The list of players who were once part of the MLB/MiLB system and then decided to see action in the Cuban National Series is steadily growing. For the upcoming 64th edition of the Serie Nacional, there are 13 such players on the rosters released to date by the 16 competing teams.
You may be wondering if this number constitutes a record for a competition; the initial answer is no. In the last 63rd National Series, 15 players with a history in Major League organizations appeared on the field at least once. However, the difference is minimal, and possible additions to the list during the course of the championship are not ruled out. Among the 13 players announced for the 64th Series, three stand out, having played in some of the best baseball in the world.
The most luring name is Pinar del Río native Alexei Ramírez, who will be in his second season with the team after a successful career in Major League Baseball. A power hitter is always welcome on any roster. Therefore, the Industriales will try to make the most of every at-bat from Yasmany Tomás, in his third season after returning, whose playing time will likely be reduced due to his participation in the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol in mid-October.
The third player with major league experience is Erisbel Arruebarrena, the pioneer of these such returns.This time, he’ll be doing so with some nostalgia, as after five seasons with the Crocodilos de Matanzas, he returns to his original Elefantes de Cienfuegos. Arruebarrena has become a fixture in the Serie Nacional.
Among the seven rosters with at least one player who has played in the MLB/MiLB system, the highest number is Santiago de Cuba, with four. They are Yordis Perera, Marcos Belén Pileta, Yoel Yanqui, and Yosiel Serrano. Of these, only Yanqui had a notable performance in the minors over four seasons in the affiliates of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds. Particularly notable is the presence of Marcos Belén, a player who signed with the Cleveland Guardians this same year, saw action in the Rookie Class, unexpectedly abandoned of his contract, and will be returning to play in the National Series.
The other provinces with more than one representative in this unusual club are Pinar del Río (in addition to Alexei, Lázaro Lester Benítez appears), Cienfuegos (along with Arruebarrena we find pitcher Yordan Nodal), and Las Tunas. In this last case, the Roberto Baldoquín is joined by Henry Quintero, a Camagüeyan who had been rumored in the past to return to his province without materializing and who also played three years in the minor leagues with the Atlanta Braves (2017-2019).
In Villa Clara, we find Cristian Moré, active between 2019 and 2023 with the Chicago Cubs’ reserves. To complete the list, Guantánamo has an important addition in the form of Juan Carlos Negret, a hitter with plenty of power who is now active in independent leagues after six years on the farms with Atlanta and Kansas City. Compared to previous seasons, the absence of some flashy players is notable, such as Alfredo Rodríguez from the capital and Yadil Mujica from Matanzas.
Regarding Rodríguez, sources linked to the Industriales’ social media coverage have suggested in recent hours that the player has confirmed his presence with the Leones in the Series. He did not appear on the original roster released, which is why he was excluded from our article. Despite this, it’s worth remembering that teams can undergo changes in their composition until the start of the series, so Alfredo could perfectly be added to the roster and become the 14th player this year to have played in the MLB/MiLB system in the 64th National League.
It’s worth noting that three players who had nearly finalized deals with Major League teams will also be playing in the upcoming tournament. These are pitchers Brander Guevara (Chicago Cubs), Reimi García (St. Louis Cardinals), and Leodán Reyes (Washington Nationals). All of them had their dreams dashed after failing the physicals prior to signing their contracts. They will now wear the colors of Artemisa, Industriales, and Pinar del Río, respectively.
To close, we share the list of the 23 players who have signed with MLB teams and then played in Cuban national tournaments, either the National Series or the Elite League: Erisbel Arruebarrena, Yoilán Cerce, Roberto Hernández, Leslie Anderson, Yadil Mujica, Jorge Hernández, Yadir Drake, Jonathan Cruz, Roberto Baldoquín, Yasmany Tomás, Ruby Silva, Yosiel Serrano, Rusney Castillo, Dariel Álvarez, Alexei Ramírez, Alfredo Rodríguez, Yorlis Rodríguez, Yusdel Tuero, Lázaro Lester Benítez, Yoel Yanqui, Raudel Lazo, Yadier Álvarez, and Bramdon Pérez. Other players, such as Yuniesky Betancourt and Alexander Guerra, have returned but their performances have been limited to provincial competitions.