022 12:26 PM

Havana.-

Inder Authorities, the Cuban Baseball Federation and fans have expressed their sorrow at the sudden death of Santiago pitcher Ulfrido García.

After completing the autopsy on the body of the former athlete, the Provincial Directorate of Inder in Santiago de Cuba has issued a press release.

Santiago pitcher Ulfrido García died suddenly at dawn this Friday, the victim of a severe arrhythmia that caused a cardiorespiratory arrest. He was 28 years old.

The athlete was at home, in Los Altos, in the Santiago district of 30 de Noviembre, where he was recovering from an injury to his throwing arm, suffered during the current baseball campaign.

Last year, during the month of February, Ulfrido received a stem cell implant in his shoulder due to wear on one of the tendons, although this procedure was not entirely successful.

García Andújar was born on March 2, 1994 in the Songo La Maya municipality of the province of Santiago de Cuba. He debuted in 2013 in the Cuban Series Nationale, Cuban baseball's elite. During his sports career, almost always pitching with the Wasps of Santiago de Cuba, he reached 45 wins and 60 losses, and one game saved. He completed 15 games and relieved in 50 games. Ulfrido reached 398 strikeouts, almost always using a good curveball. He walked 337.

He won the title of champion in Cuba with the Granma team, a team with which he would participate in the Caribbean Series held in the Mexican city of Guadalajara.

Our deepest condolences go out to all his family and friends on his passing.

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SPORTS

[NPB NOTEBOOK] Big Boss Has Big Plans

Tsuyoshi Shinjo made a grand entrance at the Fighters spring camp, and since then, he’s raised a few eyebrows with his unorthodox training methods, but that’s what he was hired for.

Published 3 hours ago on March 5, 2022

By Jim Armstrong

The big buzz heading into a new season of Nippon Professional Baseball is the “Big Boss.”

Ever since being introduced as the new manager of the Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters in November of last year, and anointing himself “Big Boss,” Tsuyoshi Shinjo has dominated headlines like few others have over the years.

Shinjo last year signed a one-year contract for a reported $877,000 USD after a lengthy hiatus from Japanese baseball during which, among other things, he spent time in Bali where he had an art studio.

As expected, Shinjo made a grand entrance at the Fighters spring camp in Okinawa when he rode in on a white three-wheeled motorcycle on February 1. Since then, he’s raised a few eyebrows with his unorthodox training methods and statements.

This is what the Ham Fighters hired Shinjo for. Looking to regain some luster after losing Shohei Ohtani to the major leagues, the Fighters will gladly take the attention Shinjo brings.

The Fighters have finished fifth in the six-team Pacific League for three seasons in a row so they really have nowhere to go but up. And if things get too wacky with Shinjo at the helm, the team also hired former Nippon ham player and Japan national team manager Atsunori Inaba as the team’s new general manager.

Some may view the hiring of Shinjo as little more than a publicity stunt, but that may not be giving the Fighters credit where it’s due.

As renowned baseball writer and best-selling author Robert Whiting observed on his blog, Robert Whiting’s Japan, “Some people may view this as a clown stunt. But Nippon ham is known for unconventional ― and successful ― thinking. So in the end, this bizarre experiment might turn out OK.”



The Fighters’ Kotaro Kiyomiya bats in a spring training game on March 3 at Sapporo Dome. (ⒸSANKEI)

One of the intriguing issues Shinjo will face is how he will handle former first-round pick Kotaro Kiyomiya.

Kiyomiya hit plenty of home runs in high school and has been touted as a possible future Hideki Matsui. But so far, he hasn’t lived up to those expectations, with just 21 homers from 2018 to 2020. He didn’t register a single top team at-bat in 2021.

Shinjo convinced the 22-year-old slugger to lose some weight, so we’ll see if that translates into success on the field.

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In a league of its own:

The Superior Double-A League of Puerto Rico

The Superior Double-A League is Puerto Rico's semi-pro league. There are eight divisions, with each division having five to six teams. The league's season starts in February, and goes through spring and summer culminating in the Carnival de Campeones (Carnival of Champions) in the fall.Nov 16, 2021

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05/01/2022

At the end of the regular season, each group will compete in the best-of-five semifinals to advance to the best-of-seven final.

The 43 clubs participating in the superior Double-A League in Puerto Rico approved a proposal by the National Baseball Federation (Federación Béisbol Aficionado Puerto Rico) to resume playing night games after four seasons.

The 16-game regular season will open on 27 February at the Nestor Morales Stadium, the home of the defending champions Grises in Humacao.

At the end of the regular season, each group will compete in the best-of-five semifinals to advance to the best-of-seven final. The winners of the eight groups will advance to a round-robin, and the top four will compete in best-of-seven semifinals and final.

The clubs approved the format of the seasons with a 36-4 majority during a meeting held at the Domingo Figueroa Convention Center in Vega Alta.

Starting the 2022 season, every club participating in the Double-A League will need to affiliate with the National Federation.

"We met for the first time since the 2021 season ended," commented Federation President José Quiles Rosas. "It was a very productive meeting, and it will serve as the base for the 2022 activity."

Old-fashioned values

Founded as an amateur league in the 1930s, Doble A has survived several iterations over the decades but has never lost its grassroots charm and its mission to promote the game. While it turned semipro in 2006, allowing teams to recruit professionals — including those who are active in winter ball — the slogan on its website remains an anachronism, a sentiment seemingly from the past:

“We play hard here to make better citizens.”

And now, after a successful 2017 campaign that ended four days before Hurricane María struck the island on Sept. 20, Doble A is back with 38 teams in six divisions playing a modified 20-game schedule.

The new season opened on April 1. But instead of playing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, this year, as a concession to life on the island post-María, the league will play Sunday double-headers starting at 10 a.m.

Roa and the Titanes de Florida and Jiménez and the Sultanes de Mayaguez met in last year’s finals, with the Sultanes winning the championship in six games, a hard-fought series that cost one manager his job after Game 2.

