By José Alejandro Rodríguez Zas
Just a week ago, last Wednesday, June 9, was announced on this Full Swing web portal, the preselection of the Industriales team for the forthcoming 61st edition of the National Baseball Series, made up of a total of 63 players, who are already training on the grounds of Havana’s Ciudad Deportiva.
From that group will come the blue team that will participate in the next baseball campaign, officially confirming the already announced absence of several veteran players such as Frank Camilo Morejón, Stayler Hernández and Yoandry Urgellés, as part of a renewal process that is carried out in the Havana ball.
On interview offered to the Tribuna Deportiva program of Radio COCO, provincial station of the capital of all Cubans, the director of Industriales, Guillermo Carmona, said that he is pleased with the group of shortlisted players and that they will fight in Series 61 to seek the qualify for the postseason and get the best possible result.
“There is a good group, with a mix of young and experienced players. A good job of selection has been done ”, commented the experienced manager.
As reported in the aforementioned note by journalist Rodolfo Durán Almeida, Carmona stressed that “the outfielders area is the strongest of the team, with the presence of players such as Alberto Calderón, Yosvani Peñalver, Dayron Blanco and Joasán Guillén.”
Regarding the pitchers, Carmona expressed:
“Last season pitching was the weakest area of the team on paper, yet it didn’t behave that way. They have one more year of experience and we have hopes that they can deliver. We believe that our staff is among the best in the country ”.
According to Durán Almeida’s note, Guillermo Carmona added that “the pitcher Maikel Taylor, who plays in Mexico, could be with the team from the beginning of the campaign, which should unofficially begin in September.”
Regarding the presence of three first base defenders in the blue preselection, in this case, Lisbán Correa, Yasiel Santoya and Walter Pacheco, the manager explained the playing possibilities of each of them and left the door open to the possibility of that the three players can integrate the Industrial team to Series 61
“Santoya has played in the outfield, it would not be unreasonable to prepare him in that area, and Correa, although we have not placed him, can play in the left field. Last year we prepared it there, but in the end we didn’t have to use it ”, explained Carmona in the Tribuna Deportiva program on Radio COCO.
On the subject of the renewal that the blue team undergoes, as it had stated previouslyCarmona said that the process is not over yet and that new changes are expected, but it is necessary to have a previous relief ready before replacing a veteran player.
“The renewal will be in effect until the day the team is set up. The process will be done gradually, according to the conditions in which the players are. We will not make a substitution if we are not guaranteed the replacement ”, concluded the blue director.