OnCuba Survey: Who are the 20 best Cuban athletes in 2023?

Cuban sports had an extremely active 2023 and full of contrasts. In the last 12 months, gray episodes alternated with others in which the brilliance of the main stars born on the island shone, whether those who represented the national athletic movement or the emigrants who competed in professional tournaments or wore other countries’ shirts in international competitions.

With such a rich panorama, OnCuba decided to launch the first edition of a survey to select the 20 most outstanding Cuban athletes of the year and the best of each sex, under the maxim of uniting all Cuban athletes in the same list, wherever they are.

To carry out the selection, in which only the competitive criteria and performance of the athletes prevailed, we summoned more than 100 Cuban journalism professionals, residing in different parts of the world. We include reporters from provincial, national, foreign and independent media, as well as freelancers, all specialized in covering sports events.

We are grateful for the collaboration of the 81 colleagues who responded to our call and who, based on their knowledge, have made this selection.

Next year promises to be exciting, as we will have the topmost sports spectacle on the planet: the Olympic Games.

In Paris, which will host the summer competition for the third time in history and for the first time since 1924, athletes born on the island will once again be protagonists. Surely, choosing the best Cubans in the course will be a much more challenging test.

Without further ado, we present the winners of the first edition of the OnCuba survey to select the best Cuban athletes of 2023.

Best female athlete: Melissa Vargas

At the same overwhelming pace of her serves and her spikes, Melissa Vargas swept the race for the OnCuba award for the best Cuban athlete of 2023 in the female category. The volleyball player from Cienfuegos ― nationalized Turkish ― took the honors with a notable advantage over canoeist Yarisleidis Cirilo and runner Omara Durand, the other two women who received votes in this category.

There was no type of suspense in the selection. Of the 81 journalists who participated in the selection, 61 chose Melissa as the best Cuban athlete of the year, while the other votes were divided into 18 for Cirilo and 2 for Omara. And certainly, there are reasons to understand such a categorical victory.

This year, Vargas won the gold medals in the Nations League and the European Championship wearing the colors of Turkey, which with the Cuban in its ranks is a serious contender for the Olympic podium in Paris. In these competitions, Melissa won almost all the individual awards, including MVP in both cases.

At the club level she was also unbeatable, as she won the national titles for China, with Tianjin Bohai Bank, and of Turkey, with Fenerbahce Opet. As if that were not enough, she won the Champions League with the Ottoman club. Without a doubt, this year she reaffirmed herself as the best volleyball player on the planet.

Best male athlete: Luis Alberto Orta

Contrary to what happened with women, the vote for the best Cuban male athlete was much more balanced, to the point that eight men received at least one ballot in that category, although wrestler Luis Alberto Orta and baseball player José Adolis García starred in the great duel.

The head-to-head is not surprising, after all, these two competitive beasts broke the thermometers in 2023 with impressive results in their respective disciplines. In the battle, Orta won. He got 35 votes from the specialists to 27 from Adolis, proof of how much the stellar performance of both in top-level tournaments was valued.

While García won the Major League World Series with impressive numbers in the postseason, Orta added his first world title in Belgrade, where he imposed himself in the 67-kilogram division. The capital’s Olympic champion did not mind moving up a weight category and dominated his rivals with authority, thus securing a direct ticket to Paris 2024.

Orta also won the gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador and at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. In addition, he was selected by the World Wrestling Union as the best exponent of the Greco-Roman style on the planet during the year that has just ended. With so many crowns on his head, expectations increase for the future.

The others who received votes for the best Cuban athletes of 2023 in the male category of our survey were Leinier Domínguez (10), Yordan Álvarez (4), Wilfredo León (2), Robeisy Ramírez (1), Oscar Reyes (1) and Yandy Núñez (1).

Top-20

The best Cuban athletes of 2023

Cuban sports fans had the opportunity to celebrate during 2023 several triumphs of exponents born on the island. World titles, stellar performances in top-level professional tournaments, relevant events in not-so-media specialties, as well as multiple victories in the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador and the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, marked the athletic calendar.

