This morning, Cuban journalist Ernesto Amaya Esquivel announced through his Facebook profile that the right-hander, Leodan Reyes would be returning to Cuban baseball to play with Industriales in the National Series. The talented pitcher from Pinar del Río,Cuba made efforts to join his native province in the Series, but they were not able to incorporate him on their roster due to having the three spots for players returning to the league occupied.
According to Amaya’s report, Reyes should arrive in Cuba on Tuesday and will try to join the Industriales soon. When the current signing period opened on January 15, it was expected that Leodan would sign for $55,000 with the Washington Nationals, but he ultimately did not pass the team’s physical thereby voiding finalize the agreement in principle.
Source: Cuban RHP Leodan Reyes (23) is expected to sign with the Washington Nationals when a new international signing period opens January 15, 2024.
Reyes has a starter profile with 3-4 pitches including a fastball settled at 92-94 mph.
He was a member of the Cuba U-23… pic.twitter.com/RfiUd9yKEh
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) November 12, 2023
According to our sources, something appeared in his elbow during a random MRI. There was a prognosis for possible ligament damage in the future. Reyes pitched with the Cuba U-23 team in the 2022 World Cup in China, a tournament where he pitched 7.2 innings, did not allow runs and struck out 7 opponents. He was also a member of the Cuban National Team that participated in the IV Caribbean Baseball Cup in the Bahamas during 2022.
A few days after that event he decided to leave Cuba for the Dominican Republic where he would try to continue his path as a professional. Unfortunately he was unable achieve it. In the last under-23 national championship in Cuba, he won 4 games, posted an ERA of 1.35 and was the leader tournament’s in strikeouts with 32. Reyes has a fastball that reaches over 90 miles and tops out 96 MPH
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