Mexico City, Mexico-. Ivan Prieto Gonzalezone of the catchers of the Cuban team that participated in the fifth World Baseball Classic, was the only player who left the team before returning to Havana.
The athlete, who has stayed away from social networks and the press, agreed to talk with the Cuban media outlet Pelota Cubana to tell details of his escape and why he did it.
“First of all, my decision was due to a sports issue because I want to improve myself and I want to try myself in a slightly higher-level baseball… I felt like I was stagnating a bit,” he said in an interview with journalist Henry Morales.
Prieto had trained two years ago in the United States but on that occasion he returned to Cuba. If in this tournament he changed his decision, it was him, according to what he said, because he felt that he would no longer grow professionally on the island.
The player said that the first days in Miami were difficult. “I made the decision completely for sports reasons, not for anything else and that’s why I also distanced myself from social networks and all those things to avoid any kind of comments, any kind of insinuations that I didn’t want,” he clarified.
The receiver also denied several versions that were circulating about how his escape had been. One of them claimed that the player had left in a laundry cart. He narrated that he managed to leave the hotel through the parking lot door, where a car was waiting for him. He also added that it was not a simple decision nor did he have it premeditated. The baseball player left his wife and a seven-month-old daughter on the island.
“It’s quite difficult, it’s what makes you doubt until the last minute because whatever the family is, it’s an important part of one’s life, but simply thinking about it too, about their future, about what I can give them while I’m here. . That was how I made the decision,” he added.
Recently Prieto announced that already has a representative to launch his career as a professional. He is officially part of the Leona Sports company, an entity that specializes in Latino baseball players.
A native of the province of Holguín, Iván Prieto was chosen as bullpen catcher by the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB) after the roster that would represent the island in the baseball contest was announced.
He was the only player who officially left the island’s delegation, a fact that happened after Team Asere’s defeat against the United States with a score of 14 runs to two.
The catcher played eight seasons in Cuba with teams from Holguín and Granma. His last presentation was in the so-called Elite League with the Farmers team.
Throughout his career in Cuba, Prieto hit a .287 batting average, with 36 doubles, one triple and 17 home runs. Plus, he drove in 129 runs and scored 118. His offensive line is .376/.390/.766.
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