Havana, April 9 (RHC)-- Manager Armando Ferrer welcomes the idea of summoning to the Cuban national baseball team players who wish to wear the Team Cuba uniform, despite having spent years playing in foreign leagues.
"Any player who wants to join us will raise the ceiling of Cuban baseball," said Ferrer, manager of Cuba's runner-up Matanzas and one of the candidates to lead the island's team to the Pre-Olympic Games in Florida (May), in statements to Radio Habana Cuba (www.radiohc.cu).
When questioned about the possible call-up for the Pre-Olympic of some players who play without the endorsement of the Cuban Federation in foreign leagues, Ferrer did not hesitate to describe it as "a positive aspect."
Champion last year with the Matanzas Crocodiles and runner-up this season, the experienced mentor gave as an example Yadir Drake, who resigned to continue playing to return to Cuba and join the Matanzas team in search of being champion on the island with his province.
"He stopped earning money in the Pacific League (Mexico) and stated that he did not want to be chosen as reinforcement because he had a commitment to his province. These things are positive. Any athlete who wants to join us is going to be positive for Cuban baseball," he said.
"They have proven themselves in other baseball, they are Cubans in the end and it would be good if we could unify a team of Cubans, who have not gone there (another country) for other reasons than just to prove themselves at a higher level. Why not accept them?"
Ferrer considered that Cuban baseball is already in conditions to get out of the slump we have had at the international level. "There is great optimism and a working group very focused on this issue (winning) and I think there will be results," he said.
He advanced that after the vaccination process of the Cuban pre-selection and a few days of active rest, two groups will be made, one for the Pre-Olympic and the other for the Caribbean Cup (Curacao), which will be prepared in the province of Matanzas.
"We only know that on the 18th (Sunday) the 2 pre-selections will start working. That is what has been planned, nothing else has been decided," he said.
The experienced manager valued as "very positive" that Cuban baseball players and other athletes have been given the first dose of Soberana 02, one of the vaccine candidates developed in Cuba to combat COVID-19.
"It is an advance we have. Right now I have been vaccinated. Look at all that is being done in public health, focused on the issue of sports. I think it is a very good thing that we are protected from this disease that is affecting the world," he stressed.
(Edited by Ed Newman, Photo of Armando Ferrer: Itsván Ojeda)
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