In 2022 the Houston Astros had more Cuban players in their organisation than any club in baseball — 22 of them, from rookie ball to the World Series roster. It was the deepest Cuban contingent any major league organisation had assembled since the 1960s. This page tracks that group and what has become of it.
Where it stands now
At the major league level the Astros’ Cuban presence in 2026 is Yordan Álvarez, and Álvarez alone. He is also the best of them — a perennial MVP candidate and, by 2026, the most productive Cuban hitter in the game.
The rest of the 2022 group has scattered. Yuli Gurriel, the signing that started it, moved on after 2022. Aledmys Díaz left the same winter. The minor league names below either climbed, stalled or were released in the ordinary way of prospect lists, and Houston’s aggressive posture in the Cuban market has since cooled.
⚠️ The organisational count below is Phil’s audit from spring 2022 and is preserved as the historical record. A current full-system audit is the next update to this page.
Why Houston, and why then
The pivot point was Yuli Gurriel in 2016. Houston signed him at 32, an age at which most clubs will not commit to a Cuban free agent, and he moved through the system quickly enough to start at first base on the 2017 World Series winner. That signing worked, and the organisation kept buying — heavily, and mostly at the bottom of the market, where the 2022 list is thick with teenagers in the low minors.
The longer franchise history — every Cuban to wear the uniform since 1962 — is told separately in Every Cuban to Play for the Houston Astros.
The 2022 organisation, in full
Twenty-one named players across every level of the system, as audited in February 2022.
| Player | Pos | Level, 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Yordan Álvarez | DH/LF | MLB |
| Roger Benavides | RHP | Low minors |
| Franny Cobos | RHP | Double-A |
| Narbe Cruz | SS | Low minors |
| Aledmys Díaz | SS/IF | MLB |
| Carlos Espinosa | RHP | Low minors |
| Rolando Espinosa | SS | Low minors |
| Sandro Gastón | C | Low minors |
| Kenni Gómez | OF | Low minors |
| Norel González | 1B/OF | High minors |
| Yuli Gurriel | 1B | MLB |
| Alberto Hernández | SS | Low minors |
| Pedro León | OF/SS | High minors |
| Roilan Machandy | OF/SS | Low minors |
| Leosdani Molina | SS | Low minors |
| José Nodal | LHP | Low minors |
| Frank Pérez | OF | Low minors |
| Elián Rodríguez | RHP | Low minors |
| Julio Robaina | LHP | Low minors |
| Yanquiel Sánchez | LHP | Low minors |
| Luis Vega | — | Low minors |
Player by player
The Houston Astros enter 2022 as the organization with the most Cuban talent. They will have 22 islanders playing somewhere between Rookie ball and the Major Leagues. This marks the most Cubans playing for one Major League organization since the 1960s. The majority is comprised of youngsters with upside in the lower levels of the minors. The Astros of course have received major contributions at the Pro level from stars such as Yuli Gurriel and Yordan Álvarez as well.
Get Inside the Dugout and take a look at all the Cuban Houston Astros in 2022.
Yordan Álvarez DH/LF MLB
Roger Benavides RHP Low Minors
Franny Cobos RHP Double A
Narbe Cruz SS Low Minors
Aledmys Diaz SS/IF MLB
Carlos Espinosa RHP Low Minors
Rolando Espinosa SS Low Minors
Sandro Gaston C Low Minors
Kenni Gómez OF Low Minors
Norel Gonzalez 1B/OF High Minors
Yuli Gurriel 1B MLB
Alberto Hernandez SS Low Minors
Pedro Leon OF/SS High Minors
Roilan Machandy OF/SS Low Minors
Leosdani Molina
SS Low Minors
LHP Low Minors
OF Low Minors
Elian Rodriguez
RHP Low Minors
Julio Robaina LHP Low Minors
Yanquiel Sánchez LHP Low Minors
The rest of the series
Cuba Dugout keeps a page like this one for every franchise with a real Cuban history: Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins, Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Miami Marlins and Detroit Tigers. For the players active right now, see Cubans in MLB 2026. Every one of these lists is drawn from the Cuban Major Leaguers Database — all 403 Cuban-born major leaguers, searchable and downloadable.
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