That’s right. Luis Arroyo, the Titanes’ skipper, was let go after losing the first two games. Doble A might not pay much, but it takes its baseball just as seriously as the major leagues.

All this for what they call in Spanish dieta, or meal stipend — a perk that tops out at $150 per game for the better players.

More than baseball

Doble A is much more than baseball. It’s a pillar of Puerto Rican culture, the pride and joy of many towns who don’t have teams representing them in other sports.

Through the early 2000s, it was a source of talent for the national teams representing the island in international competitions, including the Olympics and the baseball World Cup. And later, it was a second-chance league for major leaguers trying to return to The Show, like the Cubs’ backup catcher René Rivera.

And through it all, Doble A has been known for its vocal and passionate fans whose infectious energy prods the players to play hard during every pitch and every at-bat.

“I played in front of 10,000 fans in the minor leagues and it doesn’t compare to 2,000 Puerto Rican fans at a Doble A game. The music and the racket start with the first inning and don’t end until the last episode. There’s never a quiet moment, and that gives players extra motivation,” Roa said.

Bat flips after a home run? Animated fist pumps after a strikeout? All are a welcome part of the game. Jiménez lived it up during the finals, going 8-for-17 with a home run, two doubles, eight RBI and five runs scored.

“When I played professional ball, I felt like an amateur,” Jiménez said in an interview in Spanish with La Vida Baseball. “I’m a vocal person. I like to talk, to show my emotions and that’s something you don’t see much in professional baseball. That’s the way I play the game and that’s why I love Doble A. You do everything with passion. You can display your emotions and your opponents will rarely get upset because they are just like you.”

Focal point of life

n Doble A, they don’t worry about the pace of the game, either. Four-hour games are routine, even desirable, because it’s the weekend highlight for many fans. Just show up with your favorite fried fritters and cold drinks.

And when a team makes it to the playoffs and gets to the finals, the whole town puts life on pause until the series is over. That’s what happened last September with Florida, a small town of about 12,000 people located on the north coast in the center of the island.

Who could blame them? It was the Titanes’ first finals since Florida’s only championship way back in 1982.

“The Titanes have always been a focal point for the town,” said Mayor José Gerena Polanco in an interview in Spanish with La Vida Baseball. “That was our first final in 35 years, and there was enormous joy in our town. I was 12 when we won in 1982 and I’ve never forgotten it. The generation that never saw a championship finally got to experience what their grandparents and parents had talked about all those years.”

Not surprisingly, Doble A is quite the intimate experience. The Titanes’ ballpark seats only 1,000 people. Last year, during the sectional finals and the league finals, they played their home games in the neighboring city of Manatí.

Telling the manager what to do

Regardless of where teams play, chances are family, friends, neighbors and colleagues are front row, actively supporting the players and voicing their opinions.

“I work in the town of Florida, and it’s normal that when you go out for coffee or lunch, fans will recognize you and come up to you,” said Arroyo in an interview in Spanish with La Vida Baseball. “They will tell you what they think you should do. Sometimes after a game they will telephone you, anxious and desperate. And in social media, they won’t overlook a thing. It’s a very interesting dynamic.”

Arroyo pitched in the minors for the Padres, Mets, Marlins, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Reds, plus played for several independent leagues and in Mexico. Nothing, he said, compares to Doble A.

“You see many passionate fans in professional baseball. But the ones in Doble A are much more euphoric. They get into the game, they live it,” said Arroyo, who now works as an instructor at the Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico.

“It’s different, a much more small-town feel. Since the ballparks are smaller in size, you feel the fans closer to you and you hear all that they say, good or bad,” Jiménez said.

“It’s been a good experience for me. My dad played Doble A for 15 years and I grew up in this baseball environment. In fact, when I was in college, before I signed pro, I played in the league at 19.”

Amateur only in name

Jiménez hasn’t missed a season since 2012. Stephen Morales, who managed the Sultanes to the championship last year, will not get to defend his title this season after being hired as a minor league coach by the Pirates. While he welcomes the promotion, you sense a tinge of regret in his voice.

“It’s incredible how much warmth you feel in a small town,” Morales said. “Everyone gets involved, including the businesses.”

“Baseball is the same game everywhere,” he added. “Professional is just a title. I’ve seen many amateur players with unbelievable talent. The mix of professionals and amateurs gives this league a different flavor.”

Last season, more than 100 former pros played in the league. Of course, most of them now need a full-time job to be able to play baseball part-time. It’s a price most willingly pay to continue in the game.

“When you are playing in professional leagues, you spend the whole day at the park,” Jiménez said. “Now I have to work 40 hours a week at something else and then afterwards go train and play. It’s an adjustment. But I love it. I love this kind of baseball and I’m going to continue playing for as long as I can.”



BASEBALL

Fernando Cabrera shines in his debut with Arenosos de Camuy in Double A Baseball

The former Major League pitcher completed six innings and struck out 11 in the win against the Tigres de Hatillo in the first game of the season

Saturday, March 5, 2022 - 8:58 a.m.

(Old Friend) Veteran pitcher Fernando Cabrera struck out 11 opponents in six innings to give Arenosos de Camuy a victory in the first game of the season this Friday, as part of the first big schedule of the 2022 Double A Superior Baseball season.

Cabrera made his team debut with a 5-2 victory for the Arenosos de Camuy over the Tigres de Hatillo. In six innings he gave up three hits, two of them homers.

Cabrera struck out 11 of the 23 batters he faced and walked one . The two solo shots off Cabrera came from the bats José Villalba and Jay Feliciano.

In other North results, the Florida Titans beat the Montañeses de Utuado 9-2 with three runs scored by Gaby Ayala.

Aneudi Rojas was 3-2 and singled in the top of the ninth inning lifting the Industriales de Barceloneta over the Atenienses de Manatí.

In the Metro, the Guaynabo Mets beat the Vega Baja Melao Melao 2-1. Lefty Héctor Hernández won his debut pitching eight innings with 11 strikeouts and three hits allowed. He faced 28 batters.

