By Swing Completo / contacto@swingcompleto.com
Between retirements, casualties, injuries and emigration in one way or another, the next Cuban National Baseball Series in its 61st edition will be seriously limited in terms of the potential of players who will take part in it.
Provinces such as Havana, Cienfuegos, Santiago de Cuba, Sancti Spíritus or Camagüey have been well affected, but Villa Clara cannot be left out of that list, a team that, along with its tradition, will have a very difficult outlook in the upcoming event scheduled to start the game on January 22.
The drop confirmed since September of one of his pitching aces Pablo Luis Guillén and others who for different reasons will not wear the orange uniform is also joined by one of the most historic players that the Sugar Leopards had.
Is about Yulexis The Rose, one of the most virtuous receivers of Cuban baseball in this century, especially from the defensive aspect.
After a long career that began at the highest level of the Island in the 2000-01 Series (he played 21 seasons), the native of Quemado de Güines decided to change the tack at 42 years of age to move on to his new role as coach. . This was confirmed after the announcement of the preselection directed by the legendary former predator Pedro Jova.
One of those who confirmed it was the local journalist Dayron Pérez Urbano, news that undoubtedly makes the Villa Clara fans even more concerned. It is true that La Rosa was no longer the same from his splendor stage due to his age and injuries, but not a few point out that he could still contribute due to his experience and even level in leading the pitching of the centrals.
Some may question the statement that this article titles due to the fact that he has spent more than half of his sports career in the shadow of extraclass Ariel Pestano, but as his substitute he was able to reach the national team more than once. And after the retirement of the mythical number 13 he was able to demonstrate his class behind the plate for some time until health began to hit him hard.
After the Pestano era, if he was not indisputable all the time of the position within the Cuba team, it was due, among other things, to the change of mentality when prioritizing a more offensive catcher, together with La Rosa’s own ups and downs for being affected physically on several occasions.
Offensively he never had any prominence. In fact, Villa Clara’s number 64 posted a cumulative average of just 253 with just 43 homers and 366 RBIs. He never hit 5 home runs in a season and only four times did he average over 300.
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After the retirement of La Rosa and Frank Camilo Morejón from Havana, the Cuban ball is left without a single defensive receiver of historical significance. In the case of the Quemadense, he is part of a group of luxury masked men from one of the most successful territories within the position, with luminaries of the stature of Lázaro Pérez, Alberto Martínez, Ángel López and Pestano.
It will not be easy for Jova his season back with his home province, to which he gave three consecutive titles with that extraordinary team that he won in 1993 and 1995 and that reached a total of five online finals.
The Plaza de La Rosa has several candidates with much more youth than experience, although many agree that Ariel Pestano Jr. now has the luxury opportunity to take ownership for the first time within Villa Clara. In any case, the integrality of Jesús Olivera and one with a better hitting than defense like Julio Miranda cannot be ruled out.
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