In the five editions of the World Baseball Classic held so far, a total of eight Cubans have been selected to the All-Tournament team in one of those tournaments. The list includes seven players who represented the Cuban national team and a very memorable one, who played for Mexico.
The first Classic, held in 2006, saw the Cuban team finish in an unforgettable second place. This performance was highlighted by the presence of three Cubans on the tournament’s All-Star team. A 21-year-old named Yuli Gurriel was chosen as the best second baseman, batting .273 (9-for-33), with two doubles, two home runs, and six RBIs. The other two Cubans honored on that occasion were unexpected stars.
Yoandy Garlobo from Matanzas,Cuba was the best designated hitter of the tournament from start to finish, hitting for a superb .480 average (12-for-25). Meanwhile, Yadel Martí from Havana became the most outstanding right-handed pitcher, after posting a 1-0 record with two saves, a 0.00 ERA, and 11 strikeouts in 12.2 innings.
For the II Classic, held in 2009, Cuba claimed two of the three possible outfield awards through Frederich Cepeda and Yoenis Céspedes. Cepeda was unstoppable offensively, batting .500 (12-for-24), with two doubles, three home runs, and a .958 slugging percentage. Céspedes, from Granma,Cuba hit .458 (11-for-24), with one double, three triples, two home runs, and a 1.000 slugging percentage.
Neither the 2013 nor the 2017 editions featured any Cubans born on the All-Tournament team, although this doesn’t mean that no Cuban players had outstanding performances, as was the case with Alfredo Despaigne and José Miguel Fernández. Eric Hosmer, who’s mother is Cuban was selected to the All-Tournament team in 2017 after hitting .385 for the competition for the champion USA team.
In the 2023 Classic, Cubans returned to the All-Star teams, with three players, including a first-time selection. Among the third basemen, the chosen player was Yoan Moncada, who hit .435 (10-for-23), with four doubles, one home run, five RBIs, a .519 on-base percentage, and a .739 slugging percentage.
In the outfield, the standout player was Randy Arozarena, making his international debut with the Mexican team. The outfielder from Pinar del Río,Cuba hit .450 (9-for-20), with six doubles, one home run, nine RBIs, and a 1.507 OPS. Finally, Luis Miguel Romero was awarded Best Relief Pitcher. The pitcher from Guantánamo finished with a 2-0 record in five appearances, with a 2.08 ERA in 8.2 innings pitched, 13 strikeouts, only one walk issued, and a 0.92 WHIP.