For his part, Christian Pérez received bases loaded walk to give the Planters of Vega Alta a 15-14 victory over the Guardians of Dorado in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Carolina Giants beat the Lancheros of Cataño with seven innings of good work from lefty Gerald Barrios.

Cordero bats in four runs for San Sebastián

In the Northwest, the San Sebastián Patrolmen prevailed by a score of 7-1 over the Aguada Navigators in a game shortened to seven innings by means of the 'curfew' rule. Jacob Cordero drove in four runs with a single and a homer.

In addition, the Libertadores de Hormigueros dominated the Fundadores de Añasco 4-2 with two RBIs from Kenneth González

In the South, the Poetas de Juana Díaz came out victorious 6-5 against the Flying Fish of Salinas. The win went to right-hander Julio Morales and the Colts of Santa Isabel came from behind with a three run rally in the eighth inning to beat the Coamo Marathonists 7-4.

Graceful Cabo Rojo and Sabana Grande

In the Southwest, the Piratas de Cabo Rojo defeated the Petroleros de Peñuelas 9-3 with four RBIs from Joel Rivera and the Cardenales de Lajas won 7-2 against the Petateros de Sabana Grande with a perfect night from Gerani Colón , who went 2-for-2 with three RBIs.

In the Southeast, the Yabucoa Sugar Producers dominated the Maunabo Jueyeros 10-8. Edwin Gómez hit a grand slam and Cristian González was the winning pitcher.

Loíza's impressive comeback

The Cocoteros de Loíza recorded the most dramatic comeback of the day by beating the Halcones de Gurabo 10-5.

The game favored the Halcones 5-0 until the seventh inning, when the Cocoteros scored twice to get close and then sealed their ninth-inning comeback with an impressive eight-run explosion. Omar Rohena's rbi single decided Loíza's lead.

Meanwhile, the Mulos de Juncos defeated the Guerrilleros de Río Grande by a score of 6-5 in the eleventh inning, after interference was ruled on pitcher Ender de Jesús. Right-hander Arturo Martoral won in relief and Richard Vincent González led the production with three RBIs.

The game between Artesanos de Las Piedras and Cariduros de Fajardo was suspended due to rain in the ninth inning with the score tied at three runs. In this game, star pitcher Jean Félix Ortega reached his 800th career strikeout.

Cidra wins the first game of the Central Division

The runner-up Bravos de Cidra won the first game of the Clásico de la Central by beating Toritos de Cayey 6-3 with five innings by left-hander Miguel Martínez. Francisco Rosario was 2-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

In the same division the Polluelos de Aibonito had 18 hits to beat the Pescadores del Plata de Comerío 10-3. Ricardo de la Torre debuted with two doubles, a home run and a single. Right-hander Joe Alsina was the winning pitcher.

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Freddy Galvis and Renato Núñez arrived in Japan to start their preseason

Friday 4 | 4:54 p.m.

Carlos Daniel Carrasco / @carlosdcarrasco

Shortstop Freddy Galvis and first baseman Renato Núñez are already in Japan to report to their respective teams to see action in the Japanese Baseball League.

Both Creoles will get their first taste of Asian baseball. Núñez belongs to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters team, while Galvis will play for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. Upon arrival, both players will have to go through a quarantine check for foreigners before officially reporting to their clubs.

According to Asian media, the players have already tested negative for coronavirus (COVID19).

Galvis is coming off 10 seasons in the Major Leagues, where he played for the Phillies (7 years), Reds (2), Padres (1), Orioles (1) and Blue Jays (1). He participated in 1102 games and had 966 hits.

Núñez debuted in 2016 with the Oakland Athletics and later played with the Rangers, Orioles and Tigers.

These criollos join José Osuna who is already playing pre-season games with the defending champions the Yakult Swallows.

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Sancti Spíritus breaks winning streak against Villa Clara

JIT Drafting

Saturday, March 05, 2022 08:13 PM

Havana.-

Visiting the Augusto César Sandino stadium and with excellent pitching work by left-hander Ariel Zerquera, the Sancti Spíritus team beat Villa Clara 9-3 and broke their winning streak at 10 consecutive games. In the game, Zerquera, a youngster of three seasons from Trinidad, threw seven innings of three hits, no runs, and five walks to pick up his fourth win of the season without a loss. For the Sancti Spiritus, shortstop Moisés Esquerré stood out at bat, going 3-4 and driving in a run. With this victory, the Roosters record stands at 15-13 in a tie with the Industriales for sixth and seventh places. Sancti Spiritus offense scored nine runs. Moisés Esquerres (4-3, 2R, 1RBI), Carlos Gómez (4-2, 2RBI), Yunior Ibarra (4-2, 2R) and Fréderich Cepeda a home run and two RBIs. For Villa Clara, Ariel Alejandro Díaz Paret (2-2, 1RBI, 1R) and Reidel Pedraza (5-1, 2RBI) stood out.

With the defeat of Villa Clara combined with the loss by Matanzas and the victory by Mayabeque, Matanzas and Mayabeque now share the top spot in the standings with a record of 18-10.

The fierce fight for the first place has additional pressure because of the little time remaining before the All Star Game marking the half way point of the season. It's possible that 5 teams would have 18 victories. For this to happen, it would only be necessary for Mayabeque and Matanzas to lose, and Villa Clara, Ciego de Ávila and Santiago de Cuba to win.

On Saturday, Ciego de Ávila defeated Cienfuegos 4-3. Tiger Alfredo Fadraga homered.

Mayabeque blanked Camagüey 3-0. Marlon Vega had his fifth save.

Las Tunas defeated Matanzas 8-5, Holguín 7-2 over Artemisa, and Pinar del Río 7-6 defeated Granma, in a game that featured home rungs by Osvaldo Abreu and Carlos Benítez.

At the Guillermón Moncada stadium, the classic between Santiago de Cuba and Industriales ended 9-2 in favor of the Industrialist's. Pitcher Pedro Ángel Álvarez improved his record to 4-0 and Oscar Valdés homered.

