Madrid Spain.- The young Cuban pitcher Francis Texido arrived in the Dominican Republic in recent days.
The 17-year-old from Holguín was among the best pitchers in the last Under-18 Youth Championship and later joined the Holguín lineup for the recently finished Nacional Under-23.
In the National 15-16 of 2019-2020 he had given 48 strikeouts in 40 innings.
According to baseball specialist Frances RomeroTexido had been a top prospect in Cuban baseball, with a fastball between 91-92 mph and peaks of up to 93.
The left-handed pitcher “projects to be a starting pitcher, with more than 95 miles with a fairly balanced repertoire and with fundamentals for professional baseball,” so “he will seek to sign with a Major League organization in the near future,” Romero assured.
Fuentes: One of the best U-18 prospects left Cuba in recent hours. Francis Texido, 17 years old, between 90-93 miles of fastball and 4 pitches (CV, SL, CH, sinker).
The exodus has no end. Leader in ERA (0.69) of the past National Junior U-18.https://t.co/BTE0owuN4u
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) September 14, 2022
Just a few days ago, the also young pitcher Alain López had arrived in the United States. The 19-year-old man from Matanzas arrived in the northern country through the family claim process.
López had been part of the Crocodiles team during the last National Baseball Series and took the field in the final of the tournament against Granma.
At the beginning of this month, it emerged that baseball player Adriel Labrada had arrived in the United States after making the dangerous migration route from Nicaragua. The man from Santiago captained Las Avispas de Santiago de Cuba in the last National Series.
Although baseball is one of the sports most affected by the current migration crisis, the mass exodus of Cuban athletes occurs in most disciplines.
Recently, the specialist and academic from the University of Costa Rica, Jorge Lobo, considered that this constant emigration is due, in part, to the fact that Cubans have great sports potential, “and they decide that this potential can be developed, that it can be better in other latitudes”.
Lobo also pointed out: “There is not much to turn the issue around, it is social mobility, which is essential in modern life,” and “Cuba has to rethink that policy, which does not give material conditions to its athletes to retain them.”
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