On this Monday afternoon, the National Baseball Commission announced the roster for the Cuban Under-12 team that will participate in the Pan American Championship of the from May 19 to 28, in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
The roster is made up of 18 players, a manager and the campus delegate who will seek to bring a championship home to Cuba. This event will also serve as a qualifier for the World Championship that will be held in Chinese Taipei later this year, so it is very important to be among the top three in the tournament in order to secure a spot in Taiwan.
Historically, Cuba has fielded strong and talented teams in these tournaments that have given you a first look at some of today’s stars from the island and future big leaguers. Most of the children play more than one position, something very common in juvenile baseball.
Luis Enrique Gurriel Silveira (Yuli Gurriel‘s youngest cousin) will be showcased by Cuba in the tournament, not only because of his lineage, but also because of his immense talent. The youngest of the Gurriel clan can play every position except catcher. Analysts of juvenile baseball predict that he can be developed into a future talent based on his pedigree.
Cuba’s rivals in this tournament will be Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the United States and Venezuela. The tournament will be round robin in one round, so eight games will be played initially. The top two teams will play for gold medal,while the third and fourth place squads will dispute the bronze medal. Venezuela has historically dominated the competition with 12 titles, followed by Mexico with six and Cuba with three crowns.
Cuba U-12 roster:
Yadier Rodriguez Garcia C
Mario Ernesto Serra Noblet C/OF/P
Angel Miguel Perez Obregon 1B/OF/P (L)
Rafael Armando Tarín Govín 1B/OF/P
Darien Prieto Rodriguez IF/OF/P
Hanley M. Hernandez Aguilera SS/P
Yoenis Puertas García SS/OF/P
Eduardo Mustelier Tito IF
Javier Rolando Roque Vélez IF/OF/P
Send Alejandro Pérez Polo OF/P
Maikol Paterson Fonseca OF/P
Yonder S. Cárdenas Bermúdez OF/1B/P
Hanser David Delis Tareaux OF/P
Arley Marrero Iribar OF/1B/P (L)
José Miguel Estrada Ramírez OF/1B/P
Ronaldo Javier Alvarez Cardenas OF/P
Kendry Enrique Abreu Morell IF/OF/P
Luis Enrique Gurriel Silveira IF/OF/P
Manager: Raúl Rodríguez Palacio
Delegate: Roberto González Bonachea