Isla de la Juventud beat Guantanamo 6-4. Franklin Quintana picked up his sixth save. Yasmani Viera (IJV) and Yoandri Guibert (GTM) homered.

At this time the best winning streaks belong to Pinar del Rio and Las Tunas (+3), while the worst winning streak is suffered by Guantanamo residents (-4).

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Who Is RōKi Sasaki, the 20-Year-Old “Monster of Reiwa” Who Pitches an Over-100mph Fastball?

BASEBALL / MLB

Published 03/06/2022, 12:15 PM ES

Since Major League Baseball is going through a long-going lockout. No games have been played in the last four-five months in MLB. And with this, baseball fans will have to wait another month to see some of the younger players like Juan Soto and Ronald Acuna play this season. However, with due respect to these young talents of MLB, one must not miss the magic of sensational baseball talent, Roki Sasaki.

If the regular-season games would not have been canceled because of the delay in the new CBA deal, baseball fans would have seen some of the best younger talents in spring training of this season. However, when talking about Roki Sasaki, many also call him the ‘ Monster of Reiwa’.

All You Need to Know about Roki Sasaki, the 20-Year-Old Monster of Reiwa

Roki Sasaki is a sensational baseball talent who hails from Japan. Born on November 3, 2011, Sasaki became famous for his unique pitching. Sasaki in his pitches has a speed that many baseball players can only dream of. He once pitched over the speed of 101 mph in his high school. And since then, people call him the Monster of the Reiwa.

The 20-year-old star pitcher plays for the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Nippon Professional Baseball. During the 2019 NPB draft, Chiba Lotte Marines selected Sasaki as the first pick. Taking to his Twitter, renowned pitching analyst Rob Friedman posted a short video of the Japanese talent and captioned him as “The Monster of the Reiwa’.

Well, considering his unique talent, many MLB teams have their eye on Sasaki. And in the near future, that day might not be very far when fans will see his magic in the biggest stage of baseball.

After months of negotiations between the owners and the players’ union, the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement. And since there were no CBA deals on the deadline, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred canceled a few league games and extended the lockout.


https://youtu.be/2Dh6_IXDUiY


Roki Sasaki showing why he is a name to remember

by David Hill



Nippon Professional Baseball has become a viable proving ground for players looking to reach the majors. Between Japanese players that have looked to move on to the next level and players looking to take the next step in their development, NPB has become a breeding ground for a great deal of talent.

Roki Sasaki had already received a great deal of attention from major league teams. There was a time when it seemed that he would explore a move stateside, eschewing NPB altogether to learn his craft in a major league organization. Instead, he filed for the NPB draft, being selected by the Chiba Lotte Marines.

Roki Sasaki proving that the hype is real

That attention primarily came from his impressive fastball. Even though he was in high school, his fastball sat in the upper 90s, even reaching 101 MPH during a tryout for Japan’s U-18 National Team. That velocity is certain to get anyone’s attention, no matter where the player is from.

He showed that he was much more than just hype last season. Sasaki made his NPB debut at just 19 years old but was able to dominate. He posted a stellar 2.27 ERA and a 1.058 WHiP in his 63.1 innings, striking out 68 batters with just 16 walks. While there were concerns about Sasaki’s command when he was initially drafted, those are starting to go away.

The hype train may just be getting started. Sasaki pitched in a spring exhibition game recently and was able to reach 101.3 MPH with his fastball. That velocity would be impressive at any point in the season for a starter, but the fact that he was able to throw that hard in mid-February at his age makes it all the more incredible.

It will be years before Sasaki is able to come stateside. Players need to put in nine years before they become eligible for international free agency in Japan, and the Marines may not be willing to post him until it gets much closer to that time. But that does not mean that MLB fans should ignore Sasaki until that point.

Roki Sasaki may not be coming to the majors any time soon. However, with his high octane fastball and potential, he is a name to remember.

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Hurricanes sweep Toros and are left alone on top of Cuban baseball

JOSÉ LUIS LÓPEZ SADO|PHOTOS: RODOLFO BLANCO CUÉ

06 MARCH 2022

Havana, March 6 (ACN)

With a powerful 16-hit attack, Mayabeque defeated Camagüey 7-6 , swept the series, and was left alone in first place bringing the curtain down on the twelfth subseries. The victory went to the second reliever Michel Gámez, who in 4.2 innings allowed a hit and struck out two. On offense, second baseman Lázaro Martínez stood out for the Hurricanes, who went 4-5, with a run batted in. Mayabeque left 12 runners on base. They could not produce against Toros pitching that allowed seven walks. Thus, the Hurricanes lead the standings with a record of 19-10. They lead Villa Clara and Matanzas by one game .



Villa Clara beat Sancti Spíritus 5-1. Elier Carrillo won his fifth game (6.0INN, 5 base hits, and 4 strike outs. Randy Cueto got his fourth save by working three innings with two hits and two strikeout. As visitors Yeniet Pérez and Juan Carlos López had back to back homers. The Gallos made three errors.

Las Tunas, despite leaving 15 runners on base, swept Matanzas by beating them 4-3 in 11 innings., with success for rescuer Relief pitcher Yasiel Labrada threw a perfect inning and picked up the win.

In the remaining games, Granma shutout Pinar del Río 10-0. Left-handed Leandro Martínez threw 8 complete innings giving up 4 singles.

Cienfuegos defeated Ciego de Ávila 4-3 and Guantánamo 9-1 over Isla de Juventud whose pitchers gave 10 walks.

In addition, Holguín defeated Artemisa 2-1 and swept the series.

Santiago de Cuba defeated Industriales 12-9. Experienced starter, Alberto Bisset got his first save.

After these results:

1 Mayabeque 19-10
2 Villa Clara (18-11)
3 Matanzas (18-11)
4 Santiago de Cuba (18-12)
5 Ciego de Ávila (17-13)
6 Sancti Spíritus (15-14)
7Industriales (15-14)

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8 Las Tunas 15-15
8 Pinar del Río 15-15
8 Isla de la Juventud 15-15
8 Granma 15-15.

