Cuban Players Defectors

[Agente Libre]

This is unofficial, but from what I've heard, the Cubans on the Restricted List entered the U.S. on work visas and then allowed those work visas to expire before they filed for residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act. Technically, that left them as illegal aliens, which is making it harder for them to obtain residency/work permits. (I believe this is true for Abreu and Canizares and maybe one or two others. I'm not aware of Escobar having paperwork problems.)

[J.P]

Thanks Agente, it looks like Escobar doesnt have a green card:

"Because he doesn't have a green card, Escobar was unable to travel with Triple-A Richmond to play in Ottawa this weekend. Thus he was sent to Chattanooga to spend the next few days with Double-A Mississippi. But shortly after arriving, he learned that he was coming to the big leagues."

Good thing the Expos moved to DC

[Agente Libre]

Thanks Agente, it looks like Escobar doesnt have a green card:

"Because he doesn't have a green card, Escobar was unable to travel with Triple-A Richmond to play in Ottawa this weekend. Thus he was sent to Chattanooga to spend the next few days with Double-A Mississippi. But shortly after arriving, he learned that he was coming to the big leagues."

Good thing the Expos moved to DC

This is actually not a visa problem so much as a standard requirement of the Cuban Adjustment Act, which requires Cubans to remain in the U.S. for 366 consecutive days in order to earn permanent residency.

(Actually, on second thought, it's sort of a visa problem: Escobar was eligible for a U.S. passport as of October 2005 -- one year after he arrived in the U.S. -- so someone has dropped the ball with his situation. It sounds like his papers are running over a year late.)

[J.P]

Agente, has it surprised you that we are in round 25 of the draft, and nobody has taken a chance on Yusdel Tuero, i mean, the guy posted pretty good numbers last year, in a league, far more competitive than HS or college....

[Cubano100%]

In my opinion, there is to much uncertainty for these Cuban players that just arrive a week or two before the Draft. Nobody knows anything about them. Teams do not know their real age, stats though you can get them, background, etc. Probably, scouts have not had a real good chance to see and evaluate them. In addition, the Draft is for kids (high school and college players).

One day the scouts are going to be able to drive along Ocho Vias (8 lanes highway accross Cuba) to watch how the Camaguey Nationals beat the Industriales Metropolitans combined.

Hopefully, it will be soon.

[Agente Libre]

I am somewhat surprised about Tuero, but since he arrived so late and apparently had no pre-draft workouts, it also wouldn't be a big surprise if he went undrafted. The draft goes 50 rounds, so there's still plenty of time for a team to take a flyer on him.

[Agente Libre]

I didn't even know he was draft-eligible, but former Industriales catcher Roberto Sabates was drafted by the Cubs with the 1,166th overall pick in the draft. (Sabates left Cuba in late 2005 or early 2006 and had been living in Mexico the last I knew.)

Still about 8-10 rounds left in the draft ...

[Cubano100%]

J.P.

Is this guy cuban american?

http://hurricanesports.cstv.com/spor..._walter00.html


He was drafted by the Indians in the 48th round.


How about Yoandy Barroso in round 46th, Andres Diaz in round 43th, Michael Martinez in round 43, Alexander Rodriguez in round 37, Enrique Garcia in round 34?

[Cubano100%]

I do not see Yusdel Tuero, Michel Rodriguez and Leovel Cardoso anywhere. Therefore, they were not drafted.


What is next for them?

Free agency and play for the Indy leagues?

[Agente Libre]

Tuero should get picked up by an MLB team unless he's hurt. The other two are fringe prospects at best. Rodriguez is 28 years old, and Cardoso didn't exactly blow away hitters in Cuba, although being a lefty might get him a chance.

[J.P]

I didn't even know he was draft-eligible, but former Industriales catcher Roberto Sabates was drafted by the Cubs with the 1,166th overall pick in the draft. (Sabates left Cuba in late 2005 or early 2006 and had been living in Mexico the last I knew.)

Still about 8-10 rounds left in the draft ...

I've never heard about this guy before, can you expand a little on him(age, career in Cuba, etc)?

Thanks.

[J.P]

J.P.

Is this guy cuban american?

http://hurricanesports.cstv.com/spor..._walter00.html


He was drafted by the Indians in the 48th round.


How about Yoandy Barroso in round 46th, Andres Diaz in round 43th, Michael Martinez in round 43, Alexander Rodriguez in round 37, Enrique Garcia in round 34?

No idea

[Agente Libre]

I don't have much on Sabates. He was listed on Industriales' roster for the 43rd and 44th (?) National Series but didn't play much. He got to Mexico in late '05 or early '06 and tried to sign there (along with a pitcher), then played in Nicaragua.

