Erisbel Arruebarruena Leaves Cuba

[Angrioter]

Jose Iglesias dazzled fans with his spectacular defensive actions for the Red Sox and Tigers this season.

 

Now Erisbel Barbaro Arruebarruena, another Cuban shortstop who earns similar glowing reviews about his defense, has left Cuba to try to sign with a major league team, Baseball America has learned.

 

Since Arruebarruena is 23 and has played in Cuba’s top league (Serie Nacional) for six seasons, his bonus will not be subject to the international bonus pools once he receives residency in a third country and is cleared to sign by the U.S. government and Major League Baseball.

 

Arruebarruena, 23, has been the regular shortstop of the Cuban national team. He played in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, where he ranked as the No. 10 WBC prospect not signed with a major league team.

 

At 6 feet, 195 pounds, Arruebarruena has clean hands, quick actions and good body control. He’s a below-average runner, but his quick first step and instincts give him good range. He has a quick transfer and a plus-plus arm with accuracy, which allows him to make throws from deep in the hole and turn 4-6-3 double plays with ease. His awareness in the field is advanced and he’s shown the ability to make the barehanded play look routine and make strong throws from different angles. Scouts have called Arruebarruena a magician in the field, and if he can hit enough to be an everyday major league shortstop, he has the potential to win a Gold Glove.

 

The bat, however, is a major source of concern with Arruebarruena, even more so than with Iglesias and more along the lines of Marlins Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria. A righthanded hitter, Arruebarruena has a long swing, struggles with pitch recognition, swings through breaking balls in the strike zone and is prone to chasing too many pitches out of the strike zone. He has a pull-oriented approach and minimal power, so several scouts are skeptical he could hit better than .220 or hit a .300 on-base percentage against major league pitching. His lack of foot speed would also limit his appeal as a potential defensive-oriented backup, since he wouldn’t have as much value as a pinch-runner.

 

“He’s a premium defender at a premium position with questions on the bat,” said one international scouting director. “If you’re built well offensively around the field other than shortstop, you can live with that if you get outstanding defense. But the bat is still the question mark.”

 

Adeiny 2,0

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/defensive-wizard-erisbel-arruebarruena-leaves-cuba/

[Angrioter]

One of the top Cuban pitchers has also left the country to sign with an MLB club......Righthander Raicel Iglesias Leaves Cuba

After a failed attempt to flee the country in September, righthander Raicel Iglesias has left Cuba.

 

Iglesias, 23, will be exempt from the international bonus pools and be able to sign without restrictions once he is granted residency in a third country and cleared to sign by Major League Baseball and the United States government.

 

Major league scouts (and Baseball America) have been able to see Iglesias pitch in person outside of Cuba twice this year. At the World Baseball Classic in March, Iglesias pitched at 88-92 mph. When Cuba visited the U.S. in July for a five-game friendship series against the U.S. College national team, Iglesias looked more impressive, throwing 92-95 mph while varying the speed and shape of his sweepy 76-81 mph breaking ball to get swings and misses.

 

In three relief appearances in the series, Iglesias struck out five over five scoreless innings with no walks and only one hit allowed. Earlier that month, Iglesias also pitched in the Netherlands at the World Port Tournament, where he threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts, no walks and two hits allowed with three saves in his three relief appearances.

 

“I think he’s a guy that, as he gets bigger and stronger, could be in the mid-to-upper 90s,” said Team USA coach Jim Schlossnagle, who is also the coach at Texas Christian. “He’s lean, has a ridiculously loose arm and pounded the strike zone. I was glad they didn’t pitch him more. He was the guy where you’re like, ‘Let’s find a way to get a lead before they get to this guy.’ ”

 

At 5-foot-11, 165 pounds, Iglesias was primarily used as a reliever in Cuba. A major league team would likely use him in the same role, although he could start his career being developed as a starter. He would likely start his career in the minors, and given his age (he turns 24 on April 1) and current talent level, Double-A would seem like a possible assignment.

 

In Cuba, Iglesias pitched for Isla de la Juventud in Serie Nacional. In the 2012-13 season split that was split into two phases, Iglesias made two starts in 15 appearances and posted a 1.68 ERA with 50 strikeouts and 20 walks in 53 2/3 innings. He didn’t have as much success in the second half, when he had a 5.59 ERA with a 24-10 K-BB mark over 29 innings in 15 appearances, all in relief. Iglesias has had issues with his control earlier in his career. During the 2011-12 season, he walked more batters (54) than he struck out (53) in 76 2/3 innings while posting a 3.29 ERA.

 

International sources have said Bart Hernandez and Praver Shapiro Sports Management will represent Iglesias.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/raicel-iglesias-leaves-cuba/

[ace3113]

I hope he took Jose Fernandez with him (the other Jose Fernandez). Second base problem instantly fixed.