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High School Days: Ohtani Shōhei and Hanamaki Higashi Manager Sasaki Hiroshi

Ohtani Shōhei refined his skills as a two-way player under the guidance of coach Sasaki Hiroshi at Hanamaki Higashi High School. The school is also the alma mater of fellow major-league pitcher Kikuchi Yūsei, whose early exploits on the mound set an example for the young Ohtani.

Sports Mar 8, 2022

Sasaki Tōru [Profile]

Learning from Kikuchi

The first time Ohtani Shōhei heard his high school baseball coach Sasaki Hiroshi declare that he would throw a 100 mile-an-hour fastball someday, he had his doubts. “It was an impossible number,” the Los Angeles Angels pitcher recounts. After all, Ohtani was 15 years old and still in his first year at Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate Prefecture.

On top of this, Ohtani was built like a matchstick—long and skinny. Hitting puberty, he had shot to a towering 6 feet tall, but he had barely any meat on his gangly, 140 pound frame. In the gym, he struggled to hoist just the bench press bar. Still, his fastball was already pushing 87 mph, and his coach and others knew he would have the strength and technique to reach the blistering mark soon enough. “Everyone, including the team trainer, kept saying I’d get there eventually,” states Ohtani. “After a while, I started to believe them.”

In making his prediction, Sasaki was speaking from experience. A few years earlier he had helped bring up another high school pitching sensation, Kikuchi Yūsei. “I more or less knew what to expect,” Sasaki asserts. He says Kikuchi, who joined the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball in 2019, threw progressively faster as his body filled out. “He put on 44 pounds and his fastball increased by 12.5 mph I knew it would be the same with Ohtani. Factor in his raw talent, and there was no question he’d hit 100 mph.”

Dynamic Duo

Kikuchi, who is three years older than Ohtani, gained national attention when he guided Hanamaki Higashi to a second-place finish at the 2009 Koshein invitational. Then at the prestigious summer tournament the following August, he set a new tourney record with a pitch that clocked in at 96 mph. Ohtani joined the team the year after Kikuchi graduated, and the pair never suited up for a game together until the 2021 MLB All Star Game, which made headlines in Japan.

They were connected indirectly through Sasaki, though. In fact, Ohtani having joined Hanamaki Higashi so closely on the heels of Kikuchi feels akin to fate. In Sasaki, Ohtani was blessed with a coach who had fresh, firsthand experience bringing up a pitching prodigy and could guide him toward greatness.

Out of the gates, Sasaki was careful to avoid filling Ohtani’s head with expectations or to hold Kikuchi up as the ideal. Instead, he set out to instill in Ohtani a can-do attitude. He would present his charge with statements meant to stimulate his mind. He would assert that the shortest path to success is to follow in a person’s footsteps while also emphasizing the importance of thinking outside the box. The message was clear: learn from others, but find your own way.



Ohtani Shōhei while a student at Hanamaki Higashi High School. (Courtesy of the author)

Image Training

Sasaki is a big proponent of setting measurable objectives to strive for. “Players need to shoot for a concrete number or have a rival to compete against,” he explains. “You can’t make a plan without a clear goal in mind.” In Ohtani’s case, he says trying to make it to the 100 mph mark became a major motivator. “It pushed him forward as a pitcher.”

However, setting goals is only part of the equation. Taking a hint from business books and corporate training manuals, Sasaki has his players draw a grid consisting of nine squares divided into nine parts each to create what he calls a “goal sheet.” At the center he has them write their main target and then fill in the remaining squares with things they need to do to achieve that goal.

Ohtani did not hold back in his aspirations. When a first-year high school student, he wrote in the center square of his goal sheet that he wanted to be the top draft pick for eight pro teams. Around this he wrote the elements he thought vital: sharp ball movement, ball control, breaking ball, physical fitness, mental strength, character, and luck. In the final square he added Sasaki’s 100 mph fastball prediction.

When Sasaki saw Ohtani’s goal sheet, he felt a twinge of regret. He knew from experience that most players came up just short of their targets, and a good trick for hitting the mark is to aim a little bit higher. “It occurred to me that I should have said 101 mph instead,” recalls Sasaki. To his surprise, though, he discovered that Ohtani had reached the same conclusion on his own. “I walked into the team weight room and found a sheet of paper that read ‘101 mph’ posted on the wall. I couldn’t believe my eyes.”



Ohtani during the semifinals of the Iwate regional high school baseball tournament in July 2012. Hanamaki Higashi prevailed 9–1, but went on to lose in the final. (Courtesy of the author)

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Ohtani at bat in the quarterfinal of the 2012 Iwate regional baseball tournament. (Courtesy of the author)Ohtani at bat in the quarterfinal of the 2012 Iwate regional baseball tournament. (Courtesy of the author)

Step by Step

Ohtani had big dreams, but Sasaki knew he was still growing and made certain not to overtax the young player. To prevent injuries during training and in games, he pushed his developing star only as far as he thought his strength and stamina would allow. Sasaki kept up the approach over the some two and a half years Ohtani played for him.

During Ohtani’s first year on the team, for instance, Sasaki played him in positions other than pitcher. He admits this was a tough decision to make, but argues it was for the best. “With his build and talents, I had no doubt Ohtani would have gotten results if I’d used him on the mound,” Sasaki declares. “But I stuck to my decision not to let him pitch in games until after his first summer on the team.”



Ohtani (center) and Sasaki (second from left) during Hanamaki Higashi’s game against Osaka Tōin High School in the first round of the national Koshein spring invitational on March 3, 2021 at Kōshien Stadium. (© Iwate Nippō/Kyōdō)

Sasaki saw Ohtani’s development as a marathon, not a sprint. “I knew his goal was much further down the road,” he says. “He needed time to properly develop physically and mentally, and it was my job to help guide him along each step of this path.” Japanese high school baseball is notorious for pushing pitchers to their limits, but Sasaki was careful not to overwork Ohtani. Consequently, the only injury of note the young star suffered in his high school career was to the growth plate, the thin layer of cartilage where growth of long bones takes place, in his arm. Although this happened just ahead of the summer Iwate regional tournament, Sasaki did not baulk at taking Ohtani, then in his second year, out of the rotation until he was fully healed.

