By Matthew Tallarini
World Baseball Network
The Federacion Cubana de Beisbol has announced their roster for the upcoming 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
The Pan American Games baseball tournament will be held from October 18-28 at the Baseball and Softball Center in Cerrillos, Chile.
Cuba is ranked No. 8 in the World rankings and won the fifth Caribbean Cup and their first gold medal at the tournament on Sunday in Fajardo, Puerto Rico beating No. 29 ranked Curacao 3-1 in the gold medal game along with winning all four games of the event.
Cuba will have the same position players that were listed for the Caribbean Cup play in the 2023 Pan American Games.
Cuba will carry catcher Andrys Pérez, outfielder Roel Santos, infielders Yadil Mujica, Luis Vicente, Erisbel Arruebarruena, Dayán García and Yurisbel Gracial along with pitchers José Rodríguez, Carlos Viera, Yoennis Yera and Naikel Cruz, all of whom were on the 2023 Caribbean Cup roster.
Pitchers Frank Abel Alvarez, Raymond Figueredo and Erly Casanova have been added the Pan American Games roster for Cuba. Pitcher Renner Rivero will also return to the Cuban pitching staff after being a late addition to the active roster for the 2023 Caribbean Cup.
Infielder Raul Gonzalez was not with Cuba during the 2023 Caribbean Cup, but will play at the 2023 Pan American Games.
Cuba will bring the same coaching staff from the Caribbean Cup to the 2023 Pan American Games.
The Cuban roster will be built with players that are under contract with the FCB that are playing in Serie Nacional this past 2023 season, the second season of operation of the 2023-24 Elite League that under contract from the FCB and players that are playing in professional leagues including the Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana and Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico who are under contract to the FCB.
Pitchers Franklyn Quintana and Yeudis Reyes and outfielder Osday Silva, all of whom left during or after the Caribbean Cup, will be on the FCB exempt list entering the 2024 international baseball calendar year.
The Pan American Games will have a total of eight nations in the baseball event, including No. 3 Mexico, No. 6 Venezuela, No. 8 Cuba, No. 9 Dominican Republic, No. 11 Panama, No. 15 Colombia, No. 24 Brazil, and host nation Chile, which is not ranked in the World Baseball Rankings.
Group A will have Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Panama, and host nation Chile. Group B will have Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, and Brazil.
Following the group stage will be the Super Round, which will be played October 25-27. The bronze medal game and gold medal game of the 2023 Pan American Games will be played on October 28.
Venezuela has the highest World Baseball Ranking in Group B after winning the bronze medal at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games.
Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Cuba all qualified for the 2023 Pan American Games by their performance at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games this past summer in San Salvador, El Salvador.
Panama qualified for the Pan American Qualifiers in June in Buenos Aires, Argentina, when they beat host nation Argentina in the final qualifier game 9-3.
Brazil qualified in July 2022 for the 2023 Pan American Games, beating Argentina 2-0 in the 2022 South American Baseball Championship in Lima, Peru.
Colombia qualified for the 2023 Pan American Games in December 2021 at the Junior Pan American Games in Barranquilla, Colombia, beating the Dominican Republic in the gold medal game 6-3.
The last Pan American Games was held in 2019 in Lima, Peru when Puerto Rico beat Canada in the gold medal game 6-1.
The 2023 Pan American Games will be the last senior event of the international baseball calendar year from the WBSC Americas sector prior to the rankings being released on December 31, 2023.
All listed streaming updates of the 2023 Pan American Games will be provided on the WBSC Americas social media pages and website.
2023 Pan American Games Pool Round Schedule
All times are listed Eastern Daylight Time
Friday October 20, 2023
8:30 a.m. EDT – Colombia vs. Cuba
Sunday October 22, 2023
2 p.m. EDT – Cuba vs. Venezuela
Tuesday October 24, 2023
8:30 a.m. EDT – Brazil vs. Cuba
Cuba Roster For the 2023 Pan American Games
Catchers (Serie Nacional Team)
Andy Cosme (Cazadores de Artemisa)
Andrys Pérez (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
Infielders (Serie Nacional Team)
Yasniel González (Huracanes de Mayabeque)
Yadil Mujica (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
Erisbel Arruebarruena (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
Luis Vicente (Elefantes de Cienfuegos)
Dayán García (Cazadores de Artemisa)
Roberto Baldoquín (Leñadores de Las Tunas)
Raúl González (Tigres de Ciego de Ávila)
Outfielders (Serie Nacional Team)
Yurisbel Gracial (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
Roel Santos (Alazanes de Granma)
Yoelkis Guibert (Avispas de Santiago de Cuba)
Luis González (Toros de Camaguey)
Pitchers (Serie Nacional Team)
Geonel Gutiérrez (Cazadores de Artemisa)
Carlos Viera (Leñadores de Las Tunas)
Yoennis Yera (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
José Rodríguez (Ganaderos de Camaguey)
Yanquiel Mauri Gutiérrez (Gallos de Spiritus Sancti)
Renner Rivero (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
Jonathan Carbó (Toronjeros de Isla de la Juventud)
Naykel Cruz (Cocodrilos de Matanzas)
Raymond Figueredo (Industriales de la Habana)
Erly Casanova (Vegueros de Pinar del Rio)
Frank Abel Álvarez (Vegueros de Pinar del Rio)
2023 Cuban National Team Pan American Games Coaching Staff
Manager – Armando Johnson
Bench Coach – German Mesa
Pitching Coach – Pedro Luis Lazo
Assistant Pitching Coach – Andres Garcia
First Base Coach – Armando Ferrer
Third Base Coach – Rafael Munoz