The electric victories of Gabriel Rosillo and Yoenlis Feliciano in world championships, the resurgence of speed with Yunisleidy García as the protagonist, the reign of Adolis García and Aroldis Chapman in the Major Leagues, the story of Santiago Ford’s improvement, the almost perfect season of Yarisleidis Cirilo, or the spectacular ascent of Everest by mountaineer Yandy Núñez (the first Cuban to conquer the highest peak on the planet), are among the events that took our breath away.

Based on so many achievements and so many stars, in OnCuba we presented a list of 50 candidates to select the 20 best Cuban athletes of 2023 and we left the space open so that the journalists surveyed could add other athletes with relevant results in the year.

In total, 63 athletes received at least one vote, 31 achieved the support of almost 25% of the specialists and all those included in the Top-20 needed at least half of the ballots. In general, the selection process was classified as a complicated exercise, because 20 seats are not enough to reward all the Cubans who left their mark in competitive arenas around the world.

1. José Adolis García (77 votes)

   

The outfielder from Ciego de Avila was one of the main hosts of the Major League season of U.S. baseball. With impeccable defense and his powerful hitting, García earned a spot in the All-Star Games and led the Texas Rangers to the World Series ring. He was fully in the fight for the MVP of the season, an award that he did get in the American League Championship Series. Additionally, he set a playoff record of 22 RBIs. As if that were not enough, he became the tenth Cuban to win the Gold Glove. Voter support for Adolis was almost unanimous.

2. Leinier Domínguez (70 votes)

   

The Güines Idol had one of his most dazzling seasons of his brilliant career. Naturalized American for several years, Grandmaster Leinier advanced for the first time to the quarterfinals of a Chess World Cup in the Baku 2023 version. In this instance he fell fighting with the prodigy Fabiano Caruana, who would also relegate him to second place in the very strong national championship of the United States. At the end of the year, Domínguez surprised again with another subtitle in the tenth edition of the Sinquefield Cup, where he was again surpassed by Caruana. Although he could not obtain the last place in the 2024 Candidates Tournament due to FIDE regulations, he was ranked among the 10 best players on the planet to the pride of the Cubans.

3. Gabriel Rosillo (66 votes)

   

The Santiago gladiator gave a surprise at the World Wrestling Championship in Belgrade, Serbia, by rising to the top of the podium in the 97 kilograms. With this reign of the world, Rosillo earned a ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. His spectacular season was completed with the regional titles at the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador and the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.

4. Wilfredo León (66 votes)

   

The prodigy from Santiago de Cuba continued his meteoric career in 2023 with the Italian club Perugia and with Poland, the national team that adopted him since 2019. Commanding the Polish team, León won the Nations League and the European Championship, deserving in the latter the Most Valuable Player and Best Assistant awards. With the stellar Italian club, the 2022-2023 season included crowns in the Italian Cup, the Champions League and the Club World Cup, events in which he also won all kinds of individual awards.

5. Omara Durand (65 votes)

The stellar Paralympic runner continued to expand her legend in 2023. The Guantánamo athlete won her 12th, 13th and 14th crowns in the world para-athletics championships by dominating with her guide Yuniol Kindelán the 400-, 200- and 100-meter events of the T12 category, in the Paris quote. The Cuban flag bearer at the Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile retained her continental titles in the 100- and 200-meter dash. A technical disqualification prevented her from achieving the triplet in 400 meters.

6. Yarisleidis Cirilo (62 votes)

The Guantánamo canoeist won the gold medal at the World Canoeing Championship in Duisburg, Germany, in the C-1 200-meter event. In the world competition, where she also came in sixth in the two-seater canoe, Cirilo guaranteed her presence in the upcoming Olympic Games. At the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, Yarisleidis also climbed to the top of the podium in the C-1 200 meters.

7. Yordan Álvarez (60 votes)

The giant from Las Tunas confirmed himself as an All-Star player midway through the season. Yordan had another masterful year and confirmed himself among the best hitters in the business. Álvarez became the first Cuban hitter with two OPS+ seasons of 170 with at least 450 appearances in each (2022 and 2023). As if that were not enough, he achieved his third consecutive year with more than 30 home runs and 95 RBIs, something that no one in Astros history had achieved in their first five seasons playing.