A year later, in July 2012, Ohtani made headlines when he threw a 100 mph in the semifinals of the Iwate regional tournament, shattering the previous amateur record. Of course, reaching the milestone was important, but the process that got him there was of more value to Ohtani. Under Sasaki he developed the mentality and maturity that sustains him today as a Major League Baseball superstar.

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: Ohtani Shōhei tries to run out a hit against Seattle Mariners pitcher Kikuchi Yūsei on June 8, 2019, at Angel Stadium in Los Angeles. © Kyōdō.)

https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/g01204/

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Santiago de Cuba reaches 19 victories

JIT Drafting

Tuesday, March 08, 2022 06:38 PM

Havana.-

Santiago de Cuba today blanked the Pirates of Isla de la Juventud, 10-0, and became the second team with 19 victories in the 61st National Baseball season. Santiago put the islanders out of action in eight innings, with an 11-hit offense and, undoubtedly very effective, and remarkable pitching by star Danny Betancourt. Francisco Martínez (2-2, 3RBI), Santiago Torres (4-1, 2RBI), Adriel Labrada (5-1, 2RBI), Dasiel Sevila (4-2, 3R) and Marcos Luis Fonseca (3-2, 2R) led the offense. Danny was dominant for 7.1 innings, allowing no runs and only one hit. He had three strikeouts. The shutout was concluded by reliever Jorge Luis Bravo, with two thirds of an inning pitched..

The other KO of the day was a true scandal. Artemisa thrashed Granma 15x1 with an offense of 18 hits. Standing out on offense, Carlos de la Tejeda (4-3, 2RBI), Dayán García (4-3) and Henry Llorente (5-1) with a home run and three RBIs.

Guantanamo defeated Industriales 6-4. In that game, the Industriales hit home runs by Yasiel Santoya and Oscar Valdés, but Guantanamo responded with homers from Over Cremet, Yoelkis Baró and Luis Jairon Echeverría.

Camagüey beat Matanzas 6-5 at home, despite Yariel Duque's home run.

Ciego de Ávila beat Villa Clara 3-1.

Pinar del Río did the same against Holguín 8-7, with the sixth save by Frank Luis Medina.

The game between Mayabeque and Las Tunas was suspended due to presumed cases of covid-19.

The other meeting of the day will begin at 7:00 p.m. between Sancti Spíritus and Cienfuegos.

At this moment, the best streaks in the season belong to Las Tunas (+4) and Mayabeque (+3), and the worst by Matanzas (-4).

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MLB Lockout Won’t Slow NPB Stars

By Trevor Raichura

March 7, 2022

Opening Day is just 18 days away! With MLB still trying to figure out a CBA with the owners, it is kind of nice to think that perhaps more baseball fans will be trying to get to know NPB a little better this spring. With that in mind and thinking of Seiya Suzuki (Hiroshima Carp) having his MLB debut delayed, I thought it would be interesting to introduce one or two players from each team who have the skills (and/or the desire) to play in North America eventually. Eligible season refers to the earliest that the player could suit up for an MLB team, as long as injuries and deactivations are avoided between now and then. Also, keep in mind that some players are successful in their requests to be posted prematurely. You can expect that in most cases, it will be a year or two before they are eligible to become international free agents.

#55 Munetaka Murakami, Yakult Swallows (22, 3B): Represented Japan at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, already has 104 career home runs. Eligible in: 2028



#11 Yasunobu Okugawa, Yakult Swallows (20, RHP): Pinpoint control, playoff MVP in 2021. Eligible in: 2031

#8 Teruaki Sato, Hanshin Tigers (23, 3B/OF): Set club rookie record with 24 home runs in 2021. Eligible in: 2030

#25 Kazuma Okamoto, Yomiuri Giants (27, 3B): Has hit 30+ home runs in four straight seasons. Eligible in: 2027

#49 Thyago Vieira, Yomiuri Giants (29, RHP): NPB fastest pitch record holder at 166 km/h (103 mph); has 10.46 K/9 in NPB career. Eligible in: 2023

#18 Masato Morishita, Hiroshima Carp (24, RHP): Represented Japan at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, won Rookie of the Year in 2020; career 2.52 ERA. Eligible in: 2029

#20 Ryoji Kuribayashi, Hiroshima Carp (25, RHP): Represented Japan at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, won Rookie of the Year in 2021. Eligible in: 2030

#17 Yuya Yanagi, Chunichi Dragons (27, RHP): Topped CL in strikeouts, ERA, named top CL pitcher in 2021. Eligible in: 2028

#21 Shota Imanaga, Yokohama Baystars (28, LHP): Strikes out a batter per inning, sub-3.25 ERA in five of six seasons. Eligible in: 2026

#7 Masataka Yoshida, Orix Buffaloes (28, OF): Career average of .326 with roughly 20 HRs per season; only 55 strikeouts in his last 947 plate appearances. Eligible in: 2026

#18 Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Orix Buffaloes (23, RHP): Sawamura Award winner in 2021, career 2.05 ERA and over one strikeout per inning. Eligible in: 2028

#17 Roki Sasaki, Chiba Lotte Marines (20, RHP): Already throwing 101 mph this spring; has had MLB scouts’ attention since high school. Eligible in: 2031



#1 Yuki Matsui, Rakuten Eagles (26, LHP): Outstanding in even-numbered years (ERA of 0.87, 1.20, 1.94, 0.63 in evens, 3.80, 3.32, 3.65, 3.18 in odd years). Career 11.52 K/9, Already has 165 career saves. Eligible in: 2024

#18 Masahiro Tanaka, Rakuten Eagles (33, RHP): The former Yankee dropped a 3.01 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP in his return to Japan in 2021. Eligible in: 2023

#41 Kodai Senga, SoftBank Hawks (29, RHP): Represented Japan at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has won 10+ in each of the last six seasons, sported a sub-2.80 ERA in five of six, and has struck out 10.3 per 9 innings of work since 2016. Eligible in: 2023

#17 Hiromi Itoh, Nippon-Ham Fighters (24, RHP): Represented Japan at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, won 10 and struck out 141 batters with a 2.90 ERA in his rookie season (2021). Eligible in: 2030

#61 Kaima Taira, Saitama Seibu Lions (22, RHP): Represented Japan at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has a 1.35 ERA in the last two seasons out of the bullpen, striking out 10.5 per 9 innings of work. Eligible in: 2029

Next time, we will introduce to you the opening weekend matchups, including who is expected to get the mound on Opening Day (March 25). Can’t wait!

