Oneri Fleita is a veteran baseball executive with 33 years of extensive experience in the front office and on the field. Today he emphasizes on Amateur , International Scouting and Player Development for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Fleitas has signed such as major leaguers as Jorge Soler,Raúl Valdés and Wilson Contreras. The scout also played minor league ball for the Baltimore Orioles from 1988-1989. After his playing career he gained some managing experience in the minor leagues with the Cubs and Orioles
Fleita has been scouting since 2013 and has done so for various organizations such as the Reds, Rays Tigers and the aforementioned Phillies. The executive was born in Key West, Florida and is of Cuban descent. He also was part of the delegation that traveled to Cuba for the 1999 exhibition game between Team Cuba and the Orioles in Havana’s Latinoamericano Stadium.
El cazatalentos cubanoamericano de los @Phillies Oneri Fleitas nos habla sobre su ascendencia cubana y el talento cubano hoy en día en Grandes Ligas.#pelotacubana #Postseason #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/pRSqpll5af
— Yusseff305 🇨🇺🇺🇲 (@yusseff305) October 18, 2023
Tell us about your experience in baseball as a talent evaluator.
Well, thank God a long time ago I worked with several veterans who taught me how to evaluate players. You know, number one: you have to sign a lot of people with talent, but you also have to be lucky, and thank God I have been a little lucky.
Tell me about your Cuban ancestry.
My dad is from Santiago de Las Vegas, a town near the Havana airport. I was born in Key West but I had a chance many years ago to return to Cuba in 1998-1999 with the Orioles and I saw my family there. Right now everyone lives in the Florida Keys, but at that time my grandparents were alive. It was a great experience for me.
Tell me about that experience with the Orioles.
Well, it was a great experience that I never thought I would see in my life. I met my family for the first time and saw a country that for me is tremendous, great. I hope that one day one can enter without problems. It is a life long dream for me that one day I can finally go to Cuba to scout.
With so many players in the Major Leagues and Minor Leagues, tell me about Cuban talent at both levels today.
Well, specifically international talent today I think is 30% and there is a lot of Latino talent there. But looking at the Cubans, it is very different. These guys don’t play games on the field, they always play to win.
You signed Raúl Valdés and Jorge Soler, tell me how many other Cubans you have signed in your time as an executive?
Well, I have signed a couple of Cubans in my career, but the two that have had the most success are Valdés and Soler. Raul Valdes is a guy who, first of all, is still pitching actively and has a rubber arm. He is a tremendous person, I know he is still pitching in the Dominican Republic and I love him as if he were a son.
I just saw Soler in the Marlins series. I haven’t seen him in a while, since I left the Cubs, but I’ve seen him around Florida with his father. I am very proud of the success they have had. I have also signed Ruby Silva and a catcher named (Yaniel) Cabezas who had big dreams of playing in the majors. But many times this business is not easy, not everyone can reach the Major Leagues. They played with a lot of heart and did everything possible to get there.