Also in this edition: several breaking news stories published my platforms, particularly involving MLB promotions, including the intriguing case of a pitcher from a country not traditionally known for producing major leaguers.

I’ll also take a closer look at one of the prospects who has made the biggest leap from 2025 to 2026, as well as several players who have recently changed agencies.

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Both players were members of Team Cuba at the U-18 World Cup in Okinawa, Japan, held in September 2025.

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Eom, 17, can run his fastball up to 95 mph while also showing an advanced contact bat and elite defense for his age.

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This week, I visited a university to cover the appointment of a former MLB manager. We also witnessed the remarkable rise of an overlooked left-handed pitcher who spent eight years fighting his way to the major leagues. And finally, I sat down with one of the most influential baseball agents of the 1990s, who is making his return to the industry.

But, first, a word from my editor.

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In last April’s edition, I discussed several key storylines surrounding the current 2025-2026 international period and today we’ll revisit some of those topics.

We’ll also take a look at several young players who participated in the MLB Showcase in Barcelona. A number of international directors and high-ranking personnel from different MLB departments attended the event, and today we’ll see how some of those European players have already secured agreements with MLB organizations.

Meanwhile, a Cuban prospect recently arrived in the Dominican Republic — perhaps the best player in the current 19-20 age group available during this international period. We’ll break down who he is and what makes him such an intriguing talent in this market.

Let’s get started.

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Junior Vizcaino was fired on August 23, 2024, due to low production. Between August and September of 2024, a total of five International Scouting Directors lost their jobs across the industry, including Vizcaino. He now remains in the game as a scout for the Los Angeles Angels. However, the very thing for which Vizcaino was dismissed has now begun to produce results. The important part of his story is that when you build the right foundation, sooner or later, the results come. “Bottom line is we felt like to get better in this space and to produce more, it was time to make a change,” general manager Ben Cherington told reporters following that decision. In recent months, that same Cherington has called up four players scouted by Vizcaino.

Organizations such as the Mets, Marlins, Nationals, Pirates, and White Sox decided to rethink the direction of their international scouting departments, removing five international directors between August and September 2024. When the news became public, the reactions on social media toward Vizcaino were not fair.

Most fans in the Pittsburgh area attributed the limited impact of his signings to their lack of MLB contributions. In short, very few players reached the majors during the nearly seven-year period since he took over as International Director in 2017.

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However, baseball is always an unpredictable, ever-changing, and intangible game. By the middle of the 2026 season, while Vizcaino was working with the Angels, the accumulated results of years of work began to surface, with a wave of five players promoted to MLB within a span of a couple of months.

I spoke with Vizcaino recently over Zoom and wanted to hear his perspective on what happened and his current work. Regarding his dismissal from the Pirates, he told me:

“It was a big surprise because the work we were doing didn’t deserve what happened. According to the press release, they let me go due to low production, both me and Luis Silverio,” he said.

Silverio served as Senior Advisor of Latin American Operations. He has more than 40 years of experience in baseball, having worked in front offices, coaching staffs, and scouting departments. Luis was an MLB player with the Kansas City Royals in 1978.

By the time of his departure as Pirates international director, only infielder/outfielder Ji-Hwan Bae and right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz had reached MLB. However, more than a dozen players signed during that period were either used as trade assets or selected in the Rule 5 Draft in December by other clubs.

Still, from late 2025 through May 2026, a total of five players scouted under Vizcaino’s leadership and his scouting staff have made their way to MLB contributions.

Vizcaino explains how he had to build the Pirates’ system from the ground up. Beyond addressing structural and operational challenges, he also focused on the intangible side: developing scouts with a clear philosophy for talent evaluation while also contributing across minor league systems and, ultimately, at the MLB level.

“I had a young scouting staff,” he said.

He and Luis Silverio spent significant time mentoring and training young scouts who joined the organization. One of the key differences he highlights is that organizations that dismissed international directors during that same August–September 2024 period also tended to part ways with their scouting staff. In Pittsburgh’s case, that did not happen, the only departures were Vizcaino and Silverio. According to him, that reflects positively on the work they did, since many of those evaluators, whether in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, or elsewhere, were developed under their guidance.