8. Miguel Ángel López (57 votes)

The assistant emerged this year as the star of the renowned Brazilian Super League by winning it with the Sada Cruzeiro and earning the Most Valuable Player award. With that club he also won the gold medal in the South American Championship, of which he was MVP, in the Brazilian Cup and Super Cup and won the bronze medal in the Club World Cup. With Cuba he won the crown in the Central American and Caribbean Games and added a bronze medal in the NORCECA tournament. In almost all of these events he earned individual awards for his service and attack.

9. Luis Robert Jr. (54 votes)

The outfielder from Ciego de Avila opened the year with a surprising fourth place in the World Baseball Classic as the most media figure of the Cuba team. In the Major Leagues he was the best of the Chicago White Sox, which could not even get close to the postseason. Robert Jr. improved most of his batting statistics, so much so that he won the American League Silver Slugger. Additionally, he was nominated for the Gold Glove.

10. Yandy Díaz (54 votes)

This season, the Tampa Bay Rays player from Villa Clara became the third Cuban to achieve a batting lead in MLB after Tony Oliva (in 1964, 1965 and 1971) and Yuli Gurriel (2021). Yandy led the offensive average in the American League with .330 and broke almost all of his personal records within his seven years at the highest level of organized baseball with 173 hits, 22 home runs, 78 runs batted in and 95 runs scored. With his team he advanced to the wild card series, where they lost to the Texas Rangers, finally champions of the World Series.

11. Lázaro Martínez (48 votes)

This was a breakthrough season for the Guantánamo triple jumper, as he managed to reach the podiums at all regional levels. Martínez was the best Cuban in the World Athletics Championships when he won the silver medal with a jump of 17.41 meters. At the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador 2023, he won the gold medal with 17.51 meters (a record for the games) and closed the year with the crown at the Pan American Games in Santiago 2023 with a jump of 17.19 meters on his 26th birthday. Unfortunately, he was unable to compete in the Diamond League final due to visa problems.

12. Aroldis Chapman (45 votes)

When many doubted his continuity in the Big League, he took advantage of the opportunity that the Kansas City Royals gave him to reevaluate himself as an All-Star Game man and finish the season by putting on his second World Series ring, this time with the Texas Rangers. Chapman recovered the speed of yesteryear and contributed to the final victory of the Texans, although without as much prominence in the postseason.

13. Raidel Martínez (45 votes)

The Pinar del Río native saw his season in Japanese baseball end in mid-September due to a back injury, but he once again posted impressive numbers as the closer for the Chunichi Dragons. The right-hander made 48 starts and in 44 of them he achieved positive records: 32 saves, 9 holds and 3 victories. Raidel only allowed 2 earned runs in 46.2 innings of work, for a stratospheric ERA of 0.39, the best among all qualified relievers on the Japanese circuit. On the other hand, he barely allowed one home run against the 173 batters he faced. In addition, he retired 62 opponents via strikes and walked 4, for a ridiculous rate of 15.5 strikeouts per walk.

14. Robeisy Ramírez (45 votes)

In April of this year, the Cienfuegos boxer won the world featherweight crown of the World Boxing Organization by winning by unanimous vote in 12 rounds against the naturalized British Ghanaian, Isaac Dogboe. Last July 25, He retained his belt by defeating the Japanese Satoshi “Diamond Left” Shimizu in a fight on the main card of Naoya Inoue against Stephen Fulton. Although he lost on December 9 in the defense of his world title against the undefeated Mexican Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza, he remains one of the great talents of Cuban boxing.

15. Leyanis Pérez (44 votes)

The triple jumper from Pinar del Río climbed to the third place on the podium in the World Championship. At the Central American and Caribbean Games she won the silver medals in the long jump and triple jump, in the latter event behind the legendary Yulimar Rojas. At the Pan American Games she took advantage of the Venezuelan’s absence to win the triple-jump crown.

16. Robiel Yankiel Sol (44 votes)

This season, the Paralympic long jump champion won his first gold medal in the world para-athletics championships and in the process set a world record for the T46 category with 7.63 meters. This record lasted as long as it took for the athlete from Santiago to jump 7.74 meters to win the Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile.

17. Randy Arozarena (42 votes)

Arozarena was the Cuban who played the most in MLB during the 2023 season, in which he reaffirmed himself as one of the most electrifying players on the circuit. The first half of his campaign was very solid, with 16 home runs, 28 extra-base hits, 58 RBIs, 56 runs scored and an OPS of .855. After him he declined, but he managed to surpass his totals of home runs (23) and runs scored (95), in addition to achieving his third consecutive season of 20+ home runs and 20+ stolen bases, something that no Cuban had achieved in the history of the Major Leagues.

