All-Star selection for the II Elite League. Most Valuable Player award goes to Yurisbel Gracial

A recently named series of stars will be played by the All-Star team in Matanzas

Yurisbel Gracial was named MVP. (Photo by Ricardo López Hevia)

Yurisbel Gracial from Matanzas won the Most Valuable Player award of the II Elite Cuban Baseball League (LEBC).

The II LEBC announced this Monday night in Havana its All-Star teams for the offensive and defensive departments, known as Silver Bats and Golden Gloves, respectively.

Yurisbel Gracial, one of the rare selections for the most valuable title, accumulating only 67 at-bats of the 108 required, was undoubtedly an offensive force for his Matanzas team in 14 games. As a joint leader of the tournament, Gracial hit 8 home runs, drove in 25 runs, and put up an offensive line of .418/.522/.909, with projections that he could still have won the title if he played all the regular season games.

It is expected that the All-Star team will also play in the announced All-Star Series alongside the team that is crowned in this Elite tournament.

To "finish off" the Colombian Intercontinental Baseball Series that failed, this series will invite foreign teams. Almost like the now-canceled Intercontinental tournament, the series will run from January 28 to February 1. In Miami, the newly formed FEBCUBE federation wanted to participate and represent Cubans in the Intercontinental Series.

It does not appear that foreign casts will be taken for this hasty and unnecessary series, but confirmation is still pending. According to Juan Reinaldo Pérez, the president of the Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation, if foreign teams do not enter, the series will be played in three games with a best-of-two format, beginning on January 28 at Victoria de Girón Stadium.

These are the II Elite League All-Star teams.

II Elite League Awards

MVP

• Yurisbel Gracial (Matanzas)

Silver Slugger

C: Andy Y. Cosme (Artemisa)

1B: Rafael R. Viñales (Las Tunas)

2B: Jorge E. Alomá (Industriales)

SS: Luis V. Mateo (Industriales)

3B: Yurisbel Gracial (Matanzas)

OF: Dennis Laza (Artemisa)

OF: Alexander Pozo (Matanzas)

OF: Denis Peña (Las Tunas)

UT: José A. Noroña (Matanzas)

DH: Frederich Cepeda (Sancti Spíritus)

Gold Glove

C: Andy Y. Cosme (Artemisa)

1B: Yordanis Samón (Matanzas)

2B: Jorge E. Alomá (Industriales)

SS: Dainel López (Artemisa)

3B: Yordanis Alarcón (Las Tunas)

LF: Denis Laza (Artemisa)

CF: Eduardo Blanco (Matanzas)

RF: Carlos de la Tejera (Artemisa)

P: Yadián Martínez (Las Tunas)

Best RHP

• Remberto Barreto (Industriales)

Best LHP

• Geonel Gutiérrez (Artemisa)

Best Reliever

• Yanielkis Duardo (Sancti Spíritus)