Photo: Yuhki Ohboshi
Erisbel Arruebarrena has been one of the most recurrent players on the last few Cuban teams and this time will be no exception, the Cienfuegos,Cuba native is aiming for another international tournament (Premier 12) and everything indicates that he will once again be the team’s starting shortstop, another recurrent theme.
“Thank God and all the doctors I feel super good, I am 70-80% recovered from the knee injury. I never thought that I would have recovered so fast, but as I say, thanks to the work we have done we’ve gotten here.The knee is pretty good and I hope to be ready for the competition,” said Arruebarruena in an interview conducted by journalist Guillermo Rodríguez before the team’s departure to Korea.
A week before concluding training in Havana he was able to join the team’s pre-tournanent pool, his knee recovery progressed so well that he was selected among the 28 players heading to the Premier 12, something that was initially doubtful. Arruebarrena’s injury occurred in the last Serie Nacional with the Cocodrilos de Matanzas after a collision with left fielder, José Amaury Noroña during a game. He only played 15 games last year in which he hit .348 with four doubles, three home runs and 16 RBIs.
“It’s no secret to anyone, it was a complex operation. I had never had a knee operation, but with the effort and sacrifice of the doctors and all the friends who wanted me to come to the tournament. I had to work very hard and here I am giving my best. Half of the players are the basis of the World Classic, we have plenty experience. The objective is to improve on the result of the last Premier 12,” added the shortstop.
In the last edition of the World Baseball Classic held in 2023, he was one of the best hitters on the Cuban team after batting .364 , hitting a homerun, driving in three three runs during the tournament. “There are many experienced players who have plenty of talent and can play second base. We have good players like Yadil Mujica, Roberto Baldaquín and the team looks very cohesive, which is important. Matanzas is a super province, I have spent my last years playing baseball there, but Cienfuegos is the province that made me who I am and where I was born,” concluded Arruebarrena.