CUBA'S NATIONAL BASEBALL SERIES MVPS 2017
Here are our selections for the best players of Cuba’s 57th National Baseball Series. Though these players are not as famous as our Major Leaguers, and don’t have million-dollar contracts, they are some of the best players in the world. Yulieski Gurriel and Yasiel Puig are proof of the quality ballplayers that are playing in Cuba. Our selections and their home teams;
Rookie of the Year; Yolbert Sanchez (Havana)
Best Pitcher; Yoalkis Cruz (Las Tunas)
Best Reliever; Frank L. Medina (Pinar del Rio)
Best Closer; Dachel Duquesne (Matanzas)
Best Player Offense; Jorge Yhonson (Las Tunas) & Frederich Cepeda (Pinar del Rio)
Best Player Defense; William Saavedra (Pinar del Rio)
Best Manager; Carlos Marti (Granma)
Pinar del Rio led the league for several months during the short season, and was the team to beat until early November, when Las Tunas flipped its offensive switch to “on,” ending the regular season with a .314 team batting average. Our choice for best offensive player was a tie between Jorge Yhonson who had a .411 average going into the finals with 122 hits, and Frederich Cepeda whose patience at the plate got him walked 109 times. Cepeda beat the Cuban National Series record for most walks in a single season, which had been held by Juan Manrique. On offense a special mention goes out to Eduardo Blanco of Matanzas, who stole twenty-one bases during the regular season and playoffs, and came very close to batting .500 in the playoffs. Granma is attempting to repeat its’ championship, and skipper Carlos Marti deserves a great deal of the credit. He has been heavily criticized all season, by fans and the press, and has managed to get his team into the final series after being second to last for most of the second phase of the season. His excellent picks during the two roster supplementation rounds have helped his team immensely. Marti has been involved in Cuba’s National Series for over forty years, and has managed this team as if every game were its last. As of today, Granma leads the finals 3 games to 2, with the series scheduled to return to Las Tunas this weekend. We will choose a championship series MVP once the series between Las Tunas and Granma is decided.
By Frank Gonzalez & KMOA
www.cubatraveltrips.com BEST CUBA BASEBALL TOURS!
June 12, 2018