Cuban baseball has apparently suffered another player defection, with the announcement today that twenty-one year-old Oscar Colas Leon has abandoned the island and his team from Santiago. The young outfielder, who also pitches lefty, and reportedly has been clocked at over 94 mph, played the last two years in Japan and is a promising young player. He has been referred to as the Cuban Shohei Ohtani, and will be courted by several MLB teams.
Players on the island are paid less than one-thousand dollars a year, and the incentive to leave Cuban baseball behind after playing in Japan is obvious. Cuba's dilapidated stadiums and training facilities, lack of serious competition, and ridiculous salaries will continue to push players to leave the island.
By Frank Gonzalez
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