United States players and Cuba players stand on the baselines during the playing of the United States national anthem prior to the game at loanDepot park on March 19, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jasen Vinlove/Miami Marlins/Getty Images)
By Matthew Tallarini
World Baseball Network
The Federacion Cubana de Beisbol announced on Monday the roster for the Alazanes de Granma for the 2023 Baseball Champions League in Merida, Mexico, and the pre-selection roster for the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
The pre-selection roster for the 2023 Pan American Games will be reassessed following the Fifth Caribbean Cup, in which Cuba will participate during early October.
The Alazanes de Granma roster for the Baseball Champions League and the pre-selection roster for the 2023 Pan American Games are listed below.
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The 2023 Baseball Champions League will be held in Merida, Mexico at Parque Kukulcán Alamo from September 28 to October 1, and the 5th Caribbean Cup will be held at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico from October 1-8. Both events will be hosted by the World Baseball Softball Confederation.
Cuba will be represented by the 2022 Serie Nacional champion Alazanes de Granma. The 2022 league champions from the Liga Profesional de Beisbol de Colombia, the Caimanes de Barranquilla; the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, host organization the Leones de Yucatán; and from the American Association, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, will also participate in the inaugural Baseball Champions League event.
Carlos Marti will be the manager for Alazanes de Granma during the 2023 Baseball Champions League.
The FCB will be able to bring minor league players of Cuban-American descent to play at the Pan American Games in Chile, where the national team will be managed by Armando Johnson.
The Pan American Games baseball tournament will be held from October 21 to October 27 at the Baseball and Softball Center in Cerrillos, Chile.
The Pan American Games will have a total of eight nations in the baseball event, including No. 3 Mexico, No. 6 Venezuela, No. 10 Dominican Republic, No. 11 Panama, No. 16 Colombia, No. 24 Brazil, and host nation Chile, which is not ranked in the World Baseball Rankings. Chile has not been ranked in two consecutive World Baseball Ranking cycles, including the rankings released on December 31, 2022 and March 28, 2023, after the World Baseball Classic. The Pan American Games baseball tournament will be held from October 18 to October 28 at the Baseball and Softball Center in Cerrillos, Chile.
World No. 8 Cuba will look to win their 13th gold medal at the Pan American Games. Cuba won 10 consecutive gold medals at the Pan American Games over four decades, from 1971 to 2007.
The last time Cuba medaled at the Pan American Games was in 2015, when they beat Puerto Rico in the bronze medal game.
The FCB will likely reassess the possibility of having Cuban-Americans play for their national team prior to discussions of the Friendship Series event against USA Baseball during the next few months.
Note: The players that are listed below were not on the 2023 roster for Alazanes de Granma during this past Serie Nacional season.
The rosters were evaluated by the FCB due to several events overlapping, including the pre-selection roster of the Pan American Games, the Fifth Caribbean Cup, and the U23 WBSC World Cup in November. The personal interests of some players who will not continue to play in the Elite League, as well as those expressing their own interests on playing in the 2024 Serie Nacional Season were also taken into account.
Some players are listed for both rosters of the Baseball Champions League with Alazanes de Granma and the 2023 preselection roster for the Pan American Games.
Players listed on both rosters below are listed with their current Serie Nacional teams.
