The former Industriales and Cuban national team player Kendrys Morales arrived as an import, became a Dominican citizen and was selected first overall by the Gigantes del Cibao in 2006. Raúl Valdés later added another unique Cuban chapter to the draft’s history.
Wednesday’s 2026 LIDOM Rookie Draft, in which outfielder Hayden Álvarez was selected first overall by the Tigres del Licey, offers an opportunity to revisit one of the most unusual stories in the draft’s history. Twenty years ago, a player born and developed in Cuba—who had also represented the Cuban national team—became the No. 1 pick in the Dominican draft.
Morales emerged at a young age with Industriales in Cuba’s National Series and was a member of the Cuban national team before leaving the island and beginning the journey that eventually took him to Major League Baseball.
The Cuban slugger initially joined LIDOM as an import player for the Estrellas Orientales before obtaining Dominican citizenship. His new status required him to enter the Rookie Draft, and in September 2006, the Gigantes del Cibao selected him first overall from a pool of 88 available players.
He made an immediate impact. During the 2006–07 season, Morales became one of the Gigantes’ leading offensive players and led the league with 11 home runs.
His Dominican baseball journey nearly took him to the Caribbean Series. After playing for the Gigantes in 2007–08, Morales was selected by the Tigres del Licey as a reinforcement for the 2008 tournament in Santiago. However, he was ultimately unable to participate because of his mother’s illness. Licey went on to win that edition of the tournament.
Morales later enjoyed an outstanding 13-season Major League career, hitting 213 home runs and driving in 740 runs. He was also a member of the Kansas City Royals team that won the 2015 World Series.
Raúl Valdés: Another Cuban Story
Kendrys was not the only Cuban with such a story. The well-known Raúl Valdés also arrived in Dominican baseball as an import and entered the draft after acquiring Dominican citizenship. In 2008, he was selected by the Leones del Escogido.
While Morales earned the distinction of becoming the first overall pick, Valdés built an extraordinary legacy over the years in Dominican baseball—especially in the Caribbean Series.
The left-hander appeared in nine editions of the Caribbean classic, representing several Dominican teams and winning the championship multiple times. His longevity eventually placed him among the tournament’s greatest pitchers. He threw 85 innings—the most ever recorded in Caribbean Series history—and accumulated 61 strikeouts.
Kendrys and “Raulito” therefore represent two remarkable chapters in the history of Cuban participation in the Dominican draft. Both developed as players in Cuba, initially arrived in LIDOM as imports and were required to enter the draft after becoming Dominican citizens. Morales made history as the first overall selection in 2006, while Valdés went on to leave an extraordinary legacy in both LIDOM and the Caribbean Series.