18. Arlenis Sierra (40 votes)

The Granma cyclist remained the best Latin American woman in the UCI world ranking all year (currently 36th). Renewed for three years with the prestigious Movistar club, the Cuban was included among the best 15 in several stops on the women’s world tour. With Cuba she achieved two gold medals in the Central American and Caribbean Games and a silver in the Pan American Games.

19. Oscar Reyes (39 votes)

The weightlifter from Holguin, a nationalized Italian, won the gold medal at the World Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last September. In the 81-kilogram category, Oscar lifted 163 kilograms in the snatch and 193 in the clean and jerk, for a winning total of 356 kilograms. In April Reyes had also won the European crown in the continental competition that was organized in Yerevan, Armenia.

20. David Morrell (32 votes)

The 168-pound champion of the World Boxing Association from Villa Clara could not get his long-awaited agreement to fight against the Mexican star David Benavidez, but he did successfully display his crown on two occasions. On April 22 he knocked out the Brazilian Yamaguchi Falcao in the first round, and on December 16 he repeated the same formula against the Ghanaian Sena Agbeko, knocked out in the second round.

Who responded to the survey?

To select the best Cuban athletes of the year, wherever they are, it was essential to have the criteria of multiple specialists who, day after day, follow the achievements of the athletes and publish their chronicles on various platforms.

Our initial call included more than 100 Cuban press professionals. We had hoped to encourage around 50 participants, but the reception of this idea was magnificent and we received a total of 81 responses.

Among all the participants we found very diverse criteria, with very different ways of interpreting the sport, something that has enriched these results.

Of the total number of colleagues who responded with their votes, only 6 decided to remain anonymous.

We thank all of them for having dedicated part of their valuable time and knowledge to achieving this selection, strictly based on sports aspects.

This survey wants, above all things, to honor and encourage athletes born in Cuba, without distinguishing where they have decided to develop their careers and their lives.

Journalists who gave their votes:

1. Abel Castro
2. Alejandro Abadía
3. Alejandro Rodríguez
4. Alexis Rúa
5. Aliet Arzola Lima
6. Andy José Rivera
7. Andy Lans
8. Andy Luis Leal
9. Ángel Luis Fernández
10. Angélica Arce
11. Aníbal Oliva
12. Arian Alejandro
13. Arley Puyol
14. Boris Luis Cabrera
15. Brita García
16. Bryan Mut
17. Camilo Pérez
18. Charly Morales
19. Damián Delgado
20. Daniel de Malas
21. Daniel Martínez
22. Dayán García
23. Duanys Hernández
24. Dubler Vázquez
25. Eduardo González
26. Eduardo Grenier
27. Enio Echazabal
28. Ernesto Amaya
29. Evián Guerra
30. Fabio Quintero
31. Félix Anazco
32. Fidel Manzanares
33. Flabio Gutiérrez
34. Francys Romero
35. Gabriel Peña
36. Gian Franco Gil
37. Guillermo Rodríguez
38. Harold Iglesias
39. Henry Morales
40. Javier Arguelles
41. Javier Orizondo
42. Javier Rodríguez
43. Jesús Pérez Vichot
44. Joan Carlos González
45. Joel García
46. John Vila Acosta
47. Jorge Luis Coll
48. Jorge Morejón
49. José A. Rodríguez
50. Kiara González
51. Kitin Rodríguez
52. Leonardo Ruiz
53. Lilian Cid
54. Manuel Alejandro Pérez
55. Manuel Aseff
56. Massiel Pérez
57. Mayli Estevez
58. Michel Contreras
59. Miguel Hernández
60. Nelson de la Rosa
61. Oscar Sánchez
62. Pedro Enrique Rodríguez
63. Raúl del Pino
64. Raúl Rodríguez
65. Reinier González
66. Reinier González Jr.
67. Ricardo López Hevia
68. Roberto Carlos Serrano
69. Robiel Vega
70. Rogmary García
71. Viviana González
72. Wilber Pastrana
73. Yasel Porto
74. Yoan Luis Piedra
75. Yuniet Ávila

Author

OnCuba Staff