Havana, Aug 14 (EFE).- Cuba summoned 61 baseball players this Monday to integrate the future team that will participate in the Pan American Games that will be held in Santiago de Chile from October 20 to November 5 of this year, where it will seek to recover the title he lost in Rio de Janeiro 2007.
The Cuban Baseball Federation reported that the preselection includes 20 members of the national team (fourth place in the 2023 World Classic, which Japan won) plus a dozen who currently play in foreign leagues.
As part of their preparation, 35 players will begin training on September 4 and a few days later they will hold two games against the team from the eastern province of Granma, which will attend the first edition of the Baseball Champions League (America).
The island preselection, led by coach Armando Johnson, includes six receivers, including Ariel Martínez, Andrys Pérez, Ariel Pestano and Leonardo Montero.
Another 15 players are in the group of aspiring infielders, which includes Erisbel Arruebarrena, Yadil Mujica and Roberto Baldoquín, with experience in Major League clubs, and Osday Silva, who stood out in the last national series.
For the outfield, 10 players headed by Yoelquis Guibert are proposed and among the 30 pre-selected pitchers are Raidel Martínez, Onelkis García, Luis Miguel Romero, Carlos Juan Viera, Frank Abel Álvarez and Keniel Ferraz.
The Federation advanced the forecasts for the second edition of the Cuban Baseball Elite League, a tournament with the best players of the local championship, which will take place from November 7 to December 25 with sub-series of four games in the qualifying phase, until completing the 40 matches for each set. EFE
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