Pitchers Raidel Martínez and Marlon Vega were chosen this Monday as the best Cuban baseball players of the year 2022, as announced by the National Baseball Commission.
Vega, from the province of Mayabeque, led the senior men’s category for his performance in the 61st edition of the National Baseball Seriesl, in which he was selected as the Most Valuable Player (MVP), according to a note published in the sports portal Hit.
They choose the best of #CubanBaseball in 2022
Raidel Martínez and Marlon Vega lead the list that includes exponents of all categories. #Cuba #BaseBall #Baseball https://t.co/WpXE9PLy7f pic.twitter.com/xxd5r2uzGO— JIT Cuban Sport (@jit_digital) December 20, 2022
In that tournament he managed 12 victories, the same number of games saved, and in addition to a Walks Plus Hits per Inning (WHIP) of 1.18 signed an earned run average of 2.75, according to official statistics.
Also among Majors, but in the section on players hired abroad under the protection of the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB), the highest distinction went to Martínez from Pinar del Río, who works in the Japan Professional League (NPB).
The reliever had an excellent campaign in 2022 with the Chunichi Dragons that earned him to be valued as the best Latino player in the demanding Japanese league, according to Hit.
In his fifth season with the Dragons, Raidel stamped statistics notable. For the third consecutive year, he improved his record for saves, now with 39, as well as his strikeout record, which he brought to 59. In addition, he had 56 appearances totaling 55.2 innings, in which he barely allowed six earned runs for an impressive average of 0.97 ERA.
The highest baseball authorities in Cuba also announced the winners in the different categories, including the youngest (9-10 years old and Little League), prizes awarded to Emzon Cabrera from Havana and William Álvarez from Villa Clara, respectively.
Alejandro Cruz from Sancti Spiritus and Mailon Batista from Granma won the distinction in the Under-15 category, while among the Sub-18s, also from Sancti Spiritus stood out Miguel Neira.
In the Under-23 category, the award went to Cristian Rodríguez from Villa Clara, while Dayana Batista from Granma shone in the women’s section. Briandy Molina Elías from Havana and Shakira Aspiazú from Guantanamo deserved recognition in the nascent Baseball 5 modality.
For this selection, only the results in the year of the players linked to the FCB were taken into account, for which reason several players with independent contracts in different foreign leagues were left out, including the one from Las Tunas. Yordan Alvarezthe only Cuban who has been part of the first All-Star Team in the prestigious Major League Baseball (MLB).
