Players who have competed for their National Teams in WBSC events -- particularly the Premier12 and U-18 Baseball World Cup -- continue to prove international experience plays a role in shaping the best players in baseball.
Cuban stars Lourdes Gurriel Junior and Luis Robert are the latest to make MLB headlines.
Gurriel was named the American League Player of the Week after going 14 for 30 with two home runs, five runs scored and an impressive .767 slugging percentage.
Robert, who was previously voted the American League Rookie of the Week, currently has the highest average home run exit velocity in the big leagues, at 109.2 mph (175.7 km/h).
Gurriel Junior was born in 1993. His father Lourdes was a legendary slugger for the Cuban National Team. His older brother Yuli is also an MLB player for the Houston Astros, and the brothers suited up for the Cuban National Baseball Team at the 2015 WBSC Premier12 where Lourdes played in six games, four in left field and two at second base, going 4-for-21.
Lourdes Junior made his debut in Cuba's Serie Nacional in 2010. He later played for the Industriales and moved to Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 2015 to play for the Yokohama Bay Stars. He signed a US$ 22 million contract for the Toronto Blue Jays on 12 November 2016. He made his MLB debut in 2018 and has appeared in 189 games since then. He initially played shortstop but during the 2020 season, he has appeared in 38 games in the outfield and played two games as DH.
After appearing in over 150 games for Ciego de Avila in Cuba's Serie Nacional, Luis Robert signed with the Chicago White Sox on 27 May 2017 for a bonus of US$ 26 million. He turned 23 on 3 August. Robert played 200 Minor League Baseball (MiLB) games before making his MLB debut in 2020.
Robert played eight games for Cuba in the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2015. He managed 13 hits, including 2 home runs, over 32 at-bats for a .406 batting average and .875 slugging average. He was voted on to the 2015 WBSC U-18 All-World Team.
