Rafael Marchan  became the second U-12 Baseball World Cup player to reach the Major League Baseball (MLB), making his debut Monday with the Philadelphia Phillies, in a 6-2 loss to the Miami Marlins.

The San Cristobal native hit ninth in the batting order. In the top of the third inning, the switch-hitter stepped to the plate for the first time, and hit a soft line-drive to center field for his first career hit.

Marchan made his international debut in 2011 with the Venezuelan National Team at the inaugural WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup, which was held in Taipei City. Three years later, he starred at the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup in Mazatlan, Mexico, being the top hitter of the bronze-medallists. He hit .541, with three triples and eight RBI as the everyday shortstop.  

Marchan is the second U-12 Baseball World Cup alumni to make his debut in the MLB. Cuban left-handed pitcher Adrian Morejon was the first-ever U-12 Baseball World Cup player to reach the big leagues on 21 July 2019 at Wrigley Field, starting against the Chicago Cubs. He won a silver medal at the U-12 World Cup and also was named MVP of the 2014 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup, claiming a complete-game victory against USA in the Final.