Catcher Ariel Pestano Jr. left Cuba in June after requesting his release from Cuban Baseball Federation. Pestano Jr. boarded a flight to Managua, Nicaragua, so he made the journey through various countries in Central America to reach the United States, the same journey that thousands of Cubans have made over the last few years.
After leaving the country, he settled in Mexico for a while and this Monday, October 7, he arrived on American soil. He was invited to the Cañeros de Los Mochis training camp earlier this month. At 26 years of age, he still has the opportunity at least sign with a major league ballclub. The son of one of the best catchers of all time in Cuba, has played 6 Series Nacionales between 2017 and 2024. In the last campaign with Villa Clara he hit .276 with 8 doubles, seven homers, 37 RBIs and an OPS of .829.
He is another of the sons of renowned players who comes out of Cuba. The list that began systematically around 2010 is growing every day. Victor Victor Mesa,Victor Mesa Jr., Miguel Antonio Vargas, Norge Carlos Vera, Yuli Gurriel, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Patrick Meriño are some of the children of ex-stars in Cuba who have managed at one time or another to sign with MLB organizations.
He is a switch hitter with excellent defensive skills, with a good swing on both sides of the batter’s box, but with some problems in making contact that can be improved. If you have effective representation, you may be able to enter a circuit or make tryouts against MLB organizations. However, the opportunities in Independent League baseball and other circuits are no longer what they used to be. Spaces are scarce throughout the system and the compensation in these leagues indicates that a player will not be in them for many years.