Darlin Jiménez and Gustavo Urgellés join the long list of Cuban players who have left the island in search of a professional contract with a Major League Baseball team in the United States (MLB). The exit of the young promises took place “by air”, confirmed a sports source to 14ymedio.
So far the route is unknown, however, “generally they get a tourist visa,” explained the source, and with it they travel to the Dominican Republic and from there “they cross them to Haiti”, where they process “a residence” and this for them. Allows you to meet the requirements to be eligible for MLB teams.
This was the escape route for prospect Cristian de Jesús López last October. The determination of the habanero shook the troop of manager Eriel Sánchez who at that time was preparing for the preselection of the First Junior Pan American Games to be held in Colombia this November.
The case of Darlin Jiménez is representative. The young man was dismissed from the Granma sports authorities after his refusal to join the national preselection that will participate in Calí (Colombia), according to what he announced. Cuban Ball. Jiménez was excluded from the island team that participated in October in the U23 World Cup that took place in Mexico. The decision was made hours before the trip.
In the last National Series, Jiménez was part of the Alazanes de Granma ninth and left an offensive line of .329 / .390 / .471, 6 doubles, 2 triples and 5 RBIs, shared in his social networks the journalist Francys Romero.
“Generally they get a tourist visa,” explained a sports source, and with it they travel to the Dominican Republic and from there “they cross them to Haiti”, where they process “a residence”
Gustavo Urgellés was highlighted by the reporter Yordano Carmona from Cuban Ball, which “was one of the best promises left in Cuba.” The tall catcher was part of the current Industriales preselection. “The man from the capital was part of one of the best Cuban U-15 teams in recent years in the 2015 World Cup,” he recalled.
The massive flight of Cuban players this year began in late May when the team that participated in the Baseball Pre-Olympic in Florida recorded three casualties: second baseman Cesar Prieto, the pitchers Lazaro Blanco and Andy Rodriguez, in addition to Jorge Sile Figueroa, whole psychologist.
In September, during the U-23 World Championship, the Cuban government suffered the greatest bleeding in the history of sport with the escape of 12 players. With these defections There are only 13 athletes left in the delegation of the Island that participated in the event.
The authorities insisted on holding the United States responsible for the players’ abandonment. The National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (Inder) accused the blocking of the agreement between the Cuban Baseball Federation and the MLB of stimulating “the trafficking of athletes in defense of political interests.” In addition, he considered it a “cruel disadvantage that prevents the natural flow to the circuits of that organization.”
But the truth is that not only baseball has registered leaks. The run of escapades by Cuban athletes in recent months, including judokas Ayumi Leyva and Nahomys Acosta and the basketball player Raudelis War, who left the island’s delegation during stopovers in Madrid, Spain, has damaged the image of Inder.
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