Cuba announced a preliminary 37-player roster for the WBSC Premier12 on Tuesday, 1 October, during a press conference at the Adolfo Luque Hall of the Latino Americano stadium in the Capital city Havana. Cuba will need to cut the roster down to 28 players by Today, 3 October.
Veteran slugger Alfredo Despaigne looks once again like the marquee player on the roster. He starred for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks during the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) season. Pitcher Livan Moinelo, infielder Yurisbel Gracial and outfielder Oscar Luis Colas also played for Fukuoka in Japan. Closer Raidel Martinez was on the roster of the Chunichi Dragons, another NPB team.
Cuba will also count on Fréderich Cépeda, an Olympic gold medalist and still one of the best hitters of Cuba’s Serie Nacional.
This is the full 37-player roster:
PITCHERS (17) Lázaro Blanco, Raidel Martínez, Liván Moinelo, Freddy Asiel Álvarez, Yoanni Yera, Carlos Juan Viera, Yosimar Cousín, Yariel Rodríguez, Vladimir García, Vladimir Baños, Frank Madán, Andy Rodríguez, Ulfrido García, Frank Luis Medina, Yudiel Rodríguez, Yasmani Insua, Miguel Ángel Lastra.
CATCHERS (3) Ariel Martínez, Yunior Ibarra, Yosvani Alarcón.
INFIELDERS (9) William Saavedra, Yordanis Samón, Raúl González, Alexander Ayala, César Prieto, Yurisbel Gracial, Pavel Quesada, Yordan Manduley, Erisbel Arruebarrena.
OUTFIELDERS (8) Alfredo Despaigne, Yoelkis Guibert, Roel Santos, Oscar Luis Colás, Frederich Cepeda, Geisel Cepeda, Yusniel Ibáñez, Jorge Luis Peña.
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