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BASEBALL

Juan “Igor” González returns to Double A to lead the Toritos de Cayey

The former Major League player guided the Grays of Humacao to the tournament championship last year

Tuesday, March 8, 2022 - 2:26 pm

Los Toritos de Cayey announced the appointment of former Major League player Juan 'Igor' González as the team's new manager (Liga Superior Double A)

Cayey started the 2022 season with 0-2 and occupies the basement of the Central division.

González, also manager of the National Team, was the manager of the year for 2021 and led the Humacao Grays to the Puerto Rican championship after 70 years of waiting. However, he left the franchise after differences with the administration.

In his first year at the helm of the Grays, he led them to second place in the Southeast division in the regular phase with 7-5, improving on 8-11 in 2019 and 8-10 in 2018. In addition, they qualified for the Carnival of Champions after 52 years.

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Roberto Clemente: On a day like this 50 years ago he spoke about the possibility of retiring from baseball

The Puerto Rican star, who was then trying to reach the mark of 3,000 hits, was clear that reaching that goal in 1972 could encourage him to finish his career.

By Joel Ortiz-Rivera

March 6, 2022 • 9:45pm

We will never know. But if Roberto Clemente Walker hadn't doubled off the fence off Jon Matlack's pitches at Three Rivers Stadium on September 30, 1972, we might have seen at least one more season of his greatness in right field with the Pittsburgh Pirates if the tragedy that cost him his life months later had not happened.

Still, it might not have happened. Maybe he would have started the road to be a manager in the Majors, or he may have decided to dedicate himself completely to bringing his dream in Pittsburgh to a successful conclusion.

When he arrived at Pirate City in Bradenton, Florida, on March 7, 1972, this day 50 years ago, Clemente Walker was perhaps at the pinnacle of baseball.

The Pirates arrived as defending World Series champions after a decade without winning and the man from Carolina, who had already been the winner of the National League Most Valuable Player award in 1966 and a four-time batting champion, arrived as the Most Valuable Player of the 1971 World Series. Spring started that day more than a week late because, as is happening today, the Majors and the players were immersed in the struggle to sign a new agreement and it was reached late. The first week and a half of the season and a total of 86 games were canceled.

It was under these circumstances that Clemente arrived at the Pirates' camp. But with 37 years and a long battle against injuries throughout his career, the Puerto Rican star was not sure how much time he had left in the Major Leagues.

“I would like to play this year and one more, but if I have the opportunity I could retire after this season,”

it was indirectly the goal that would lead to the guarantee of returning to play one more season if he did not reach that milestone that year.

But there would still be other ways in which he could come back even if, as it happened, he had hit 3,000 that year. As was evident throughout his productive life, when the Carolinian was asked if he wanted to stay involved in baseball after his retirement, he said, "Well, I've been working with kids for 13 years, and I'm going to continue to work with kids." ”.

At the time of spring training that year, the Puerto Rican was only 118 hits away from gaining admission to an exclusive club of players with 3,000 hits or more in the Major Leagues, which at that time had only 11 members.

In another television interview, the perennial No. 21 agreed to assess the Pirates' chances of retaining their World Series crown, and while he thought they would be better than they were in 1971, he admitted that other teams in the league would also make their adjustments to try to dethrone them.

"Hope everything goes well. That we continue the way we're going so far, without injuries, and we'll see what happens, because it's going to be a very, very interesting year for us," he told journalist Jennings Martin, according to rare raw footage from an interview the reporter did with him in Bradenton, Florida.

“I think the teams that were in the race last year, like Chicago, St. Louis and Cincinnati, are going to have strong teams again, and you can't forget Houston, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It will be difficult. It's going to be a very tough fight, but we have the personnel to play good baseball and that's all you can do: play your best and let things fall into place,” Clemente said in English.



By June 19, a three-run homer against the Dodgers made him Pittsburgh's all-time leader in the RBI department with 1,274.

On July 25, he saw action in his 15th career All-Star Game at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. He was hitting .310.

As of August 30, he tied with Honus Wagner for the most hits in franchise history with 2,970.

On Sept. 2 against San Francisco, he hit a three-run homer that made him the franchise's career RBI leader at the time.

On September 21, the Pirates secured their spot in the postseason with a win over the New York Mets that gave them the NL East crown for the third straight year.

On September 30, he reached the legendary figure of 3,000 hits.

October 3, in the last regular season game of his career, he broke another record of Honus Wagner by appearing in his 2,433rd game in a Pirates uniform.

Pittsburgh fell in the National League Championship Series to Cincinnati's 'Big Red Machine' of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Tony Pérez and Joe Morgan, among many other big names, but the Oakland Athletics were the World Series champions.

So after the postseason, Clemente traveled to Nicaragua in mid-November to coach Puerto Rico in the Amateur World Series, and later in the month won his 12th Gold Glove Award.

On December 23, an earthquake devastated Managua, a city where he had been for weeks. Clemente immediately began efforts to help the Central American country in any way he could.

On December 31, 1972, as the cliché goes, "the rest is history."

Clemente, an immortal legend, an icon of Puerto Rican and Latin American baseball, was the ultimate symbol of what it means to be a philanthropist.

