With the Copa América right around the corner Santiago de Cuba’s Raider Sánchez continues to demonstrate his power and is emerging as a key member of Team Cuba for the upcoming tournament. Sánchez is the island top young slugger without a doubt and will be a key piece of the young team taken by the island to the upcoming competition.
With the U-23 National Team he has homered seven times in 51 at-bats, giving him a longball every 7.29 at-bats. While during the U-23 World Cup Qualifiers he went yard three times in 18 at-bats giving him a homer once in every six trips to the plate. Now during the current Serie Nacional he has left the yard once every every 6.67 at-bats.
In his last three tournaments, he has hit 19 home runs in 129 at-bats (6.79 at-bats/HR).Several NPB teams, primarily the Soft Bank Hawks, have shown strong interest in the young Cuban who is only 19 years old. He figures to join Carlos Monier (Chunichi Dragons), another young talent from Santiago in the development league of Nippon League.
With plenty of Cubans players unavailable due their commitments in the winter leagues or being blocked by their current MLB organizations from participating in the tournament expect Cuba to head into the tournament with young talent that currently plays in the land of the rising sun such as LHP Dario Sarduy (SoftBank Hawks), LHP Randy Martínez (Chunichi Dragons, OF Carlos Monier (Chunichi Dragons) and SS Cristián Rodríguez (Chunichi Dragons).