Mar 19, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; USA hosts Cuba during the semifinal game of the World Baseball Classic at LoanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Baseball: World Baseball Classic – Semifinal
(New York, NY) — According to the Miami Herald‘s Jorge Ebro, Iván Prieto González defected from his home country of Cuba when he didn’t board the team flight to Havana on Monday after his team’s 2023 World Baseball Classic loss to the United States. Prieto was a bullpen catcher during the tournament, and is the first “deserter” from the Cuban delegation.
The 26-year-old played for a total of seven seasons for Sabuesos de Holguín and Alazanes de Granma in the Cuban National Series. He had a .291 batting average with 13 home runs and 102 RBI in 257 games.
Baseball players have defected from Cuba in the past to either try and make it in the MLB or leave their home country behind. During the U23 Baseball World Cup in Mexico, 11 players defected.
President Donald Trump canceled a deal between MLB and the Cuban Baseball Federation in April 2019 that would’ve allowed Cuban players to compete in MLB without having to defect. The deal was negotiated by the Obama administration.
