With the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico and Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional underway and the LIDOM commencing tonight the Winter Leagues are in full swing. With more than 50 Cubans participating in the Caribbean Leagues they look to play a major part in the upcoming season and continue to show how much talent has escaped the island over the last 15 years.
The LVBP is five games into its season and Rangel Ravelo leads the league with a .667 batting average. The Tiburones de La Guaira who are the defending league and Caribbean champions are stocked with plenty of high-profile Cuban players such as Miguel Romero, Leonys Martín, Yasiel Puig, Yurisbel Gracial and possibly Yoan Moncada in the future. The Tigres de Aragua will count on four Antilleans such as Yunesky Maya, Carlos Juan Viera, Yoanner Negrín and Lázaro Blanco to help out their pitching corps. Blanco was already stellar on Opening Day.
One week into the Liga ARCO has seen Yasmany Tomás and Roel Santos make the weekly all-league squad while Yadir Drake (.400) and Diosbel Arias (.455) are also off to stellar starts. Ronald Bolaños has already has a spectacular start on the second night of the season and expect Odrisamer Despaigne to become a dominant in spite of a lackluster start on Opening Day. Although the league does not have the same amount of Cubans as the other leagues, they make up the quantity with quality.
With the LIDOM opening its season tonight, Elían Leyva will take the mound for el Escogido against cross-city rival Tigres del Licey. Leyva has been the winningest pitcher in the Liga ARCO since 2018 with 29 wins. Henry Urrutia, the 2022 league batting champion looks forward to another stellar season. The Águilas Cibaeñas will count on Vladimir Gutierrez, JC Escarra, Yadiel Hernández, Yoan López and Andy Rodríguez to add star power to their squad. Expect Pedro León and Dairon Blanco to give the Estrellas two toolsy outfielders in their lineup. With 16 Cubans playing in the Dominican circuit, expect Cubans to make plenty of noise on the island.
In the Puerto Rican Winter League which commences early next month, expect José Abreu to be the league’s biggest attraction with the Senadores de San Juan. The 2020 MLB MVP is looking to exhibit his talents in hope of an invitation to Spring Training with a major league ballclub. Félix Pérez and his 97 winter league homers returns to Puerto Rico, this time with the Cangrejeros de Santurce. Rockies prospect Yanquiel Fernández returns to Ponce and is worth keeping track of during the campaign.
In the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Nicaragüense ex-big leaguer Rusney Castillo will try to extend his winter league career with Rivas . This summer the outfielder was impressive with the lumber in limited at-bats with the Conspiradores de Querétaro of the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol. Lázaro Alonso will also add another big bat defending champion Rivas’ lineup. Maikel Serrano and 2022 league MVP Alay Lago add star power to El Tren del Norte’s batting order.
With plenty of Cuban star power in the Caribbean Winter Leagues expect an exciting season heading all the way up to the Serie del Caribe which will take place in Mexicali in February.
Cubans in the Winter Leagues:
LIDOM:
Henry Urrutia IF-DH (Gigantes)
Andy Rodríguez RHP (Águilas)
Vladimir Gutierrez RHP (Águilas)
Yadiel Hernández OF (Águilas)
Yoán López RHP (Águilas)
JC Escarra C-IF (Águilas)*
Dairon Blanco OF (Estrellas)
Pedro León OF (Estrellas)
Julio Pablo Martínez OF (Estrellas)
Luis Avilés IF (Estrellas)
Jorge Martínez RHP (Estrellas)
José Barrero IF-OF (Estrellas)
Jimmy Yacabonis RHP (Toros)*
Raúl Valdés LHP (Toros)
Elían Leyva RHP (Escogido)
Ariel Miranda LHP (Escogido)
Liga ARCO:
Yasmany Tomás IF (Los Mochis)
Ronald Bolaños RHP (Los Mochis)
Félix Stevens OF (Los Mochis)
Roel Santos OF (Los Mochis)
Victor Labrada OF (Guasave)
Yadir Drake IF-Of (Guasave)
Diosbel Arias IF (Culiacán)
Odrisamer Despaigne RHP (Ciudad Obregón)
LBPRC:
Greg Veliz RHP (Carolina)*
Adeiny Hechavarría IF (Carolina)
Rafael Sánchez RHP (Santurce)
Lázaro Estrada RHP (Santurce)
Bryan Chi RHP (Santurce)
Félix Pérez DH-OF (Santurce)
Yanquiel Fernandez OF (Ponce)
Yoanys Quiala RHP (Ponce)
Aledmys Díaz IF (San Juan)
José Abreu 1B (San Juan)
Josimar Cousin RHP (Mayagüez)
LVBP:
Leonys Martín OF (La Guaira)
Miguel Romero RHP (La Guaira)
Erlys Casanova RHP (La Guaira)
Yurisbel Gracial 3B-OF (La Guaira)
Yasiel Puig OF (La Guaira)
Pedro Echemendia RHP (La Guaira)
Yunesky Maya RHP (Aragua)
Yoanner Negrín RHP (Aragua)
Lázaro Blanco RHP (Aragua)
Carlos Juan Viera RHP (Aragua)
Onelki García LHP (Magallanes)
Yoel Yanqui 1B (Magallanes)
Peter O’Brien OF (Magallanes)*
José Ramón Rodríguez RHP (Anzoátegui)
Richard Guasch RHP (Anzoátegui)
Julio Robaina LHP (Caracas)
LBPN:
Yuniesky García RHP (Rivas)
Lázaro Alonso 1B (Rivas)
Rusney Castillo OF (Rivas)
Yosmany Guerra IF (Rivas)
Alay Lago IF (Tren del Norte)
Maikel Serrano OF (Tren del Norte)
Yordan Nodal LHP (Chinandega)
Xian Vega IF (Chinandega)
Pablo Salgado LHP (Chinandega)
Adrián Moreno IF (León)
Luis Medina IF (Bòer)
*Cuban-American