Cuban baseball player defects to Nicaragua; has his eye on the majors

Posted on Sunday, 11.14.10
Cuban baseball player defects to Nicaragua; has his eye on the majors
Yasiel Balaguer, 17, is the latest Cuban baseball player to defect with
hopes of someday playing professionally in the United States.
BY JORGE EBRO
El Nuevo Herald

One of the biggest promising stars of Cuban baseball, Yasiel Balaguer,
is now in Nicaragua planning to become a free agent and make it to the
Major Leagues.

The Cuban baseball player is being represented by Carlos Pérez,
president of Miami Sports, an agency that also manages the careers of
other players from the island.

Balaguer, 17, has played in Cuban teams that, starting with the
children's categories, have taken part in international tournaments. He
was a starter in the latest Cuban team that played in the World Junior
Baseball Championship in Ontario, Canada, in the summer.

``No doubt about it, this kid is a prospect that could make an impact on
the best baseball in the world in a not-too-distant future,'' Pérez
said. ``He has enough talent to make it. The most important thing is his
youth.''

Balaguer, a center fielder, left Cuba a few days ago and is expected to
initiate the process that would open the door for him to be a free
agent, an indispensable step for Cubans who want to play in the Major
Leagues.

According to several reports, Balaguer, a natural leadoff batter and an
explosive baserunner, is an extraordinary defensive player because of
his arm, and displays offensive power, as well. Someone who has seen him
play said he reminds him a little of Victor Mesa, the Cuban baseball star.

``The number of young players who decide to come and try out for the
Majors seems to keep growing by the day,'' Pérez said. ``They realize
that the age factor is of major importance.''

Pérez also represents Marcos Barrios, a pitcher who should have made
that same team that competed in the world tournament but who decided
instead to skip it and come to the United States.

Barrios, also 17, and from Havana, is in the early process of becoming a
free agent and is seeking to establish residence in a third country.

Both Balaguer and Barrios are expected to follow the steps of two other
players who left Cuba in their youth -- Jose Iglesias, 20, and Noel
Argüelles, 19, -- who are already playing professional baseball.

They defected from the junior team during a competition in Canada in
2008 and have signed contracts -- Iglesias for $8.26 million with the
Boston Red Sox and Argüelles for $7 million with the Kansas City Royals.

``All these cases are very similar,'' Pérez said. ``The bottom line is
that when it comes to the Major Leagues, for Cuban baseball players time
is golden.''

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/11/14/1926370/cuban-baseball-player-yasiel-balaguer.html