WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2017 alums Liberatore, Prieto named MiLB Players of the Week

WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2017 alums Liberatore, Prieto named MiLB Players of the Week
26/04/2022
The U-18 Baseball World Cup, along with its continental qualifiers, have consistently featured players who have gone on to become some of the biggest names in the sport.

Minor League Baseball (MiLB) announced its Players of the Week. The list features a couple of prominent international baseball alumni: left-handed pitcher Matthew Liberatore and middle infielder Cesar Prieto.

Liberatore, 22, is currently in the starting rotation of the Memphis Redbirds, the Triple-A affiliates of the St Louis Cardinals. Prieto, also 22, is playing for the Aberdeen Ironbirds, the Class-A advanced team of the Baltimore Orioles.

Both players starred at the 2017 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Thunder Bay, Canada.

Liberatore helped the United States win the 2017 U-18 world title. He started the final against Korea, pitching six scoreless innings and earning the win. He had another six-inning shut out start against Mexico in the opening round.

In 2021, Liberatore started two games for the US National Team (versus Nicaragua and Venezuela) at the WBSC Americas Olympic Qualifier. He pitched 9.2 innings with a 1.86 earned run average, earning one win.

Prieto was sensational for sixth-place Cuba at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2017. He started all the games at second base, going 18-for-31, .581 average, worth the tournament's batting title. He was voted to the WBSC U-18 All-World Team.

He started two games at second base for Cuba at the WBSC Premier12 2019.

The U-18 Baseball World Cup, along with its continental qualifiers, have consistently featured players who have gone on to become some of the biggest names in the sport. The next WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup is set to take place from 9-18 September 2022 in Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida.