The second edition of the Baseball Champions League Americas is set to take place from April 8-13 at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú in México City. The champions of the 2024 Serie Nacional, Leñadores de Las Tunas, became the first team to announce their roster for the tournament.
The most notable position players are Roel Santos and Yoelkis Guibert. Santos played in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol in 2024 and in the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico this past winter for Los Mochis, where he had a .679 OPS. He also played in the 2024 WBSC Premier12 for Cuba and posted a .791 OPS.
Guibert played played for Guasave this past winter in the LAMP and posted a .732 OPS. He played for Santiago de Cuba in the Cuban National Series and posted a .985 OPS. In the Serie de Las Americas, Guibert posted an .859 OPS, and much like Roel Santos, he has been a staple of the Cuban national team at virtually every recent tournament, including the World Baseball Classic.
Another key hitter will be infielder Roberto Baldoquín. The former minor leaguer was the best all around hitter in the Serie Nacional in 2024, with an OPS of 1.351, leading the loop by over 200 points. He struck out just eight times in 132 plate appearances.
On the mound, among the leaders should be Frank Medina. The righty pitched in Italy in 2024 and Venezuela this past winter. He had a 2.30 ERA and 156 strikeouts in 129 innings for Poviglio in Italy’s Serie A.
Yoennis Yera is another name to watch on the mound. He pitched for Cuba in the Premier12 and posted a 1.80 ERA across two starts and should be their No. 1 starter for this tournament.
Andy Vargas, who can either relieve or start for this team, is one of the better pitchers in Cuba. He posted a 2.86 ERA in 2024 in the Serie Nacional. At the Serie de Las Americas, he was one of only two pitchers to not allow a run, led his team in innings with 7 1/3, and led the team in strikeouts with 10. He will likely end up being the most reliable reliever in high leverage situations for Las Tunas in the tournament.
Las Tunas opens up the tournament on April 9 against the Santa Maria Pirates, the champions of the Curaçao Professional Baseball League in 2024. They play the Kane County Cougars, the champions of the American Association, on April 10.