For this reason, 50 years after his last spring training, the first Latin American player to enter the Cooperstown Hall of Fame, we remember that his story is an additional reason to remember 'The Greatest'.



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Ten Cuban players we should follow in the upcoming Minor League season

César Prieto, Cristian Vaquero and Miguel Vargas are some of these Cuban players looking to jump to the Major Leagues.

RENIER GONZALEZ JR.

Havana 07 Mar 2022 - 19:22 CET

Disputes between team owners and the Major League Players Association (MLBPA) continue and, until a new labor agreement is reached, fewer games will be on the calendar. But this does not mean that there will not be quality baseball, since the season should begin soon in the Minor Leagues (MiLB). The fact that no player who belongs to the union or is a free agent can play leaves out Cuban stars like José Abreu , Aroldis Chapman , Yulieski Gurriel and others who belong to the 40-man roster of a Major League franchise.

However, there are ten Cuban baseball players who can stand out this year in the farm system. When the triple A starts on April 5, they will have their first season of 150 games. On the 8th of the month, the other levels will begin play (RK, AA, A+, A).

Here are the Island-born players worth following:

Orioles: Cesar Prieto (age 22) 2B/SS

The man from Cienfuegos will be debuting in the minors and will surely receive a lot of attention from the Cuban fans. In the 60th National Baseball season he finished second in the race for the MVP, set the record for hits in consecutive games with 45 and won the Gold Glove award. Prieto posted a .370/.443/.520/.963 offensive line in 710 PA in the National Series. It will depend on him to maintain that level of play to move up the ladder and play in MiLB. His age can help him move up the ladder faster, as long as he exhibits the right performance.

Dodgers: Miguel Vargas (age 21) 3B-2B-1B

The son of the emblematic player of Industriales Lázaro Vargas has become one of the best hitters in the Dodgers farm system. MLB Pipeline rated him as the sixth best in the organization.

Vargas is a versatile player whose offense was above average in class A+ and AA (strongest class of prospects), so he shouldn't be long in reaching the MLB. For this he only needs to show that he can hit in AAA and that he can avoid injuries. On the other hand, the Los Angeles organization should give him the opportunity he needs.

Dodgers: Andy Pagés (20 years old) OF

The man from Pinar del Rio is the organization's fifth best prospect according to MLB Pipeline . He is fourth on the Prospect 1500 list and sixth according to Baseball America . Pagés comes from having led Class A+ (Central) in home runs (31) and runs batted in (88). His 31 home runs set a franchise record for the Great Lakes Loons and were the fourth-most by a Minor League player in 2021. Pagés should move up to at least AA at the start of the season and, if his performance holds up, he can go all the way to Triple A.

White Sox: Norge Carlos Vera (age 21) SP-RHP

In his pro debut in 2021, the son of star pitcher Norge Luis Vera pitched 19 scoreless innings and struck out 39. His fastball dazzled everyone in the Summer League. Baseball America magazine, called his four-seam fastball the best on the White Sox farm system.

White Sox: Oscar Luis Colas (age 23, 1B-OF)

Colas left a contract behind in professional baseball in Japan because he wanted to prove himself in the Major Leagues. His opportunity has come. The White Sox believe in him and the West Indian can't wait long to excel in this farm system given his age. We also know Colás won't become a pitcher even though he has a fastball over 90 miles per hour. The 23-year-old will focus on hitting and reportedly has considerable batting strength and skills that can solidify him as an outfielder.

Pedro León (23 years old, SS-3B-OF) Houston Astros

Since he was signed, the man from Mayabeque has risen rapidly in prospect rankings. Last year, he was briefly taken through several levels and not allowed to settle on any of them. His OPS in AA was .803 in 57 games, then dropped 346 points when he played 17 games in Sugar Land (AAA). He also had several physical problems in his first year. But his quality is high and a good season can take him to the top level of baseball, especially when the Astros need to reinforce two positions that he plays (SS-CF).

White Sox: Yolbert Sánchez (24 years SS-2B)

Sánchez shone as a rookie in 2019 and that was an introduction to what could come in future seasons. In 2021 he started at A+, in 60 games he posted a .728 OPS with five homers and 29 RBIs. The organization decided to promote him at the beginning of July to Double A and, since then, has improved himself. In 39 games he hit an .838 OPS with four homers and 13 RBIs. 2022 will be crucial for him because he will be 25 years old and if he is not promoted, his chances of making his MLB debut will decrease. The White Sox are looking to strengthen second base with the departure of César Hernández and previously with the trade of Nick Madrigal. Having a good season this year could represent an opportunity for Sánchez.

Tampa Rays: Sandy Gaston (age 20) SP RHP

Gastón moved up in 2021 after falling short of expectations in 2019. The right-hander combined for a 3.60 ERA in 50 innings (Class A: 30.1IP and Rookie 19.2IP). Considerable time in class A+ can allow him to show his true potential. He is in one of the best farm systems in baseball and the Tampa Rays are a factory for good pitchers. The Cuban is in the best hands to develop . His Achilles heel has been lack of control and his best letter of introduction is a fastball that flirts with 100 MPH.

Nationals: Cristian Vaquero (18 years old)

Vaquero is the second best international prospect according to MLB Pipeline . The Nationals offered him $4.925 million, which is a franchise record. The West Indian is a switch hitter and reports indicate that he has a lot of ability to make contact with the ball. He also stands out for his good baserunning and the strength in his arm. He still has to develop at various levels since he is only 18 years old, but he has all the abilities to be a five-tool player in the future.

Rockies: Dyan Yamel Jorge (18)

Dyan had experience with Cuban teams inthe lower categories. He was the shortstop for the Cuban team at the U-15 World Cup in Panama in 2018. Several experts rate his defense as outstanding. His baseball smarts and quickness on base combine to make him one of the best prospects on the market today. The Rockies signed him for a $2.8 million bonus at the start of this signing period.

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Live Baseball From Cuba

CIEGO DE AVILA VS MAYABEQUE

SATURDAY 03/12/2022 1PM

https://youtu.be/MdK2rwHZ0MI