The Cuban Baseball Digest

Brayan Peña has managed to assemble the team of coaches he wanted to lead the Cuban team in the next Intercontinental Baseball Series, scheduled from January 25 to February 1, 2024 in Barranquilla, Colombia. The manager of the Cuban national team, who also holds the position of catchers coach for the Detroit Tigers, presented a group of coaches with experience at the Major League level.

“I want to express my gratitude to Orlando Hernández, our general manager, for his confidence in me,” declared Peña. “We have an outstanding group of coaches in whom we put our faith and trust, and we are committed to working hard together to play the best role possible.” Peña announced that Euclides Rojas will be the bench coach, Bárbaro Garbey will occupy third base, Jorge Luis Toca will be at first base, while Michael Tejera and José Ariel Contreras will supervise the pitchers. Nachi Castro and Yuniesky Gurriel will work with the hitters.
“As you can see, we have highly respected figures, such as José Ariel Contreras, who represents a lot for our baseball, and others like Gurriel, who has provided help to numerous players,” Peña added. “We fully trust all of them. I will learn a lot at your side; “They are exceptional individuals who will bring the best to our team.” Hernández and Peña, in their roles as general manager and manager, will assume the responsibility of forming the team and developing the strategy to compete with the other participating countries.

Although some Major League stars will not be able to join the team due to prior commitments, Peña already has the support of several players, such as Aroldis Chapman, who will participate in training and support the teams that travel to Barranquilla.

“This means a lot, since our cause goes beyond what we represent on the baseball field,” Peña stressed. “It shows that not only brothers like Chapman, but also Aledmys Díaz, Yordan Álvarez, Randy Arozarena, Cionel Pérez, José Abreu, Leonys Martín, Alexei Ramírez, Yunel Escobar and many others, are giving us their full support. For me, it fills me with pride to represent our people, the free Cubans, and bring them hope.”

Next we prrsent the Coaching Staff:

Brayan Peña: With 12 seasons of experience as an active player in the MLB, Brayan Peña was the choice of General Manager, Orlando “El Duque” Hernández to lead the Patria y Vida team. Peña has also served as a director in the Detroit Tigers Minor Leagues since 2018, being promoted as the Organization’s Minor League catchers coordinator.

Euclides Rojas: Manager Brayan Peña opted for Euclides Rojas from Havana as his Bench Coach. Rojas, a veteran of 13 National Series in Cuba is considered the best closer in the island’s history. He has had experience as a coach in several Major League organizations such as the Marlins, the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburg Pirates. Precisely with the Pittsburg, Rojas spent six seasons as field and instruction coordinator for Latin America. Euclides was the Bullpen Coach of the Red Sox between 2003 and 2004. He later held the same position with the Pirates. In 2021 he was hired by the Detroit Tigers to serve as director of player development for Latin America.
Bárbaro Garbey: World Champion with the 1984 Detroit Tigers, Garbey was Peña’s choice to serve as Third Base coach. Bárbaro has experience as a coach in the Minor Leagues. He spent two seasons as a hitting coach for the Cardinals and then another two years in various coaching positions with the St. Louis team. In 2018 and 2019 Garbey was a minor league hitting coach for the Atlanta Braves.

Jorge Luis Toca: The Villa Clara native and former Major League Baseball player with the New York Mets will be the First Base Coach of the FEPCUBE team. Toca has coached a lot of Cuban players who have reached the Major Leagues such as Jorge Soler, Dayan Viciedo, Henry Urrutia, Félix Pérez and the Gurriel brothers.

Michael Tejera: One of the Pitching Coaches of the Patria y Vida was a part of the 2003 World Series champion Florida Marlins. With 5 years of experience in MLB, he was a keen hire by manager Brayan Peña. Michael currently works as a Pitching Coach in the Washington Nationals Minor League system.
José Ariel Contreras: In addition to Tejera, the legendary pitcher will also be in charge of the pitching, functions that are nothing new for one of the heroes of the 2005 World Series with the Chicago White Sox, the right-hander from Las Martinas, former Yankees, Phillies, among others. He served in that position in the Brazilian team in the 2019 Pre-Pan American Tournament. The member of the Atlanta 1996 summer event does not need much introduction, hierarchy and wisdom are plenty when it comes to the art of pitching.

José Castro (Hitting Coach): The offense will be in the hands of an experienced coach, a baseball man who has been in MLB dugouts for more than two decades, in addition to having a experience as a player for several seasons in the minor leagues, “Nachi”, was an assistant to Jorge Soler’s hitting coach with the Atlanta Braves when they reached the 2021 World Series. The 65-year-old from the Havana has served as a hitting instructor at different levels for the Montreal Expos, Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners. Recently, he was part of Pedro Grifol’s staff in Chicago.
Yuniesky Gurriel: The eldest of the talented Gurriel Brothers will play a crucial role as one of the hitting coaches for the FEPCUBE team. With a solid career in the National Series and independent baseball in the United States, Yuniesky has forged his own hitting academy in the city of Miami. His academy has attracted outstanding players, including his own brothers, Yuli and Lourdes Jr., as well as notable figures such as Mauricio Dubón, Dairon Blanco, Santiago Espinal, Yasiel Puig, Henry Urrutia, Jorge Oña, Yusniel Díaz and other promising prospects, such as Lázaro Armenteros, Bryan Ramos, Yendry Rojas and Yiddi Cappé. The presence of Yuniesky Gurriel as a hitting instructor will undoubtedly contribute his vast experience and knowledge to the FEPCUBE team, possibly elevating the performance of its players to new levels of excellence.