Yassel Pino delivered by far the best performance among the 10 Cuban players who participated in the 2026 season of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), whose regular season recently concluded. The circuit is considered by experts to be the premier independent baseball league in the United States.
The former Cincinnati Reds minor leaguer (2019, 2021–2024) posted a .259 batting average, posting 92 hits in 355 at-bats across 97 games. He scored 67 runs and drove in 61.
Yassel Pino Surpassed 20 Home Runs in the Atlantic League.
Pino swatted 36 extra-base hits, including 13 doubles, one triple and 22 home runs. He was successful on 64.3% of his stolen-base attempts, going 9-for-14, while producing solid marks in on-base percentage (.357), slugging percentage (.487) and OPS (.844).
Pino finished tied for 14th among the ALPB’s home-run leaders and ranked 35th in RBI, placing third on his team in both categories. His performance proved that his strong 2025 campaign in the Frontier League was no fluke, establishing him as a productive player in independent baseball.
Andy Martín was the only other Cuban position player to appear in the Atlantic League. The younger brother of Leonys Martín lasted just 14 games in June with the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars, posting a modest .150 batting average.
Cuba’s largest representation in the ALPB this season came on the pitching side, but none of the Cuban hurlers managed to distinguish themselves. Unfortunately, most finished with extremely poor numbers. This was despite the fact that several had previously represented Cuba in the World Baseball Classic or had experience in the MLB system, including two who reached the Major Leagues: Onelki García and Ronald Bolaños.
Cuban Players in the 2026 Atlantic League Season:
Yassel Pino — Charleston Dirty Birds
G: 97
AVG: .259 (92-for-355)
R: 67
2B: 13
3B: 1
HR: 22
RBI: 61
SB-CS: 9-5
BB-SO: 49-87
OBP: .357
SLG: .487
OPS: .844
Andy Martín — Hagerstown Flying Boxcars
G: 14
AVG: .150 (6-for-40)
R: 12
2B: 1
HR: 1
RBI: 6
BB-SO: 7-14
OPS: .564
Rafael Sánchez — Hagerstown Flying Boxcars
G: 7
GS: 3
W-L: 1-1
ERA: 6.26
IP: 23
SO-BB: 31-12
WHIP: 1.74
Onelki García — Staten Island FerryHawks
G: 4
GS: 4
W-L: 0-2
ERA: 5.32
IP: 22
SO-BB: 14-11
WHIP: 1.77
Juan Miguel Fernández — Staten Island FerryHawks
G: 21
GS: 15
W-L: 2-10
ERA: 10.28
IP: 72.2
SO-BB: 69-56
WHIP: 2.15
Franny Cobos — Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
G: 10
GS: 1
W-L: 1-1
ERA: 16.39
IP: 9.1
SO-BB: 6-5
WHIP: 2.46
Pedro Santos — Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
G: 11
GS: 0
W-L: 0-0
ERA: 13.50
IP: 9.1
SO-BB: 15-12
WHIP: 2.79
Josimar Cousin — Charleston Dirty Birds
G: 11
GS: 11
W-L: 2-5
ERA: 5.27
IP: 54.2
SO-BB: 51-24
WHIP: 1.61
Eccel Correa — Charleston Dirty Birds
G: 2
GS: 0
W-L: 0-0
ERA: 6.00
IP: 3
SO-BB: 3-0
WHIP: 1.33
Ronald Bolaños — Charleston Dirty Birds
G: 2
GS: 1
W-L: 0-1
SV: 1
ERA: 12.60
IP: 5
SO-BB: 1-3
WHIP: 2.20