{"id":12089,"date":"2017-03-09T09:45:14","date_gmt":"2017-03-09T14:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=12089"},"modified":"2017-03-09T09:45:14","modified_gmt":"2017-03-09T14:45:14","slug":"what-would-a-cuban-wbc-team-look-like-if-everyone-could-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=12089","title":{"rendered":"What would a Cuban WBC team look like if everyone could play?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cespedes<\/a>

Cespedes is my all-Cuba cleanup hitter. Photo via Business Insider<\/p><\/div>\n

I saw a little throw-away post at USAtoday.com before the start of the 2016 baseball season: there were no less than 23 Cuban-born players<\/a> on MLB rosters on 2016 opening day. \u00a0And even more defected<\/a> or were signed<\/a> in the 2016 calendar year.<\/p>\n

How awesome is that? \u00a0I think its great that we have a huge contingent of Cubans playing in the league again and I wish that a generation hadn’t been lost due to politics. \u00a0A good percentage of the teams\u00a0in the majors now have at least one Cuban on their 40-man roster somewhere, and many have multiple IFA Cuban signees scattered in their lower minors. \u00a0Not the Nats though; we got kinda burned by\u00a0Yunesky Maya<\/strong> and then blew our IFA budget last year on some D.R. players; perhaps they’ll go after some of the rising talent next July 2 window.<\/p>\n

I’ve long hoped for a unification of the Cuban National team to compete in the WBC; I think they’d take so much pride in their team it would really add to the event. \u00a0However it looks as if the Cuban government will continue to hold a grudge and prevent any defectors<\/a> from representing their country in the 2017 WBC. \u00a0The WBC rosters were announced recently<\/a>, and we’ll see some of these names in the analysis below for reasons that will become apparent soon.<\/p>\n

So, since we won’t get a full-strength Cuban WBC team, I thought I’d take a stab at what could have been. \u00a0\u00a0I did a similar post in March of 2013<\/a> but with all the recent defections the roster looks much improved.<\/p>\n

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Manager<\/span><\/strong>: Fredi Gonzalez<\/strong> of the Atlanta Braves. \u00a0The only Cuban-born hall of Famer Tony Perez<\/strong> can be the bench coach. \u00a0They\u00a0can bring out the likes of\u00a0Tony Oliva\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Camilo Pascual<\/strong> to be his assistants; they’re the most decorated Cuban ex-pros still living.<\/p>\n

Pitching Coaches: Livan Hernandez<\/strong> and Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez<\/strong>: the brothers re-unite to teach the staff how to throw junk balls and make starts despite being hooked on Marlboro Reds.<\/p>\n

Hitting Coaches: \u00a0Jose Canseco, Rafael Palmeiro. \u00a0<\/strong>These two can double as “Strength coaches.” \u00a0\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Positional Players<\/span><\/strong>:<\/p>\n