Sources have confirmed to the Cuban Baseball Digest the FCB will announce Germán Mesa as their manager for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Before the announcement at 10 AM today it was conveyed to me by a credible source that the ex-national team shortstop was also contacting players to gauge their interest for the upcoming tournament.
Mesa is a favorite of the Cuban hierarchy due to the fact that he is a devout communist. He is also considered by many as the best shortstop in the history of the Serie Nacional won a league crown with the Industriales in 2010 and with the Gigantes de Rivas of the Liga Nicaragüense de Béisbol Profesional in 2024 as manager. The selection of Mesa will not be applauded by the fans and jeered by players as well. Mesa will probably scare away potential players on the fence of participating in the Classic with Cuba and is not beloved by anyone within the country’s baseball system.
When Cuba announces its manager today at 10 AM will not only end months of speculation, but also chart the course of Cuban baseball for time to come. With the country’s baseball hanging in the balance, this could probably be one of the worst decisions in the country’s baseball history. In October 1996, Mesa was banned from Cuban baseball, for allegedly taking money from an American sports agent and attempting to defect. His suspension was lifted in March 1998.
Mesa has openly advocated against professional baseball, in some cases voting against players trying to reincorporate themselves in Cuba’s Serie Nacional after leaving the country to play abroad in other professional leagues. In my opinion this is possibly the worst thing that has happened to Cuban baseball in its history and has set it back a few decades. In a group that includes a baseball powers such as Puerto Rico and Canada, while also housing rising baseball countries such as Panamá and Colombia, making the group the most competitive pool in the tournament, Cuba will be at a disadvantage with this selection.
Depending on who decides to play for Cuba will depend the country’s fate in the tournament and quite possibly the Cuba can go winless and have to qualify for the next tournament which is a possible scenario with the naming of Mesa and the possible rejection of mid-level MLB players to Cuba’s overtures to participate in the World Baseball Classic, stars such as Yordan Álvarez, Adolis García and others have already said no, while rising prospects such as Edgar Quero have also refused to participate with the country in the tournament. A repeat of the 2023 tournament is highly unlikely with the selection of Mesa and Cuban baseball will see dark days ahead.