The Cuban 2012 Olympic Team

The Cuban National Team has been an international baseball powerhouse for years – what would a 2012 Cuban Olympic baseball team look like?

It would be fair to say that any discussion an Olympic baseball revival would be incomplete without taking a look at what a Cuban baseball team would look like. After all, back when the Olympics really were an Olympic sport, Cuba did pretty well for itself. As in, “gold in three of the last five Olympics” kind of pretty well for itself. Cuban baseball is uniquely suited for international success as its players only play for Cuban teams; that is to say, the country’s talent pool isn’t subject to the MLB restrictions that deplete many countries of their best options. In addition, in Cuba the competition for spots on the national team are always highly contested; baseball is taken very seriously, and even a team made up of players who don’t appear on this roster would still be very competitive.

So yes, we can expect the Cuban Olympic team to be loaded for bear (or whatever it is that they happen to hunt there), but who are these figures who are stepping out of the shadows of the often clouded Cuban baseball operation? Well, the whole having to step “out of the shadows” thing should tell you that there is a lot we don’t know about these players until after the fact. But I’ll do my best to create a roster blending some of the long-time favorites of Cuban baseball with some intriguing up-and-comers who would make for fine MLB players were they to, you know, just show up in the U.S. one day. And before you ask: yes, I did run into my share of awkward “turns out he defected last month”-related issues during the selection process.

At catcher I’m going to run with Yosvani Alarcón, now regarded as the best catcher in Cuba. He’s had to play second fiddle to long-term national mainstay Ariel Pestano, but with Pestano now 38 it’s time to make the change. The 26 year old Alarcón wouldn’t be regarded as much of an American pro prospect were he available as his bat is merely respectable in the offense-heavy context of Cuban baseball, but he’s a solid addition here. I’ll still keep Pestano around as his all-around skills and leadership qualities remain highly regarded.

The Cuban team has access to a star-studded embarrassment of riches in the infield, and yet the burden of my task here is instantly halved by the opportunity to add Jose Abreu and Yulieski Gourriel to my team. The first baseman Abreu is a must-know name, an offensive juggernaut notably described by Grantland’s Jonah Keri as possibly being “the best hitter in the world”. He’s huge, he hits the ball a lot and he hits it far, and were he ever to find himself in major league baseball, he’d likely be among the game’s biggest stars in short order. He’s so good, airlines automatically waive his fee for extra leg room on flights in fear that he will otherwise decide to hit an errant fastball through the cockpit of a passing plane. I’m taking Gourriel at third base – his star has been slightly eclipsed by Abreu over the last several years, but he’s still one of the better players in the world with the potential to be an MLB All Star were he state-side. The middle infield offers a variety of intriguing choices. Arruebarruena is young but is said to be a remarkable talent both in the field and at the plate, so he gets to be the shortstop. Guerrero is also a shortstop and he has the best bat of any Cuban middle infielder, but he’s a little shaky in the field so I’ll put him in as an offensive-minded second baseman. Arruebarruena is especially intriguing as a possible MLB caliber talent, even if he isn’t quite as accomplished as his peers just yet. For the bench, Olivera and Borroto are both very talented players and would be worthy starting selections, but alas there is only so much room.

For the outfield I’m taking Despaigne and not thinking twice; he has game-changing power that’s on par with the best that MLB has to offer. The young Castillo is a little bit of a jack of all trades, playing strong defense in center field and providing the offense with premium speed and solid offense. Heredia isn’t quite as toolsy as Castillo, but he’s another young outfielder worth remembering with a promising bat. For the bench I decided to go with a couple of talented youngsters in Bell and Lunar. Bell has been a little inconsistent from year to year, but he’s got good pop and a solid record in international play. Lunar is more of a projection guy, but hey, this IS Bullpen Banter and we like our prospects around here, so I’m taking him. The esteemed veteran Cepeda rounds out the lineup with another big bat.

Cuba always has some intriguing pitchers, and while you won’t find anybody with the talent of Aroldis Chapman on this squad, there are some high-octane arms to keep in mind. García is currently regarded as the best pitcher on the island, with stuff that would rate as good but not great by MLB standards. Cuban national team mainstay Yulieski González fronts the rotation alongside Garcia, with good pitchability from the left side. Miguel Alfredo González, Álvarez and Hinojosa might not need to be deployed as starting pitchers in a tournament setting, but all are well-rounded enough to keep the team in the game. The bullpen actually has a little more upside than much of the rotation, with hard-throwing youngsters Lahera and Pedroso having the stuff to easily handle premium competition. Odelin, Norberto Gonzalez and Martínez finish up the pen, all of them national team veterans who, while not especially noteworthy on the international stage, nonetheless should play useful roles for the team.

The 2012 Cuban “Olympic” Team

Starters:

C – Yosvani Alarcón
1B – José Dariel Abreu
2B – Alexander Guerrero
SS – Erisbel Arruebarruena
3B – Yulieski Gourriel
LF – Alfredo Despaigne
CF – Rusney Castillo
RF – Guillermo Heredia
DH – Frederich Cepeda

Bench:

Ramón Lunar, OF
Alexi Bell, OF
Ariel Pestano, C
Héctor Olivera, INF
Yorbis Borroto, INF

Rotation:

Vladimir García, RHP
Yulieski González, LH
Miguel Alfredo González, RHP
Freddie Asiel Álvarez, RHP
Dalier Hinojosa, RHP

Bullpen:

Miguel Lahera, RHP
Yadier Pedroso, RHP
Vicyohandri Odelin, RHP
Norberto González, LHP
Jonder Martínez, RHP

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