Werbung

World Baseball Classic 2017: Can Cuba win without its MLB stars?

From now until the World Baseball Classic begins on March 6, we’ll be helping you get to know each team involved in baseball’s global tournament. Today’s team: Cuba.

On paper, Team Cuba should be loaded. Over the past few years, a number of exceptional Cuban players have come to the United States and dominated Major League Baseball.

Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu won the Rookie of the Year award. New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman and his 105-mph heat are coming off a World Series title. Yoenis Cespedes has blossomed into a superstar with the Mets. The list goes on and on.

[Sign up for Yahoo Fantasy Baseball | 2017 Player Rankings]

There’s one big problem, though. None of those players are eligible to participate for Team Cuba in the World Baseball Classic. The country has a rule that states players who defected from the country cannot participate with the team. That means Team Cuba will be made up of relative unknowns, at least to a U.S. audience.

But that’s not a bad thing. Cuba has a rich history with the game, and is sure to put some talented players on the field. The 2017 club should feature a nice mix of Cuban veterans and young, talented players looking for a chance to shine on a national stage. The next Abreu might be waiting to be discovered.

Cuba looks to overcome thin roster to find WBC success. (AP)
Cuba looks to overcome thin roster to find WBC success. (AP)

Schedule details: Cuba will kick things off in Pool B. The team’s first game will take place against Team Japan on March 7 in Tokyo. Cuba will then play Team China later they day. They’ll finish up Round 1 play against Team Australia on March 9.

‘13 finish: After going a perfect 3-0 in Round 1, Team Cuba ran into trouble with Team Netherlands in Round 2. Netherlands beat Team Cuba 6-2 in preliminaries. After Cuba bounced back with a resounding 14-0 win over Team Chinese Taipei, they lost a rematch with Team Netherlands 4-3. That loss eliminated Team Cuba from the tournament.

Biggest stars: That would probably be Alfredo Despaigne. The 30-year-old starred in the Cuban National Series for 11 years before joining the Chiba Lotte Marines in Nippon Professional Baseball. While Despaigne has seen his numbers drop in his new league, he still hit a solid .280/.361/.480, with 24 home runs, over 570 plate appearances in 2016.

Notable absence: Well, it’s pretty much every single MLB player. You won’t see Abreu, or Chapman or Puig play with Team Cuba. For the audience in the United States, that means the Cuban team will mostly be made up of unknown players. You will, however, notice once familiar name.

Player you should get familiar with: Yoelkis Cespedes. Sounds familiar, right? That’s because Yoelkis is the younger brother of New York Mets star Yoenis Cespedes. While Yoelkis is just 19 years old, he’s already shown off some of the same skills that landed his brother a major-league contract. In the Caribbean Series opener, Yoelkis made a diving play in the outfield, and then fired a rocket to first for a double-play. Comparisons to his brother are inevitable, but Yoelkis can take this tournament to show teams what he can really do on the field.

Do they have a chance to win? It’s tough to say. Team Cuba gets matched up against a tough Team Japan in Round 1, though it should be favored against Team China and Team Australia. Once Round 2 begins, things get more difficult. While Cuba typically produces strong teams, much of the talent has made it over to MLB in recent years. That gives Team Cuba a mix of veterans who aren’t good enough to play in the majors, and young talent who have yet to fully realize their potential. Cuba is a true wild card here.

Can a cast of unknowns lead Team Cuba to victory? (Getty Images/Kevork Djansezian)
Can a cast of unknowns lead Team Cuba to victory? (Getty Images/Kevork Djansezian)

THREE BIG QUESTIONS ABOUT CUBA

Is there a star here? In the past, Team Cuba has featured a number of players who have defected and gone on to star in MLB. The 2013 team featured at least four of those players, including Abreu and Cincinnati Reds closer Raisel Iglesias. This time around, it’s tough to say. A fair amount of talent has defected in recent years, leaving Cuba without a true, young standout. That also means that the team is filled with young talent just looking for their opportunity to show the world what they can do. It’s possible Cespedes shines, but an unknown player could make a name for himself during the tournament.

Another Cespedes, huh? If Yoelkis Cespedes has an ounce of his brother’s swagger, Team Cuba will be a must-watch in the tournament. If he has a fraction of the talent, things could get interesting. Cespedes stands out mostly due to his name, but there’s evidence the attention is deserved. Some have claimed the younger Cespedes is more talented than his brother at the same age. Yoelkis has heard he’s a five-tool player, but isn’t going to let that get to his head. A strong performance on this stage could see him attract the attention of a number of MLB clubs.

How good would this team be with its MLB stars? Look, we get it. We know Cuba has rules about players who defected coming back and competing for them. But we can’t help ourselves here. Cuba has such a rich baseball history that you have to think a number of MLB players would want to represent their country again. If you were able to combine Team Cuba’s current talent with Abreu, the Gourriel brothers, Chapman and Cespedes, among others, that would make a pretty formidable team. We can’t help but think about it.

Also in this series:
Australia
Canada
China
Chinese Taipei
Colombia
Dominican Republic
Israel
Italy
Japan
Korea
Mexico
Netherlands
Puerto Rico
United States
Venezuela

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

– – – – – – –

Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik