MIAMI, United States. — Outfielder Yordan Álvarez and first baseman José Dariel Abreu, both from the Houston Astros, would have rejected the possibility of playing with Cuba in the fifth edition of the World Baseball Classic, scheduled to be held next March.
Armando Johnson, from Pinar del Río, who will be in charge of the island’s team at the event, declared to the official newspaper Granma that he tried to contact the players personally and that they ignored his calls.
“I personally called them, I insisted on the quality of those players, but they never responded,” explained the award-winning coach about Yordan Álvarez and “Pito” Abreu, who should make up one of the most dangerous batting duos of the upcoming Major League season.
Despite the absence of the sluggers, Johnson noted that several players from the Island who work in big tent organizations “responded quickly to the request.”
Regarding the combination of players who play inside and outside of Cuba, the manager of the national team made it clear that there will be no distinctions or preferences between one and the other when it comes to integrating the team.
“The group is on an equal footing. Those who are best will reach the Classic. What we are interested in is not a team of superstars, but a group that works, that responds as a team in a cohesive way. That is our main mission. In the competition we will go step by step, we are working for a good result, and we are confident that it will be a very united team”, said Johnson.
The call by the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB) for Cuban baseball players who play in the Major Leagues to join the 50-player roster for the World Classic has generated controversy inside and outside the island due to the refusal of the regime to summon the calls “defectors”; that is, players who in the past abandoned official delegations.
This distinction has made Cuban baseball players, both active and retired, speak out on the subject.
the cuban pitcher Raicel Iglesiasof the Atlanta Braves, was one of those who publicly ruled out his presence in the World Classic.
In statements to the specialized portal Full Swing, the 33-year-old right-hander made it clear that the call by the Cuban Baseball Federation to Cuban baseball players who are active or have been active in Major League Baseball organizations has been selective. In this sense, Iglesias refused to represent an organization that has called several of the athletes who left official delegations to fulfill their dream “deserters”.
“I respect all those who said ‘yes’, but I don’t fall for that game. The Federation did not call all the players, they only called the ones they wanted, ”he said.
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