After five days of the FEPCUBE practices, their skipper Brayan Peña is feeling very good about the way his team is rounding into shape for the Intercontinental Series later this month in Barranquilla, Colombia. With plenty of veterans, prospects and free agents looking for jobs with professional teams, Peña has his work cut out in forming a cohesive squad with the tournament right around the corner.
When I asked him about practice a few days ago about if the team is getting in baseball shape he had this to say about it, ” We are feeling pretty good about ourselves. Obviously I see a lot of talent out there and it is moving around very well. We played guys at different positions and they displayed their talents. I think we definitely had our best day of practice, our guys are getting in game shape and continuing to improve their game.”
The @fepcube manager @cuban2727 spoke to us about how the team is getting into baseball shape and what players have stood out in camp.#CubanBaseballDigest #FEPCUBE pic.twitter.com/XfMRiUGRSV
— Cuban Baseball Digest (@CBaseballDigest) January 12, 2024
There is definitely a lot of young talent out there and it is expected that some of them shine in the upcoming tournament. When I asked about who has stood out in camp he quipped this, “Edgar Quero and Andy Martín have impressed the coaching staff. They are doing a pretty good job. There will a lot more talent incorporating themselves in camp this upcoming week. I think out future is very bright.”
Knowing the brilliant baseball mind that Peña is and the talent running around on the field at Miami-Dade College’s North Campus field I see the Cuban skipper putting together a tournament winning team. Below is my prediction of what a possible FEPCUBE team could look like:
Lineup:
1. Leonys Martín CF
2. Alay Lago 2B
3. Henry Urrutia 1B
4. Peter O’Brien RF*
5. Rangel Ravelo DH
6. Luis Avilés Jr 3B
7. Alex De Goti SS
8. Edgar Quero C
9. Laz Rivera LF
Rotation:
1. Odrisamer Despaigne RHP
2. Ariel Miranda LHP
3. Jorge Martínez RHP
4. Yoanner Negrín RHP
5. Pedro Echemendia RHP
Bench:
Andy Martín OF
Harol Vazquez C
Alejandro Rivero INF
Yunel Escobar INF
Josuán Hernández Util
Bullpen:
Yordan Nodal LHP
Yusniel Padrón RHP
Yunesky Maya RHP
William Gastón RHP
Jesús Balaguer RHP
*Cuban-American