[Frag]

What a name!

[eastcoastjaysfan]

Buck would have a mini stroke every night even trying to read this name let alone pronouncing it.

[Angrioter]

What a name!

 

http://coedbc.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/erisbel-arruebarruena-2.jpg?w=600&h=350

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1AJUHPDF8E

[eastcoastjaysfan]

Rofl^^^

[Frag]

Buck would have a mini stroke every night even trying to read this name let alone pronouncing it.

 

I can see it now:

 

Buck: And here's the pitch to Erisbel Aruba! My, what a IGNALGIGALIFYNAL OUTTA HERE!

 

Tabby: MMMmmm, SUCH A BIG AND STRONG SWING!

[KingKat]

I hope he took Jose Fernandez with him (the other Jose Fernandez). Second base problem instantly fixed.

 

Meh. Just use this guy at 2B. Reyes will proabably have to shift to 2B at some point anyways.

[The_DH]

Could be a good pickup. Hopefully there's some offense.

[ace3113]

Meh. Just use this guy at 2B. Reyes will proabably have to shift to 2B at some point anyways.

 

This guy may not be able to hit. We already have guys that can do that. Fernandez is the best hitter in Cuba right now, and he;s a second baseman.

[Angrioter]

This guy may not be able to hit. We already have guys that can do that. Fernandez is the best hitter in Cuba right now, and he;s a second baseman.

 

""""In Cuba, Arruebarruena played for Cienfuegos, where he was teammates with White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu and Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig. This past season (2012-13) in Cuba that was split into two halves by the WBC, Arruebarruena struggled early, batting .275/.324/.366 with two home runs, seven walks and 17 strikeouts in 145 plate appearances in the first half. He hit much better in the second half, batting .317/.415/.495 with four homers, 17 walks and 14 strikeouts in 125 plate appearances.

 

In 2011-12, Arruebarruena batted .320/.367/.520 with eight home runs, 19 walks and 39 strikeouts in 306 plate appearances. During the 2010-11 season, Arruebarruena hit .280/.314/.484 in 279 at-bats with eight home runs, 11 walks and 57 strikeouts.""""

[DuckDuckGose]

Meh. Just use this guy at 2B. Reyes will proabably have to shift to 2B at some point anyways.

 

Just go with Goins then. Doesn't seem like there will be a big gap between their bats anyways.

[Dr. Dinger]

If you can't hit in Cuba, you sure as s*** can't hit MLB pitching.

[eastcoastjaysfan]

Angrioter my friendly Mexican friend, how much do these guys get paid in the Cuban leagues? Any idea who the highest paid current/former player is/was?

[Angrioter]

Angrioter my friendly Mexican friend, how much do these guys get paid in the Cuban leagues? Any idea who the highest paid current/former player is/was?

 

Yoenis Cespedes "I was receiving a wage of 20 dollars a month for being a player of Cuban league, member of the Cuban nacional team and be coach"

[eastcoastjaysfan]

Yoenis Cespedes "I was receiving a wage of 20 dollars a month for being a player of Cuban league, member of the Cuban nacional team and be coach"

 

LOL wtf are you serious?

 

I could basically go down there and be the George Steinbrenner of the Cuban league

[Angrioter]

LOL wtf are you serious?

 

I could basically go down there and be the George Steinbrenner of the Cuban league

 

wait...........I'm looking for the article

[Angrioter]

LOL wtf are you serious?

 

I could basically go down there and be the George Steinbrenner of the Cuban league

 

 

Deleted article but...........> http://www.bluejaysmessageboard.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=401&d=1384889244

[eastcoastjaysfan]

I was expected maybe like 10K a year or something.

 

Not 300 bucks.

[Abomination]

I was expected maybe like 10K a year or something.

 

Not 300 bucks.

 

I think they get some extra perks and stuff too (housing, etc). They certainly don't get much though.

[havok24]

Now that's a name lol.

[GD]

I hope he took Jose Fernandez with him (the other Jose Fernandez). Second base problem instantly fixed.

 

I haven't been following, got any reports and stats on the other Fernandez?

[Angrioter]

I was expected maybe like 10K a year or something.

 

Not 300 bucks.

 

Many Dominicans "Buscones" adopt Cuban players and assigns monthly salary, house rent, car rental, pay they children school and others ..........and "You'll pay me when you get the contract."

 

Trafficking people.

[ace3113]

I haven't been following, got any reports and stats on the other Fernandez?

 

I wrote this about him a while back.

