2024-03-02 08:30:13
Text: Editorial Cuba Noticias 360
Photo: With the Bases Full
The exclusion of Cuban outfielder Yoelkis Guibert from the Caribbean Series being played this week in Mazatlán was due to a decision by Mexican baseball authorities and not by the Cuban Baseball Federation.
Some reports spread on social networks claimed that Guibert had been prevented from competing due to a reaction from the Cuban Federation as a result of the confrontation between that national entity and the president of the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CPBC), the Dominican Juan Francisco. Puello Herrera.
A year ago, the Cuban authorities and Puello exchanged accusations for failures in the procedures for Cuban attendance at the 2020 Caribbean Series in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In the end, Cuba could not attend due to visa problems.
Shortly after, Puello Herrera announced that Cuba would not be invited to the 2021 Caribbean Series, in Mazatlán, Mexico. This Wednesday, the president of the Cuban Federation, Higinio Vélez clarified that Guibert’s exclusion was due to decisions by the Tomateros de Culiacán club and the Mexican Pacific League.
According to the Jit site, from Inder, Vélez, explained that a letter signed by the sports director of that circuit, Christian O. Veliz, specifies that the replacement of the Santiago native was due to the fact that “we had national elements to cover that position.”
The communication, according to Vélez, points out that the reinforcement for the Caribbean competition includes “the best available elements of the local tournament”, so “many players from the champion team are not considered to join the roster of 28 active players.”
Although Vélez “considered”, according to Jit, Véliz’s gesture “interested in making available to the Cuban side the elements that supported Guibert’s non-call”, the Mexican decision could be described as controversial taking into account the spectacular work of the Santiago player who last Saturday hit four hits in the historic seventh game of the Tomateros where they were proclaimed champions and secured a place in the Caribbean Series.
Guibert is one of the Cuban players who perform in Mexico through contracts signed by INDER and the local professional league. It is unknown if this exclusion clause from the so-called Little Caribbean World Series was known to the player and Cuban officials.