I'm guessing he ended up in the U.S. because his efforts to sign a free agent contract failed. Hopefully the Cubs will give him a chance, but he'll probably only receive a $1,000 bonus at the 1,166th pick.

[Cubano100%]

Are the Braves shopping Yunel Escobar?

"Over the next couple of weeks, you're going to hear both Saltalamacchia and Yunel Escobar linked to a number of different trade rumors. They are two of the brightest young stars in the game, and because there isn't currently an availability for either of them to play their natural position at the Major League level, there's definite reason to at least speculate the Braves are shopping them."



Is Barbaro Canizares an option at 1B for the Braves?


"Barbaro Canizares, a 27-year-old Cuban who is currently sidelined while attempting to work out some employment visa issues, could prove to be a capable right-handed hitting option at first base. But first he must acquire his green card. "



http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/a...=.jsp&c_id=atl

[Cubano100%]

Michel Hernandez is playing in AAA for Tampa.

[Calix10]

I've never heard about this guy before, can you expand a little on him(age, career in Cuba, etc)?

Thanks.

I know this guy from here Mérida Yucatán México. He was living on Andres Ayon's House with Dunyeski (mmm i cant remenber his last name). The Other Guy Was a pitcher. Roberto play in a little town call Motul and on the capital Mérida.

He wasnt really that good enough (from my point of view).

In several times a lot of scouts of ML teams came to watch those guys but never sign with one of them.

See Ya But i hope this information was enough 4 you.
Ps. Sorry about my very bad english.

[Agente Libre]

I know this guy from here Mérida Yucatán México. He was living on Andres Ayon's House with Dunyeski (mmm i cant remenber his last name). The Other Guy Was a pitcher. Roberto play in a little town call Motul and on the capital Mérida.

He wasnt really that good enough (from my point of view).

In several times a lot of scouts of ML teams came to watch those guys but never sign with one of them.

See Ya But i hope this information was enough 4 you.
Ps. Sorry about my very bad english.

Thanks for the information. I remember hearing about Sabates working with Andy Ayon last year but then I forgot about him until I saw his name in the draft. (There was a story about Mike Brito from the Dodgers looking at Sabates and the pitcher.)

[Cubano100%]

Who is Andres Ayon?

This name sound familiar to me.

[Agente Libre]

Probably one of the better pitchers of the 1960s and early 1970s to never appear in an MLB game.

Google his name and a bunch of good articles will come up. (He left Cuba a long time ago.)

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Andres_Ayon

[J.P]

I know this guy from here Mérida Yucatán México. He was living on Andres Ayon's House with Dunyeski (mmm i cant remenber his last name). The Other Guy Was a pitcher. Roberto play in a little town call Motul and on the capital Mérida.

He wasnt really that good enough (from my point of view).

In several times a lot of scouts of ML teams came to watch those guys but never sign with one of them.

See Ya But i hope this information was enough 4 you.
Ps. Sorry about my very bad english.

Hey, thanks for the info, Duniesky was actually signed by the Braves after his stay in the Nicaraguan Winter League, but was actually released out of Spring Training.

[J.P]

Thanks for the information. I remember hearing about Sabates working with Andy Ayon last year but then I forgot about him until I saw his name in the draft. (There was a story about Mike Brito from the Dodgers looking at Sabates and the pitcher.)

I found the Brito story, the say that Sabates' physique is a carbon copy of Javy Lopez.

[J.P]

After only 8 professional starts, Serguey Linares is in the World Team for the Futures game:

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/m...ld_07&sid=milb

If they wanted to pick a Cuban for PR purposes, then they should had gone with Eduardo Morlan, he deserves it way more than Linares. Here are Morlan's stats(look at the W to SO ratio):
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/m...pbp&pid=461851

Or even Johan Limonta, Francisley Bueno, or Juan Miranda, have better numbers than Linares:
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/m...pbp&pid=501910

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/m...pbp&pid=506673

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/m...pbp&pid=499107

[CameronCrazies]

why would they choose Linares over Morlan and Limonta? They are both in A ball but they have both been very good, but I would have given the vote to Morlan. He has been dominant.

Bueno has been solid and I heard he has a lot going on outside of baseball, in the US and in Cuba, that has been a distraction to him this year.

[Agente Libre]

It's not just the best guys; every MLB team needs to be represented plus the pitcher/position player factor comes into play. Some teams, like the Braves, have a lot more candidates for the Futures Game than a team like the Pirates.

As for Bueno's issues in the U.S. and Cuba, what are you referring to? Some sort of family problems?

[Agente Libre]

By the way, looks like Yunel Escobar is coming back to reality. After a hot start he's now hitting .275 with 1 home run, 0 stolen bases and he's on pace to commit almost 50 errors.