“I used to watch talent videos and form my own opinion, but I wouldn’t impose it,” he added. “I let the scouts speak freely, and that helped build leadership so they could develop their own voices and improve.”

Whenever players were scouted, whether at showcases or tournaments, the group would meet afterward and spend hours discussing evaluations before reaching any decision.

“When we decided to sign a player, we didn’t take long,” he said.

That was the case with Esmerlyn Valdez, a power-hitting outfielder who, after being promoted, hit his first MLB home run this Sunday, May 24, in Toronto.

“I am very proud of the work and my scouting team did with Esmerlyn”, Vizcaino said when I asked him about the recently promoted talent.

With a smile on his face, Junior admits that he often reflects on the work he and his staff did with the players.

“When scouting Esmerlyn with had to project his ability and tools because the finished player you are seeing now is far from the young man we scouted”.

Vizcaino and his group first saw Valdez, now nicknamed “The Magician”, at a tournament in the United States. They then evaluated him a second time at the Pirates academy in the Dominican Republic.

“What impressed me most about him was that he hit in games, and that’s what I told Luis,” he said, referring to Luis Silverio, who at the time served as Senior Advisor of Latin American Operations. He was struck by how much better Valdez hit in games compared to batting practice. When asked why that often happens, Vizcaino explained:

“Pitch velocity varies a lot,” he said.

That observation led him to believe that Valdez’s ability to perform against live pitching was legitimate and that he had a real chance to progress through the system.

Junior Vizcaino, 61, currently works as a crosschecker for the Los Angeles Angels. He operates between the amateur and international scouting sectors, overseeing the high-level responsibility of evaluating players projected to be top selections in the MLB Draft.

His manner of speaking is calm and humble. He does not appear to hold much resentment about what happened in the past and remains focused on his current role with the Angels.

Vizcaino is a former minor league player drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 14th round of the 1987 Draft. He was a tall first baseman—6-foot-5—with power during the early years of his career between 1987 and 1988. However, after reaching Double-A around 1990, he exited the MLB system and began his scouting career with the Atlanta Braves in 1994, where he worked until 2000. He later moved to the Kansas City Royals and, in 2007, was promoted to National Scouting Supervisor. After a short yet successful stint as a Global Crosschecker with the Boston Red Sox, where he was instrumental in the signings of Ceddanne Rafaela and Brayan Bello, he returned to Pittsburgh, this time as International Director in December 2017.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington later acknowledged Vizcaino’s work shortly after his dismissal:

“I think Junior is really a hard-working, loyal, proud scout who worked really hard for the Pirates,” Cherington said. “He did some things really well and came into a situation prior to me being here that needed attention and credibility, and he brought that attention and credibility.”

Life for the 61-year-old scout is now different. He is no longer a director nor responsible for overseeing hundreds of scouting operations. Instead, he travels across the country evaluating top talent for the 2026 MLB Draft. These days, more than ever, he is fully immersed in that role. He no longer seems concerned with the negative commentary that followed his tenure in Pittsburgh.

“People have to say something, because if they were telling the truth, I would still be there. We worked with integrity and never embarrassed the organization, we built a group that is still in place today.”

Many more prospects are still on the way, and talent evaluation remains as unpredictable as the players themselves. From Vizcaíno’s era, several prospects are currently ranked among the top 30 in the system, including Edward Florentino, Yordany De Los Santos, Tony Blanco Jr., and the flame-throwing Antwone Kelly, all of whom are progressing steadily toward the Major Leagues.

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This week I have four stories. A Dominican right-hander makes his climb to Houston. A Nicaraguan pitcher, one strike away from a World Baseball Classic upset, finds his way back into affiliated ball. A Pittsburgh outfielder is set to make his MLB debut. And a Cuban teenager arrives in the Dominican Republic, quietly becoming one of the most watched names left on the international market.

Let’s get into them.

