Six Cubans were selected to participate in the Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League All-Star Game.Yoel Yanqui, Lázaro Alonso, Alay Lago, Yassel Pino, Raico Santos, and Yoelkis Guibert will be part of the foreign-based team managed by Venezuelan Omar Vizquel. Yanqui (1B), Lago (2B), and Guibert (RF) were selected as starters for the foreign-based team.
Santos in his own right has had the best season by a Cuban in the Nicaraguan League with El Tren del Norte. The diminutive outfielder from Granma, Cuba is hitting a robust .400 in the early going. Santos has also homered twice, driven in five and slashes .474/.600/1.074 on the campaign.
Guibert has also been very steady with the lumber for Bóer. The outfielder is hitting a solid .301 on the season and has knocked in 10 runs on the season, leaving him third on the Indios in that statistical category. The slugger figures to be the starting leftfielder for Cuba in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
Pino, who is a teammate with Santos is also a big piece of El Tren del Norte’s lineup. The ex-Reds prospect is second the APBN with 16 runs batted in and is also hitting an above-average .308. The infielder has been a terror to opposing pitching since the season’s inception and sports a solid .477 slugging percentage on the campaign.
Cubans who signed in ABPN this season:
Maikol Pérez OF (Chinandega)
Eddy Díaz IF (Chinandega)
Alay Lago IF (Tren del Norte)
Daniel Figueroa IF (El Tren del Norte)
Raico Santos OF (El Tren del Norte)
Yassel Pino OF (El Tren del Norte)
Yoel Yanqui IF (Bóer)
Yoelkis Guibert OF (Bóer)
Armando Dueñas RHP (Bóer)
Lázaro Alonso IF (Rivas)
Maikel Serrano OF (Rivas)
Henry Urrutia IF (Rivas)