 

Jose Miguel Fernandez, 2B, 5'11 185, L/R (Age 24)

 

(2013) .393/.495/.593 7hr 35rbi 9(2b) 0(3b) 27bb 5so 0sb 0cs

 

Blessed with one of the best bats in in Cuba, Fernandez led the Series Nacionales in hitting beating out both Abreu and Cepeda with a .393 batting average at only 24-years-old. The young second baseman has a very good offensive skillset which includes excellent bat control, patience, and some unexpected pop in his bat. Fernandez strikeout-to-walk ratio is indicative of his ability to make contact, with a sweet lefty stroke that allows him wait on pitches and slap them to the opposite field. The talented second baseman has the tools to be the ideal number two-hitter in a major league lineup. Not much of a speedster his range and defense is perfectly adequate for second where he is considered a solid to above average defender, never posting a fielding percentage below .973 in his Series Nacionales career.

 

Video of him starting at 34seconds to 1 minute 25 seconds.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0oBLjZ1vts

 

I haven't checked his stats in the Series Nacionales this year but at the WBC he hit .545/.667/.524 with 1bb and 0 strikeouts in 21 at bats.

[ace3113]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/majors/international-affairs/world-baseball-classic/2013/2614789.html

 

Erisbel Arruebarruena, Cuba: Don't worry if you can't pronounce his name. Arruebarruena is the same age as Jose Iglesias and Adeiny Hechavarria and cut from a similar cloth as a slick-fielding shortstop. The 6-foot, 22-year-old righthanded hitter batted .320/.367/.520 in 306 at-bats last year in Cuba, although he's a free-swinger without great power, so there are questions on how his hitting would translate against big league arms.

[ace3113]

Not sure if this has been posted.

 

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/63213280/

 

In the fall of 2009, in a hotel conference room on the outskirts of Barcelona, Spain, Edwin Mejia, the then-agent of the then-recently defected Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman, told me in an interview that he believed his client was worth a $100 million contract.

 

The statement seemed like agent posturing more than an actual set price. After all, it was silly to think that a relatively unknown Cuban player like Chapman, who had been seen by major league scouts outside of Cuba only in a few international tournaments, could command such a monstrous sum.

 

At that time, Jose Contreras' four year, $32 million contract with the Yankees, signed in 2002, was still the most ever given to a Cuban exile, and that the benchmark had lasted so long spoke to what major league teams thought of the Cuban market and Cuban players in general. For the most part, teams didn't trust Cuban players to perform in the majors.

 

Aside from the actual on-the-field adjustments, social assimilation to life in the United States proved to be a vast stumbling block for Cuban players. Often the players who had defected were, like Contreras, in their 30s, some well past their primes, and some with a listed age that teams didn't trust.

 

So while there had always been a mystery surrounding Cuban players, most had not panned out. Even Contreras was a good, but ultimately not great player. Cuban players were such an uncertainty, and something of a novelty, that several executives told me in the late 2000s that they would never sign a recent Cuban exile for a substantial amount of money. Never.

 

Chapman, after switching agents, eventually signed with the Reds for six years, $30.25 million in January 2010. He did not even come close to $100 million; he didn't even eclipse Contreras' record. But his signing became the turning point for the Cuban exile market. It's safe to say that Chapman, one of the top closers in the game, has been well worth the $5 million per season average salary of his contract.

 

Less than three years after Chapman signed, the Chicago White Sox reportedly agreed to terms last week with Cuban first baseman Jose Abreu on a six-year, $68 million contract that smashes Yasiel Puig's record seven-year $42 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, signed only last year. Puig in turn had broken Yoenis Cespedes' record four-year $36 million deal with the Oakland A's, signed only a few months earlier in 2012. So after having remained stagnant for 10 years, the Cuban exile contract record changed hands three times in less than two years -- and none of of those three players were older than 27 when they arrived.

 

More sensitive than many fans realize, Jose Contreras is grateful for his 10 years in the majors, his family's… More»

 

The Changing Face Of Baseball

 

Between the World Baseball Classic, Jose Fernandez, Yasiel Puig and Carlos Gomez, 2013 has seen its share of the… More»

 

With several top Cuban players still yet to defect, Mejia's vision of a $100 million contract for a Cuban exile no longer seems so silly after all.

 

"It wouldn't surprise me," Oakland general manager Billy Beane said. "It's all supply and demand, and teams are always looking for talent. Regardless of the talent of a player, a lot of money is going to be spent. You're going to use it on whoever is available. And these players have had big impacts. Since they've been coming here, they've been perennial postseason players. They've justified the investment."

 

The Cuban exile market inflation has happened for numerous reasons, not the least of which has been performance. Chapman is an All Star, Cespedes is the reigning home run derby champion, and Puig is a rambunctious controversy magnet who will almost surely make an All Star Team sometime in his career. In fact, many thought Puig should have been an All Star this season.