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El slugger cubano de los Houston Astros y uno de los mejores bateadores de MLB, Yordan Álvarez, ganó nuevamente una demanda arbitral en la República Dominicana.

Álvarez, de 28 años, junto a su equipo de abogados, ganó el caso de demanda arbitral interpuesto por el Sr. Manuel Antonio Azcona en su contra.

Azcona demandó nuevamente a Álvarez en septiembre de 2025, alegando incumplimiento de contrato y afirmando que no había recibido un supuesto porcentaje de dinero correspondiente a la firma del pelotero Yordan Álvarez.

En su demanda, Azcona alegaba que el jugador cubano supuestamente violó lo pactado entre ellos y, en consecuencia, exigía el pago de 46 millones de dólares, es decir, el 40% de su segundo contrato profesional, el cual tiene un valor de $115,000 millones con los Astros y que finaliza luego de la temporada 2028.

Sin embargo, Álvarez demostró en corte una vez más que no guarda vínculo contractual con el Sr. Azcona y que cumplió a cabalidad el compromiso contractual y monetario que existía entre ambos, demostrando más allá de toda duda razonable que el contrato utilizado por Azcona se encuentra totalmente extinguido por haberse ejecutado en su totalidad.

En ese sentido, el tribunal arbitral, luego de comprobar la inexistencia de compromiso contractual ni económico por parte de Yordan Álvarez frente al Sr. Azcona, rechazó en todas sus partes las pretensiones del demandante.

Manuel Azcona fue lanzador en Ligas Menores entre 1981 y 1984, según el portal Baseball-Reference. Registró marca de 0-2 con 9.68 de efectividad durante cuatro temporadas en las organizaciones de Pittsburgh Pirates y Montreal Expos. Nunca pasó del nivel Clase A.

Lo que fue una carrera discreta como beisbolista se potenció a inicios de los años 2000 como manejador de peloteros. Azcona obtuvo ingresos significativos durante esos años con la firma de varios talentos cubanos en organizaciones de Grandes Ligas. Uno de ellos fue Juan Miguel Miranda, quien en diciembre de 2006 firmó con los New York Yankees por cuatro años y dos millones de dólares.

Sin embargo, no toda la carrera de Azcona ha sido favorable. Purgó alrededor de 10 meses de prisión en Cuba a mediados de los 2000, acusado de tráfico ilegal de peloteros. En el libro Baseball Cop: The Dark Side of America’s National Pastime, del ex investigador de MLB Eddie Domínguez, se describe al personaje: «También encontré que Azcona es una serpiente, aunque interesante».

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Azcona fungió como representante de Yordan desde su salida de Cuba en 2015, conjuntamente con el entrenador Aldo Marrero. Este último supervisó desde su academia la firma de Álvarez con los Los Angeles Dodgers, previamente acordando el porcentaje correspondiente para cada uno.

Una vez firmado Yordan en 2016, el esquema de corrupción atribuido a Azcona para manejar el acuerdo con Álvarez consistió en ceder su porcentaje a una tercera persona mediante pagaré notarial y cesión de crédito, bajo el alegato de que le debía todos sus porcentajes a dicha persona, según documentos de corte a los que tuve acceso.

Azcona autorizó a la tercera persona a cobrar en nombre de Yordan en el mismo banco BHD. Sin embargo, una vez ejecutado el cobro, posteriormente alegó no haber autorizado el pago de sus porcentajes a ninguna persona.

De esa forma inició su disputa contra Yordan desde 2016, alegando no haber recibido pago alguno. En ese entonces, trabó un embargo retentivo contra Álvarez, logrando un pago adicional en calidad de préstamo por 100 mil dólares, más 10 mil dólares al abogado notario de Santiago, Juan Carlos Ortiz, para la elaboración de recibos de descargo que nunca fueron emitidos. Posteriormente, tras ese acuerdo de préstamo que nunca fue devuelto, volvió a imponer un embargo retentivo contra Álvarez, quien procedió a apoderar a sus abogados para su defensa, los cuales solicitaron el levantamiento del embargo por carecer de base legal.

