World Baseball Classic: Team Cuba News, Notes, and Analysis
Cuba won Taichung's Pool A in the 2023 WBC, only to get knocked out in the semifinals. This year, they return against a stronger contingent of teams like Puerto Rico and Canada.
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The World Baseball Classic is the ultimate acceleration for Major League Baseball fans. After spending months idling, twiddling, and tweeting, we’ve got postseason-level baseball almost immediately after spring training begins.
Cuba is a country rife with baseball lineage, having churned out six Hall of Fame players. That isn’t even including the late, great right-hander Luis Tiant. “El Tiante” won two ERA titles and made three All-Star teams in his career, racking up 220 wins, a 3.30 ERA, and 54.8 fWAR.
Despite its rich baseball history, Cuba doesn’t have a strong contingent of current MLB players on this year’s roster. There are a few, along with some other MLB alumnus, but the roster mostly consists of prospects and otherwise non-stateside professional ballplayers.
Cuba won Taichung’s Pool A back in 2023, though every team went 2-2. They also beat Australia in the quarterfinals before getting eliminated 14-2 by the runner-up United States in the semifinals. This year, Cuba returns to Pool A, but this time in San Juan against a stronger contingent of teams like Puerto Rico and Canada.
Position Players
Infielders and Catchers
| Omar Hernandez (C) | Erisbel Arruebarrena |
| Andrys Pérez (C) | Yiddi Cappe |
| Yoán Moncada | |
| Malcom Nuñez | |
| Alexei Ramírez | |
| Alexander Vargas | |
| Yoel Yanqui |
First and foremost, it’s going to be a lot of fun watching Ramírez play baseball again. Was he ever a superstar-caliber player stateside? No. But he had several big moments in his career, where he hit .270 with 1,387 hits across nine seasons.
He last played in MLB with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016, but watching him play again should be a good time.
Joining him as MLB alumnus are Arruebarrena and Moncada. The former got 22 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014, while the latter just re-signed with the Los Angeles Angels for the 2026 season. Moncada, who’s uber-talented but oft injured, is the only active MLB player among Cuba’s infielder group.
There are several either current or former MLB prospects among this group. Hernandez is in the Kansas City Royals organization and Cappe made it to Double-A with the Miami Marlins in 2025. Vargas made it to Double-A with the New York Yankees but finished the season in High-A with the Cincinnati Reds. Nuñez played with the Pittsburgh Pirates Triple-A affiliate last year but remains a free agent; Yanqui made it as high as Double-A with the Reds in 2021 but hasn’t played stateside pro ball since.
This tournament is great for several reasons. For one, it gives these players an opportunity to play for their country. But also, it gives the spotlight to some names we as fans have either forgotten or never saw as potential cornerstone players.
Outfielders
| Alfredo Despaigne | Leonel Moas Jr. |
| Yoelkis Guibert | Roel Santos |
| Ariel Martínez |
Though he never played stateside, I can tell Despaigne is going to be a fan favorite this tournament. At 5-foot-7, 209 pounds, this right fielder absolutely crushed the baseball back when he played in the Mexican League from 2013 to 2014. He later went on to play in the NPB, where he hit 95 home runs from 2018 to 2023.
This isn’t his first rodeo with the WBC either. In fact, it’s his fifth trip; in 2013, he won Pool A MVP.
Moas Jr. last played in Cuba in 2023-24, slashing .260/.329/.372 in 75 games. He has experience all over the outfield but played all his games in center that year. Martinez played in the Japan Eastern League last year, posting a .770 OPS and 10 home runs in 65 total games.
Santos has the longest career of this group, dating back to 2008. In 1,402 career international games, he has an .832 OPS and .317 batting average. He’s not setting any home run records, just 70 for his career, but he knows his way on base whether it’s via hit or walk.
Pitching Staff
| LEFT-HANDERS | RIGHT-HANDERS |
| Naykel Cruz | Frank Alvarez |
| Daviel Hurtado | Emmanuel Chapman |
| Randy Martinez | Josimar Cousin |
| Liván Moinelo | Denny Larrondo |
| Darién Núñez | Yoan López |
| Julio Robaina | Raidel Martínez |
| Osiel Rodriguez | |
| Yariel Rodríguez | |
| Luis Romero | |
| Pedro Santos |
There’s a much stronger professional contingent among the Cuban pitchers. However, none stronger than Yariel Rodríguez.
The 28-year-old blossomed in 2022 in the NPB with a 1.15 ERA, then dazzled in the 2023 WBC. One year later, he signed a four-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. His rookie season was up-and-down, but his sophomore campaign yielded a 3.08 ERA as mostly a reliever.
Other than Rodríguez, there’s just 120.1 innings of MLB experience in this group — Núñez (7.2 innings), López (112.2 innings). That said, several have made it to the high minors in their respective organizations.
Similar to 2023, this pitching staff is likely anchored by Yar. Rodríguez again. The good news for them is he’s done it before. But will it be enough to advance beyond a strong Pool A contingent?
Coaching and Administrative Staff
| Germán Mesa | Manager |
| Noelvis González | Bench Coach |
| Jesús Bosmenier | Pitching Coach |
| Pedro Luis Lazo | Pitching Coach |
| Omar Linares | Hitting Coach |
| Cecilio Drake | First Base Coach |
| Rafael Munoz | Third Base Coach |
| Humberto Guevara | Assistant Coach |
| Yulieski Gonzalez | Batting Practice Pitcher |
Several members of this coaching staff remain from the 2023 run for Team Cuba. Most notably, Mesa got promoted from bench coach to the manager.
Along with him returns Lazo as pitching coach, Munoz as third base coach, and Guevara as another assistant. Everyone else, however, is new to the international stage coaching staff.
Lazo played for Team Cuba in 2006 and 2009. With a pitching staff as inexperienced as this one, you can’t put a price on the institutional knowledge Lazo brings with him.
Schedule
Exhibition
| March 3, 2026 | Kansas City Royals |
| March 4, 2026 | Cincinnati Reds |
After two exhibition games against the Royals and Reds, Cuba kicks off its Pool Play, where it’ll play four games.
Pool Play
| March 6, 2026, 11:00 am EST | Team Panama |
| March 8, 2026, 12:00 pm EST | Team Colombia |
| March 9, 2026, 7:00 pm EST | Team Puerto Rico |
| March 11, 2026, 3:00 pm EST | Team Canada |
After these four games, two teams will advance beyond Pool Play in each Group.
Playoffs
| Quarterfinals | March 13 and 14, 2026 |
| Semifinals | March 15 and 16, 2026 |
| Finals | March 17, 2026, 8:00 pm EST |
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