The champion team of the 62nd National Baseball Series will participate in the first league of champions of the world confederation of this sport, scheduled for 2024.
Havana, May 5 (JIT) - The champion team of the 62nd National Baseball Series will participate in the first league of champions of the world confederation of this sport, scheduled for 2024.
This was announced today at a press conference held at the Adolfo Luque Hall of the Latin American Stadium, which was attended by Juan Reinaldo Pérez Pardo, head of the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB) and national commissioner of that sport.
Pérez Pardo also explained that before that, from September 28 to October 1, 2023, a promotional event of this league will be held in Mérida, Mexico, with four guest teams from the Americas.
These will be the champions of four summer leagues in 2022, namely the American Association of Professional Baseball League (USA), the Mexican Baseball League, the Major League of Professional Baseball of Venezuela and the National Baseball Series of Cuba.
The commissioner commented that by 2024, champion clubs from leagues in all continents will be enrolled, which will be eliminated until the finalists and the winner are defined.
The exchange between journalists and the federative allowed clarifying several points of the agenda, such as the possibility of a visit to Cuba this year by Juan Francisco Puello Herrera, president of the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation.
Having confirmed the absence of the champions of Cuba, Colombia and Panama from the Miami 2024 Caribbean Baseball Series, Perez Pardo acknowledged that an initiative is underway to hold an event between those three countries as an alternative to the historic regional competition. "But there is no definition yet," he said.
As for the Cuba team for the Central Caribbean Games of San Salvador 2023, the executive assured that its base is in the 62 National Series plus those contracted by the FCB, except for those who play in Japan. He indicated that other players could be valued, but it will be difficult due to their professional commitments at this stage.
Currently, through FCB, about 25 professional contracts are being executed or prepared in Japan, Mexico, Canada and Italy. It is estimated that this number will grow during the winter season.
Armando Jhonson and German Mesa, manager and bench coach of our team to the V World Baseball Classic, respectively, continue in those roles until the end of the cycle in 2024, as well as the bulk of the technical staff. After that, they could be ratified or released, explained Perez Pardo.
In reference to the Pan American Games of Santiago 2023, he insisted that the qualification has not yet been obtained, which will be sought in San Salvador 2023, which will require entering the podium. Perez Pardo regretted irregularities in the qualification process designed by Copabe, on which the FCB has made a timely pronouncement.