Víctor Mesa Jr. stated that he is not interested in playing in the World Baseball Classic with Team Cuba, as he declared in an interview with Fish On First. This adds to the long list of Cubans that have played in the majors to say no to the island.
“Right now I’m not looking to play for many reasons. I feel like I’m in a position where I have to go to Spring Training and fight for a spot. Besides, there are many things behind that team that make me not interested in playing right now”, said the outfielder when asked by the media outlet.
Signed for $1 million in 2018 after leaving Cuba, Mesa has been in the Marlins’ farm system for seven years. In 2024 he was on the verge of being called up after posting impressive numbers in Triple-A (.259/.319/.430, 13 HR, 51 RBI, 98 wRC+), but a lower back injury sidelined him.
This season didn’t start well for the outfielder either: a hamstring strain in spring training took him out of contention for the Opening Day roster. Once recovered, he played six games at Triple-A Jacksonville, posting a .300/.375/.650 slash line with one home run, five RBIs, and a 161 wRC+ before he was called up to the big leagues in May of this year.
In two different stints with the big club he slashed .188/.297/.344/.641 with a homerun, six runs batted in and 11 total bases over 16 games with the fish. The youngest of the Mesa clan enters next spring with a good chance to make the ballclub with a good performance.