As of 15 October 2026. The Caribbean winter leagues are back. Venezuela’s LVBP opened its 2026–27 season on 12 October, Mexico’s Liga Mexicana del Pacífico (LMP) began its opening series this week, and the Dominican league (LIDOM) starts on Friday, 16 October. This is our first count of the Cuban-born players on those rosters — the list Spanish-language outlets cover club by club, but nobody yet keeps in one place in English.
We count a player only when two independent sources agree on the club: MLB’s official transaction log or roster data on one side, and a club announcement or regional outlet on the other. Birthplace comes from the MLB Stats API, which is the record we use for every “Cuban-born” list on this site. On that standard, 13 Cuban-born players are confirmed so far: seven in Mexico and six in Venezuela.
Liga Mexicana del Pacífico
Culiacán has the biggest Cuban group: the Tomateros’ 30-man opening roster, published on 13 October, names two Cuban pitchers and two Cuban outfielders. Three of the seven LMP players below have pitched or hit in the major leagues. Tribuna reported that Odrisamer Despaigne, who debuted for the Padres in 2014, was set to start the Yaquis’ home opener against Navojoa on 15 October.
| Player | Pos. | Winter club | Born | MLB debut | Summer 2026 club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odrisamer Despaigne | RHP | Yaquis de Obregón | Havana, 1987 | 2014 | Caliente de Durango (LMB) |
| Norge Luis Ruiz | RHP | Tomateros de Culiacán | Camagüey, 1994 | 2022 | — |
| Julio Pablo Martínez | OF | Tomateros de Culiacán | Baracoa, 1996 | 2023 | Saraperos de Saltillo (LMB) |
| Orlando Martínez | OF | Tomateros de Culiacán | Havana, 1998 | — | Round Rock Express (Triple-A, Rangers) |
| Víctor Labrada | CF | Algodoneros de Guasave | Havana, 2000 | — | — |
| Albert Lara | IF | Algodoneros de Guasave | Matanzas, 1998 | — | — |
| Yadir Drake | OF/1B | Águilas de Mexicali | Matanzas, 1990 | — | — |
Notes
- Julio Pablo Martínez spent the summer with the Saraperos de Saltillo in the Mexican League (LMB), according to the transaction log, and was activated by Culiacán on 14 October. His road from Cuba to the Texas Rangers is in our profile.
- Norge Luis Ruiz joined Culiacán in August; the Tomateros announced the signing on 25 August. His Cuban record is on his player page.
- Orlando Martínez finished the 2026 minor-league season with the Round Rock Express, the Texas Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate.
Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional
In Venezuela the Cuban group is mostly pitchers. Leones del Caracas have two Cuban right-handers who both finished the summer in Triple-A. La Prensa de Lara’s survey of the league’s imports (6 October) lists Rangel Ravelo, Diosbel Arias and José Rodríguez as Cuban, and Ravelo is the one familiar to MLB fans: he debuted for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2019.
| Player | Pos. | Winter club | Born | MLB debut | Summer 2026 club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rangel Ravelo | 1B | Cardenales de Lara | Havana, 1992 | 2019 | — |
| Diosbel Arias | 1B/2B | Bravos de Margarita | Havana, 1996 | — | — |
| José Rodríguez | RHP | Caribes de Anzoátegui | Camagüey, 1992 | — | — |
| Josimar Cousin | RHP | Caribes de Anzoátegui | Havana, 1998 | — | — |
| Sandy Gastón | RHP | Leones del Caracas | Matanzas, 2001 | — | Rochester Red Wings (Triple-A, Nationals) |
| Julio César Rodríguez | RHP | Leones del Caracas | Santa Cruz del Sur, 2000 | — | Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Triple-A, Astros) |
Also on winter rosters, waiting for a second source
MLB’s transaction log shows four more Cuban-born pitchers assigned this week. We will move them into the tables when a club or regional outlet confirms them:
- Darién Núñez (born Las Tunas, 1993; MLB debut with the Dodgers in 2021) and Alejandro Hernández (born Havana, 2001), both assigned to the Bravos de Margarita (LVBP) on 13 October.
- Yoan López (born Nueva Gerona, 1993; 121 MLB games for Arizona and the Mets, 2018–22), assigned to the Cañeros de Los Mochis (LMP) on 14 October.
- Leam Méndez (born Ciego de Ávila, 2000), assigned to the Jaguares de Nayarit (LMP) on 13 October.
Two young Cuban prospects are also playing in MLB’s Arizona Fall League, according to MLB’s rosters: shortstop Andy Pérez (born Santa Clara, 2004) with the Salt River Rafters, and right-hander Yoendris González (born Guáimaro, 2002) with the Mesa Solar Sox.
Our reading
Three things stand out in the first 13. First, Havana dominates: six of the 13 were born in the capital, three in Matanzas and three in Camagüey province. Second, this is not mainly a list of major leaguers. Only four of the 13 have MLB debuts (Despaigne, Ruiz, Julio Pablo Martínez and Ravelo); the rest have built their careers in the minor leagues, in Mexico or elsewhere outside the majors. Third, winter ball is where players outside the MLB system keep their careers visible. For a Cuban who left the island without an MLB contract, a good LMP or LVBP winter is still the best audition there is. The full picture of Cuban-born major leaguers this year is in Cubans in MLB 2026.
What comes next
- LIDOM, from 16 October. Dominican rosters are not yet in MLB’s data. We will add LIDOM’s Cuban players once two sources agree.
- Puerto Rico (LBPRC) has not started yet; its Cuban signings will be added the same way.
- Caribbean Series, Hermosillo, 1–7 February 2027. The winter champions meet there. Some of the players above could be playing in it.
Sources
MLB Stats API (rosters, transactions and person records for every player above, read 15 October 2026); Luz Noticias, 13 October (Culiacán roster); Tomateros de Culiacán, 25 August; Tribuna, 13 October (Despaigne); Hablemos de Béisbol, 14 October (Guasave roster); Imperial Valley Press (Drake); La Prensa de Lara, 6 October (LVBP imports); El Emergente (Ravelo); El Diario (LVBP opening date); El Caribe (LIDOM opening date).
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