Panama City/Prensa Latina
The Cuban team is in Panama to participate starting this Sunday in the U-12 Pre-World Tournament, which grants three places to the World Cup, in Chinese Taipei, in 2025.
According to the Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation, the roster includes 18 players led by Vladimir Vargas.
The selection is made up, according to that source, of receivers Yuceidel Torres and José Martínez; along with infielders Oliver Monteagudo, Alfredo Despaigne Jr., Alesandro Soto, Humberto Alfonso, Daibel Barrero, Yeison Pérez and Alan López.
Diego Girón, Alex Bryan, Frank Cañizares and Dainier Madruga stand out as outfielders.
The pitchers are Alesandro Martínez, Asnel Tornés, Osmany Palma, Rider Pérez and Fabián Salcedo.
As reflected in the competitive calendar, the Cuban team was placed in bracket B and will debut tomorrow, Sunday the 20th, against Puerto Rico, while on the 21st it will face the Dominican Republic.
The next day they will face Argentina. Brazil will be the opponent on the 23rd and concludes the preliminary phase against Venezuela on the 24th.
Group B is made up of Panama, the United States, Mexico, Colombia and Nicaragua, Ecuador and the hosts.
Panama has already qualified for the World Cup next year by hosting this qualifying tournament, so the rest of the eleven teams will fight for one of the three remaining spots in the big event.
The first two in each group will advance to the semifinals and will all be classified if Panama reaches the semifinals. Otherwise, those on the podium will be advancing to the World Cup.
Last year the United States, Venezuela and Mexico took the first three places, in that order, in the Pre-World Cup of the Americas in the category, an event in which Cuba came in sixth place.
This championship, organized by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), is not only a crucial platform for young talents, but also plays an essential role in the development of the sport globally.
#Cuba #team #arrives #Panama #U12 #baseball #World #Cup