Álvarez fue favorecido por sentencia con el levantamiento del embargo, luego de demostrarse que no existía deuda pendiente ni compromiso contractual con el Sr. Azcona, y que además había sido pagada la suma de $480,000 a un tercero previamente aprobado por el propio Azcona.

Esto ocurrió en 2019.

Aproximadamente tres años después, Azcona volvió con una demanda por 46 millones de dólares, la cual fue rechazada en todas sus partes por improcedente, mal fundada y carente de base legal, luego de que Yordan Álvarez demostrara nuevamente que no existía vínculo contractual entre las partes.

Estas acciones legales post-contrato son relativamente frecuentes en la República Dominicana.

El abogado de Yordan Álvarez, Lic. Oscar Batista, señala que el Sr. Manuel Antonio Azcona se habría dedicado, durante el curso de los distintos procesos judiciales emprendidos, a gestionar préstamos con inversionistas en la República Dominicana y en la ciudad de Miami, bajo un esquema estructurado de promesas de pago con elevados intereses, condicionados al eventual resultado favorable de las demandas interpuestas.

Según indica, en la más reciente de dichas acciones judiciales se reclamaba la suma de 46 millones de dólares contra Yordan Álvarez, pretensión que finalmente fue rechazada.

En ese contexto, el abogado de Yordan Álvarez, Lic. Oscar Batista, advirtió que, de persistir el Sr. Manuel Antonio Azcona en la interposición de acciones que considera temerarias e infundadas, se verán en la imperiosa necesidad de iniciar las acciones judiciales correspondientes, orientadas a procurar la reparación integral de los daños y perjuicios ocasionados al pelotero Yordan Álvarez.

En diciembre de 2021, la Embajada de los Estados Unidos de América en la República Dominicana, mediante la nota diplomática núm. 2021-1258, solicitó al Gobierno dominicano la entrega en extradición del nacional dominicano Manuel Azcona, por cargos relacionados con la acusación formal por “asociación delictuosa para distribuir cocaína”.

Azcona permanece hasta el día de hoy en territorio de la República Dominicana, tras haber cumplido varios años de prisión en la ciudad de Miami.

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Cuban slugger, one of MLB’s premier hitters and a star for the Houston Astros, has once again prevailed in an arbitration lawsuit filed against him in the Dominican Republic.

Álvarez, 28, along with his legal team, won the arbitration case brought by Manuel Antonio Azcona, who had once again sued the Cuban star in September 2025, alleging breach of contract. Azcona claimed he had not received a supposed percentage of the money tied to Álvarez’s professional signing agreements.

In the lawsuit, to which I had access in order to review the court documents, Azcona argued that Álvarez had violated the terms of their alleged agreement and therefore demanded $46 million, equivalent to 40% of Álvarez’s second professional contract with Houston, valued at $115 million and running through the 2028 season.

However, Álvarez once again proved in court that he holds no contractual relationship with Azcona and that he had fully complied with every financial and contractual obligation that had previously existed between them. His legal team demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that the agreement cited by Azcona had already been completely fulfilled and extinguished.

After reviewing the evidence and confirming that Álvarez had no remaining contractual or financial obligations toward Azcona, the arbitration tribunal dismissed all claims brought against the Astros slugger.

According to Baseball-Reference, Manuel Azcona pitched in Minor League Baseball from 1981 to 1984. He posted a 0-2 record with a 9.68 ERA over four seasons in the organizations of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Montreal Expos, never advancing beyond Class A.

While his playing career was relatively unremarkable, Azcona later became a successful baseball agent and handler of Cuban players during the early 2000s, earning substantial money through the signings of several Cuban prospects with Major League organizations. One of the most notable cases was Juan Miranda, who signed a four-year, $2 million contract with the New York Yankees in December 2006.

Still, Azcona’s career has not been without controversy. He reportedly served around 10 months in prison in Cuba during the mid-2000s on accusations related to the illegal trafficking of baseball players. In the book Baseball Cop: The Dark Side of America’s National Pastime, former MLB investigator Eddie Domínguez described Azcona by writing: “I also found Azcona to be a snake, though an interesting one.”