2023 Alazanes de Granma – Baseball Champions League Roster
Catchers (Team)
Yunior Ibarra (Gallos de Sancti Spiritus)
Yosvani Alarcón (Leñadores de Las Tunas)
Infielders (Team)
Guillermo Avilés (Alazanes de Granma)
Yordanis Samón (Toros de Camaguey)
Aníbal Medina (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
Yulian Milán (Alazanes de Granma)
Andrés de la Cruz (Indios de Guantánamo)
Osvaldo Abreu (Alazanes de Granma)
Rodolexis Moreno (Gallos de Sancti Spiritus)
Yordanys Alarcón (Leñadores de Las Tunas)
Outfielders (Team)
Darían Palma (Alazanes de Granma)
Alexquemer Sánchez (Alazanes de Granma)
Raico Santos (Alazanes de Granma)
Héctor Castillo (Leñadores de Las Tunas)
Yoan Moreno (Cazadores de Artemisa)
Pitchers (Team)
Leandro Martinez (Alazanes de Granma)
Carlos Santana (Alazanes de Granma)
Kelbis Rodríguez (Alazanes de Granma)
Raymond Figueredo (Industriales de la Habana)
Yanielquis Duardo (Gallos de Sancti Spiritus)
Alberto Pablo Civil (Leñadores de Las Tunas)
Wilber Reyna (Avispas de Santiago de Cuba)
Juan Xavier Peñalver (Industriales de la Habana)
Erlys Casanova (Vegueros de Pinar del Rio)
Keniel Ferràz (Leñadores de Las Tunas)
Cuba Preselection 2023 Santiago Pan American Games Roster
Catchers (Team)
Yunior Ibarra (Gallos de Sancti Spiritus)
Andrys Pérez (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
Ariel Martínez (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
Andy Cosme (Cazadores de Artemisa)
Ariel Pestano Jr. (Azucareros de Villa Clara)
Leonardo Montero (Azucareros de Villa Clara)
Infielders (Team)
Yasniel González (Huracanes de Mayabeque)
Osday Silva (Avispas de Santiago de Cuba)
Guillermo Avilés (Alazanes de Granma)
Guillermo Garcia (Alazanes de Granma)
Yadil Mujica (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
Raúl González (Tigres de Ciego de Ávila)
Erisbel Arruebarrena (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
Roberto Baldoquín (Leñadores de Las Tunas)
Luis Mateo (Elefantes de Cienfuegos)
Yordan Manduley (Sabuesos de Holguín)
Rodoleisis Moreno (Gallos de Sancti Spiritus)
Dayán Garcia (Toros de Camagüey)
Yurisbel Gracial (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
Pavel Quesada (Elefantes de Cienfuegos)
Outfielders (Team)
Yoelquis Guibert (Avispas de Santiago de Cuba)
Roel Santos (Alazanes de Granma)
Darián Palma (Alazanes de Granma)
Alexquemer Sánchez (Alazanes de Granma)
Alfredo Despaigne (Alazanes de Granma)
Luis González (Toros de Camaguey)
Yadir Drake (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
Yosvani Peñalver (Industriales de la Habana)
Carlos Monier (Avispas de Santiago de Cuba)
Héctor Castillo (Leñadores de Las Tunas)
Pitchers (Team)
Yuniesky Garcia (Cazadores de Artemisa)
Frank A. Álvarez (Vegueros de Pinar del Rio)
Raidel Martínez (Vegueros de Pinar del Rio)
Erlis Casanova (Vegueros de Pinar del Rio)
Yanielquis Duardo (Gallos de Sancti Spiritus)
Juan Peñalver (Industriales de la Habana)
Raymond Figueredo (Industriales de la Habana))
Rafael Perdomo (Industriales de la Habana)
Keniel Ferraz (Leñadores de Las Tunas)
Rodolfo Díaz (Leñadores de Las Tunas)
José Grandales (Gallos de Sancti Spiritus)
Yosiel Serrano (Avispas de Santiago de Cuba)
Onelkis Garcia (Indios de Guantánamo)
Islay Sotolongo (Elefantes de Cienfuegos)
Alberto Pablo Civil (Leñadores de Las Tunas)
Pavel Hernández (Industriales de la Habana)
Luis M. Romero (Indios de Guantánamo)
Yeudis Reyes (Indios de Guantánamo)
Wilber Reyna (Avispas de Santiago de Cuba)
José Rodriguez (Toros de Camagüey)
Miguel Neira (Gallo de Sancti Spiritus)
Carlos Viera (Leñadores de Las Tunas)
Yoennis Yera (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
Naykel Cruz (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
Dorvis Navarro (Piratas de Isla de la Juventud)
Jonathan Carbó (Piratas de Isla de la Juventud)
Franky Quintana (Piratas de Isla de la Juventud)
Yankiel Mauri (Gallos de Sancti Spiritus)
Renner Rivero (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
Geonel Gutiérrez (Cazadores de Artemisa)