For years, Cuba has been an extremely competitive country in international baseball competitions even though they don’t field players in MLB for political reasons.
They have always used players from the Serie Nacional de Beisbol (National Baseball Series) and have managed to get some great results.
They haven’t won a World Baseball Classic yet, though.
Times appear to be changing, because the Caribbean country looks set to include players in MLB for the first time ever in the 2023 WBC.
And look at the players they are adding!
“Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert are committed to play for Cuba in the 2023 WBC. This marks the first time in HISTORY that Cuba will include current MLB players,” B/R Walk-Off tweeted.
Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert are committed to play for Cuba in the 2023 WBC 🇨🇺
This marks the first time in HISTORY that Cuba will include current MLB players 🔥
(via @francysromeroFR) pic.twitter.com/eVqUAQgZE8
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) November 18, 2022
We will have to see if this results in all Cuban MLB players being invited to participate, or in just a small group, but even if it’s just Moncada and Robert, it’s excellent news for Cuba’s future prospects.
Two High-Profile Additions
Moncada, a third baseman, and Robert, a center fielder, are established major leaguers with plenty of talent and experience.
Robert, in particular, is one of the most exciting players in the league with his incredible raw power, speed, and quality defense.
Will this mean that Yordan Alvarez, Yuli Gurriel, Jose Abreu, Aroldis Chapman, Aledmys Diaz, Yandy Diaz, Adolis Garcia, Yasmani Grandal, Lourdes Gurriel, Yadiel Hernandez, Raisel Iglesias, Adrian Morejon, or Jorge Soler will be invited?
If that’s the case, Cuba could have a roster that could compete with other powerhouses like the United States, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Korea, Venezuela or Puerto Rico.
We will have to see it before we believe it, though.