During this weekend OnCuba attended Santiago “Changa” Mederos stadium in the Sports City which hosts “Antillana de Acero“ Cup, which brings together important squads that subsequently measured forces in the 53rd National Baseball Series. We first hand met some details of that competition and aspects of the preparation of the teams that are involved in this event, gearing up for the start of the season.
About the squads
The tournament has served for the technical staffs of the teams to close ranks within their payrolls and also for them, since now, to objectively outline strategies and roles their players will assume.
For Dany Valdespino, Artemisa´s coach: “Antillana Cup is a great opportunity to be seized; the National Series is just around the corner and this competition allows us to shape the final preparation we´ve done. The only way to assess the preparation of a team is competing and that’s why this cup helps us a lot, it tells us where and how we are to start the 53rd Series. “
While, Iday Abreu, Cienfuegos´ manager, considers these games have another kind of importance . Abreu has a big challenge this year: rearming the legion of elephants of the South Pearl. After less than five years he managed to achieve to anchor his team in the national elite with a game based on speed combined with hitting power and top-quality pitching, but now his current squad imposes him another preparation dynamics, new conceptions to face the new series to come.
The leading player of the Elephants has gone to the MLB to sign the largest contract in the history of baseball free agents: the Chicago White Sox paid $ 68 million for ¨Pito¨ Abreu. Erisbel Arruebarruena, the star shortstop, is not on the initial list and who was for years his best trump card from the mound, lefty Norberto Gonzalez, has retired. In addition to this we must add the respective absences of catchers Osvaldo Arias, by personal decision since last season, and Adir Ferran due to injury .
A very difficult context, from which Iday Abreu frankly says: “It is nevertheless true, if you compare this team to the one of last year there is a noticeable difference. But that’s why we will not lower the head, on the contrary we have trained harder, more strongly than other years for not to loose the work of years of work. We will take this tournament seriously to structure which will be our central line and go creating awareness of triumph in the group. “
Another team that has undergone changes over the previous year has been Mayabeque. The hurricanes have added players from Havana who had not a secured berth in Industriales, they are the infielders Jorge Luis Barcelán and Joel Mestre and outfielder Duniel Ruiz. However, they will suffer during the season the absence of his greatest slugger: Ernesto Molinet.
In this regard, Rigoberto Madera, Mayabeque´s head coach, exclusively said that “Molinet requested his dismissal to the provincial and national baseball commission because he had personal problems. No doubt it’s a huge hole in the lineup but we are working to try to supplement his absence. “
Meanwhile, one of the major attractions of the Cup has been the new version of industriales. The blues, with the inclusion of Gourriel brothers, have attracted large crowds to all their presentations at Changa Mederos ballpark.
Havana’s fans, who are eager to know the roles the brothers will play, have been able to observe in some way how Lazaro Vargas, Industriales manager, has included in the lineups to Yulieski (as a third baseman and third at bat) and Yunieski (as center field and batting ninth), while Lourdes Jr. has often performed as pinch hitter, which portends that of the three he is the one who presumably won’t be in the starting lineup, despite being in top form when batting.
Another novelty is the absence of outfielder Irait Chirino, star leadoff hitter in recent seasons who has also asked for the dismissal, according to what Arlys Zamora, Provincial Commissioner of Baseball in Havana, announced last week.
Some data to take into account:
The ball that is being used during this cup will not be the official one to be used in the 53rd National Series, situation that logically has sparked disagreements within coaching staffs. This ball, made in China and produced from a plastic-like material, is internationally contraindicated for official use as technical its requirements are not included within the basic rules of use of the sport.On this issue, Jose Elosegui, Industriales pitching coach, said that “using this type of unofficial balls is insane, nobody plays with them worldwide , the arms of pitchers can be damaged. If the season is to start, why can not we use some of those balls ? “
On the other hand, Javier Gálvez, Mayabeque´s pitching coach, states that “these balls do not have the required weight, they are plastic and due to this the grip is much more difficult. It is almost impossible to throw a breaking ball with them . “
In the coming days OnCuba will bring you the final outcome of the 21st Cup and some statements of its protagonists.
- The 21st Edition of the “Antillana de Acero” Cup is attended by the squads of Cienfuegos, Artemisa, Mayabeque, Santiago de Cuba, Isla de la Juventud, Cotorro, Antillana and Industriales.
