The dates and structure for the 63rd Cuban National Series of Baseball have been released. If it feels like baseball just ended, you aren’t wrong. Although Last August we saw the Las Tunas Leñadores hoist their 2nd National Series trophy, they and five other squads also competed in the Elite League which ran from November to January. The Matanzas Cocodrilos became Elite League Champions after 40 games and playoffs, besting upstart Artemisa in the finals. The 63rd National Series will commence on March 9th.
All 16 teams will compete in a 75 game schedule broken into 3 and 2 game sub-series. Mondays and Fridays are travel days. The top 8 teams will qualify for the playoffs. Rosters will consist of 32 active players with 8 reserves on a taxi squad.
The player rosters are also taking shape. Although defections still plague the nation and the overall baseball depth there are a few big names returning. Yasmany Tomas who reunited with Industriales last year before illness cut his season short is set to begin the season in Havana. He will be joined in the Capital by a former Cuban Rookie of the Year in Alfredo Rodríguez. Rodriguez signed with The Cincinnati Reds in for $7 million in 2016. He would ultimately make it as far as AAA. Perhaps the biggest returnee though is Alexei Ramirez. A hero of the inaugural World Baseball Classic Ramirez spent the greater part of a decade with the Chicago White Sox swatting 115 Home Runs and arguably being the top Short Stop from Cuba, at least this century.
Relive some of the sights and sounds from the 62nd Cuban National Series Final via Cubadugout on Youtube.
