One of the best offensive second basemen in the last 10 years in the National Series is without a doubt Carlos Benítez from Granma. The slugger was key member of the Cuban team that participated in the 2017 World Classic. Today the Cuban Baseball Digest learned via our sources that the player will be immigrating to the United States in the near future.
Benítez received the news yesterday of the approval of his migration papers ( Parole) to travel to the United States with his family and start a new life. Parole is a temporary permit that allows a person who is otherwise inadmissible or ineligible to be admitted to the United States access to the country.
Benítez saw action with the Cuban National Team in plenty of international events. The infielder attended the 2017 Caribbean Series (Granma) and World Baseball Classic ( National Team) to name a few events. Those events being the most important of which he has participated with Cuba.
Carlos Benítez empuja la primera carrera de Cuba. Ahora: CUBA 1-2 PANAMÁ en la final de la Serie del Caribe 2019 EN VIVO por RPC y @MedcomGo #BeisRPC #SerieDelCaribe2019 pic.twitter.com/GDCpTTejB8
— Deportes RPC (@deportes_rpc) February 10, 2019
He was the starting second baseman for Granma for over a decade and played for legendary manager Carlos Martí. He also participated in 2018 in the Caribbean Series in Guadalajara, Mexico and in 2019 Serie del Caribe with the Las Tunas, losing in the tournament final to Los Toros de Herrera from Panama 3-1.
His last participation in a Caribbean classic was this year when he played with Agricultores in Caracas and La Guaira. He was also part of the Antillean squad in the Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla and the Pan American Games in Lima 2019.
In 15 National Series, he hit a solid a .294 with 151 doubles, six triples and 107 home runs to post a solid slugging percentage of .444. Benítez also knocked in a total of 539 runs and scored 491 times. Undoubtedly, Benítez had career full of championships with both the Alazanes de Granma and the National Team.
Last season he won his last Serie Nacional title with Granma beating the Cocodrilos de Matanzas 4-0 in the seventh game of the Cuban League championship claiming his fourth title in the circuit. It is highly doubtful that at 36 years of age he will continue his play career.