Former LEÑADOR TUNERO broke the Atlantic League and resumed his professional dream

By Robiel Vega / @ robielcuba87

Excellent news comes to us from Atlantic League, a North American independent league that, for many, is the strongest in the country. Roberto Baldoquin, a former member of the Leñadores de Las Tunas, was crowned champion with his team being the lynchpin of batting, occupying top positions in most of the offensive lines of the tournament.

In an article for him Cubalite Site, we are informed of the great performance of the man from Las Tunas this season with the Lexington Legends team, a cast that debuted in the Atlantic League and that could serve as a springboard for Baldoquín for his return to a Major League organization.

Roberto Sullivan Baldoquín was born on May 14, 1994 in Las Tunas and from the lower categories he was called to be a great star of national baseball, being part of several Cuban teams in different categories.

Without having reached the age of 18, he debuted in the National Series with the Lumberjacks of Las Tunas, team with which he stayed for the next three seasons, achieving, in the last of them, his best numbers, with an offensive line of (.279 / .372 / .324 / .695) (AVE / OBP / SLG / OPS) Although the truth is that he played just 23 games and stood in the batter’s box 79 times.

In three national series (2011-2014) he barely participated in 86 games, with an offensive average of 254 (189-48), two doubles, four triples and a single homerun. He scored 35 runs and drove in 22, completing his slach line with 340 OBP, 323 slugging and 663 OPS.

It was then that this 20-year-old talent made the decision to emigrate to the Dominican Republic and pursue his dream of playing in the Major Leagues and quickly signed a contract with the Los Angeles Angels organization, with a bonus of eight million dollars. and was assigned to the Inland Empire 66ers, who play in the California League with an advanced A (A +) category.

After two seasons on that team, he failed to curdle, hitting 235 and 198 in 2015 and 2016 respectively, hitting a single home run and driving in 42 runs in 142 challenges. In this way he was lowered to the lower category in 2017, then ending up in the Burlington Bees, of the Midwest League, where his performance was superior (.253 / .307 / .376 / .684), for which he was promoted to 2018 to AA category.

This promotion was a sign of confidence that the man from Las Tunas did not know how to take advantage of; after 51 games in the Mobile BayBears and leaving a batting line of (.269 / .321 / .342 / .663), with a home run and 27 RBIs, he was again led to the Inland Empire 66ers of the A +, with whom He closed the season with 31 games played and hitting 293, his best average in the Minors since his arrival, which made the organization dream again, which for 2019 promoted him to AA again.

In a total of 80 games the player from Las Tunas participated and could barely hit 232, with a pair of home runs and 23 RBIs. His OBP did not reach 300 for the first time (293) and his slugging was a very poor 301. Months earlier, in the fall of 2018, in the Arizona Fall League, he could barely hit 093 (43-4) in 11 games and it was disappointing again.

The dismissal was immediate, after the absence of the Minor League season in 2020, the franchise announced its departure in May of this year, so the 27-year-old from Las Tunas, had to think very well about his next stop, because a Further failure would be to dig his grave as a future Major League Baseball player.

It was then that he signed a contract with the Lexington Legends and this time he met and exceeded expectations. Coming third in batters with 353 (403-143), behind Michael Russell (360) and Michael Osinski with 359. He held that same position in terms of OBP with 446; twelfth in slugging with 553 and sixth in OPS with 999.

He was also eighth in runs scored with 90, second in hits with 143 to one of the leader, fourth in doubles with 30 and seventh in triples with 4. He ranked 15th among the top RBIs with 75, 20th place in stolen bases with 13 and 24 on tickets with 49.

In the title discussion, against the Long Island Ducks team, the shortstop from Las Tunas ranked in each of the challenges alternating as fifth and sixth bat, averaged for 313 (16-5), drove five and scored four times, as additional data. According to the Cubalite site itself, Baldoquín pushed at least one race in each of the four final challenges.

To crown the excellent season, he reached the league title with his team, leaving all the ghosts behind and focused on his future, aware that at his age it is not easy at all, but examples such as those of José Adolis García and Yadiel Hernández serve of inspiration and show that when there is quality, age does not matter, it ends up being imposed. Without further ado, see you at the next one.