MIAMI, United States. — The list of Cuban baseball players who leave the island to fulfill their dream of playing in the Major Leagues continues to grow. The last of them was the prospect from Granma Roberto Peña, who is already in the Dominican Republic to look for a professional firm.
The journalist Francys Romero reported in his bulletin that Peña was considered one of the best hitters in his category in Cuba and that he had already joined the national team in lower categories.
The 16-year-old was part of the Cuba Under-15 team that took part in June last year in the Pre-World Cup in Venezuela. There he compiled a .400 average, the product of six hits in 15 at-bats, with a double, a triple and six RBIs.
Roberto Peña also integrated the national team to the World Cup in the category in Mexico, where the Cubans took second place.
Francys Romero’s report highlights that Peña “has gained in height, muscle mass, and his physique is on the path to that of a tall, corpulent player.”
“Peña has the potential to be a power hitter, both covering first base and in the outfield corners. He has been gaining in athletics in recent times, ”said the journalist.
Proof of his conditions is that before leaving the country, the prospect competed in the National Youth Championship with his province. Despite being a junior, he still managed to hit .234 with four doubles, a triple, a home run and 14 RBIs.
Roberto Peña is the son of the former Granma outfielder of the same name who was a member of the teams in that province during the 2000s.
With the departure of Roberto Peña, there are already 11 players from last year’s Cuba U-15 team who left the country. Also included on that list are Alejandro Prieto, Segian Pérez, Ernest Machado, Dulieski Ferrán, Alex Acosta, Jonathan Valle, Christian de Jesús Zamora, Ronald Terrero, Danel Reyes and Yosniel Menéndez.
