Cuba Catcher Ivan Prieto Defects After WBC
Cuba catcher Ivan Prieto has defected from his home nation of Cuba after Team Cuba was eliminated in the World Baseball Classic on Sunday.
Prieto, 26, did not attend the team’s flight back from Miami to Havana after the game, according to reports from The Miami Herald. The flight was scheduled to leave from Miami International Airport but left without Gonzalez.
This is certainly not the first time a Cuban baseball player has decided to defect from the country. But, this is the first time that a player has done this during the World Baseball Classic, according to Francys Romero.
Even with Prieto’s defection, Team Cuba’s plane arrived back in Havana, where it was met with “an official reception by the authorities,” according to Fox News.
Prieto is effectively giving up on his career in Cuban baseball. He spent eight seasons with the Sabuesos de Holguín and Alazanes de Granma in the Cuban National Series.
History of Cuban Baseball Players Defecting
There are plenty of Cuban baseball players that have successfully defected from the country. Cuba essentially cuts ties with the players after they do this, so Cuban baseball players understand the potential consequences of defecting.
Some notable Cuban baseball players who have defected and still play in MLB today include Yordan Alvarez, Jose Abreu, and Randy Arozarena.
Many Cubans that defected from the country stay in Miami once they arrive in the United States. It makes sense, the city of Miami is only about 260 miles.
But many Cubans took issue with Team Cuba being in Miami in the first place. They believed it was disrespectful, and held a protest in Miami on Saturday.
“The repressors and these people that are coming to play baseball, disguised as repressors, disguised as baseball players, representing the worst dictatorship in this hemisphere for 64 years, are coming here to play baseball,” said one protestor, according to NBC News South Florida. “That’s a big insult to Cubans.”
What would you do if you were a Team Cuba player? Go back to the nation that has long suppressed its people, or defect?
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