 

"There is some bubble to the market," one high-ranking American League team executive said. "This seems to be the best example. Teams feel more comfortable because of Cespedes and Puig. Japanese pitchers will be more well received because of (Yu) Darvish. Each case has to be viewed in its own context. The bias of recency needs to be recognized. Having said all that, the most recent signing will be proved over time...or not. As with major league contracts for big money and long terms it seems there will be a market correction, sooner or later."

 

Yet what might have had the most impact were changes Major League Baseball and the Major League Players Association made in the most recent collective bargaining agreement, some of which, ironically, were meant to limit the amount of money teams could spend on amateur and international players.

 

Cuban players, depending on their age and on their experience in Cuba's top league, are exempt from the CBA's new international and amateur bonus caps, meaning a team could sign them for whatever amount they wanted without having to face any penalties. Teams are otherwise limited to the bonuses they can give foreign and American amateur players. This year, the Houston Astros, the team with the highest international bonus slot, were only allowed to spend roughly $5 million total on international amateurs. Spending more than that would result in them having to surrender part of their bonus total next year.

 

Also, major league free agent compensation, enacted by the recent CBA, has kept teams who loathe having to surrender a draft pick from signing top free agents. Cuban players are not tied to any compensation.

 

"There are very few avenues where you don't have ramifications other than the cash you spend," Beane said.

 

The new economic reality defined by the new CBA has also caused teams to lock up their young talented players years before they hit free agency, meaning future free agent classes will lack big-name talent. Building a team through free agency will be harder than ever. This year, other than Abreu, the only significant free agent hitters are Shin Soo Choo and Jacoby Ellsbury, both undoubtedly talented players, but neither capable of anchoring a lineup.

 

"This free agency, there's not some obvious big middle of the order bat," said an executive of a team that pursued Abreu. "He suddenly became THE middle of the order guy."

 

Cuban players are also becoming less of a risk. Teams can not only scout players during international tournaments, they can also access statistics and video of Cuban league performance on the internet. There are several websites dedicated to livestreaming Cuban league games.

 

"We can access performance in terms of statistics in the Cuban League," Beane said. "It's not as much as we have in other areas, but it's more than before. More players coming over also gives you a baseline to judge these guys too. It just gives you more of a foundation."

 

But can these statistics be taken seriously?

 

"We take all statistics seriously," Beane said.

 

In many ways, Oakland's Cespedes signing proved to be just as important as Chapman's signing.

 

"That's a great deal and the whole world figured it out," said the executive of the team that pursued Abreu.

 

While there had been a few examples of Cuban pitchers having success in the majors -- Contreras, Livan and Orlando Hernandez -- a Cuban hitter had yet to make a significant impact.

 

But once again, it fell upon the forward-thinking Athletics to take the plunge and set the trend.

 

"Obviously we've been pleased," Beane said. "During the two years he's been here we've won the division. There's obviously a correlation. Our initial reason for signing him was because he was the type of player that wasn't available to a market like ours."

 

The scouting report on Abreu is that he's a thick-bodied slugger, with average bat speed who can, at best, adequately, play first base, but can't run at all. He's no certainty.

 

"He's basically going to be Paul Konerko, he's a lot like him as a player," said the executive of the team that pursued Abreu. "All the value will be in the bat."

 

And yet the biggest deal Konerko ever signed in his career was a five-year $60 million deal in 2005. Times have certainly changed when the unknown Cuban Konerko clone can get a bigger contract than the actual Konerko.

 

With Cuban players seemingly defecting more often ever because of the escalation in salaries, with more tools available (e-mail, skype, cell phones, etc.) for these players to assimilate while keeping in contact with their home country, and with a less timid attitude once they reach the majors, it stands to reason that the upward trend will continue. The first $100 million Cuban player may soon arrive.

 

Even the executive of the team who pursued Abreu had to admit, "It's not like the bargain it used to be, is it?"

[kgm1]

Angrioter my friendly Mexican friend, how much do these guys get paid in the Cuban leagues? Any idea who the highest paid current/former player is/was?

 

Everyone in Cuba makes basically the same wage plus they get their ration of beans , rice , and chicken . I had a doctor as a tourist guide , She said because of tips she made way more and that is why the tourist industry jobs are the best in the country .

[Angrioter]

Everyone in Cuba makes basically the same wage plus they get their ration of beans , rice , and chicken . I had a doctor as a tourist guide , She said because of tips she made way more and that is why the tourist industry jobs are the best in the country .

 

Yeah. Those who receive extra rations should keep it secret.

[kgm1]

Yeah. Those who receive extra rations should keep it secret.

 

 

I really don't understand why they haven't adopted a posting system like the japanese . Cuban baseball could be as lucrative as them .