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Azcona served as Álvarez’s representative after the player left Cuba in 2015, alongside trainer Aldo Marrero. Marrero later supervised Álvarez’s signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers through his academy, with both men allegedly agreeing beforehand on their respective percentages.

According to court documents that I had access to, the corruption scheme allegedly used by Azcona to deceive Álvarez involved assigning his percentage rights to a third party through a notarized promissory note and credit assignment, claiming he owed all of his shares to that individual.

Azcona allegedly authorized the third party to collect payment from Álvarez through BHD Bank. After the transaction was completed, Azcona later claimed he had never authorized payment of his percentage to anyone else.

That move marked the beginning of a years-long legal battle against Álvarez dating back to 2016. At the time, Azcona filed a garnishment order against the player and secured an additional payment of $100,000 labeled as a loan money that was allegedly never repaid, plus another $10,000 paid to Santiago-based attorney and notary Juan Carlos Ortiz to prepare liability release documents that were reportedly never produced.

For paid subscribers: The “best talent still remaining in Cuba” left the island.

Despite that prior agreement, Azcona later filed another garnishment action against Álvarez, prompting the player to formally retain legal counsel. Álvarez’s attorneys successfully petitioned the court to dismiss the seizure order, arguing it lacked legal basis and factual merit.

In 2019, the court ruled in Álvarez’s favor and ordered the garnishment lifted after it was proven that no outstanding debt or contractual obligation existed between the player and Azcona. The court also confirmed that Álvarez had already paid $480,000 to a third party previously approved by Azcona himself.

Roughly three years later, Azcona returned with a new $46 million lawsuit, which was again dismissed in its entirety as groundless, unfounded, and lacking legal merit after Álvarez demonstrated that no contractual relationship existed between the two parties.

Post-contract lawsuits of this nature are reportedly common in the Dominican Republic.

Attorney Oscar Batista, who represents Álvarez, stated that Azcona spent years obtaining loans from investors in the Dominican Republic under a structured scheme, allegedly promising substantial returns if he were to win the $46 million claim against the Astros star.

In that context, Batista warned that if Mr. Manuel Antonio Azcona continues filing what he considers frivolous and unfounded legal actions, they will be compelled to pursue the appropriate legal measures aimed at seeking full compensation for the damages caused to Yordan Álvarez.

In December 2021, the United States Embassy in the Dominican Republic, through diplomatic note No. 2021-1258, formally requested the extradition of Dominican national Manuel Azcona to face charges in the United States related to “conspiracy to distribute cocaine.”

Azcona later served prison time in Miami and currently resides in the Dominican Republic.

Sanchez was considered the best talent still remaining in Cuba, featuring 60-70 grade power on the 80-grade scouting scale.

This is a developing story and I will be updating it later today.

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I am launching a new section at Beisbol FR to discuss some of the most important developments of the week while also incorporating insights, analysis and key news from around the baseball world. My goal is to try to give you new content every single week, things that cross my path during the week and I find valuable to you, as paid subscribers.

So, whenever you see The Insider FR on your inbox, click immediately: there’s some value behind that.

This week I will cover three different topics.

Behind this paywall you will learn about Raisel Iglesias’ redemption during the first months of the 2026 season. You will also get to know more about the international prospect traded to the Diamondbacks for Alek Thomas, as well as an unfortunate update on a White Sox right-handed pitcher who entered 2026 eager to make an impact but instead encountered Tommy John surgery along the way.

Welcome.

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Franchises such as the San Diego Padres and the Texas Rangers have already surpassed 30 signed players. Others, including the Oakland Athletics and the Baltimore Orioles, have fewer than 15 signings so far.

In total, $186 million has been invested in international signings, with players coming from 16 different countries up to this point in the period.

There are still several intriguing prospects who could sign before December 15, when the international signing window officially closes. Organizations such as the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Toronto Blue Jays still have remaining international bonus pool money to work with.

What’s behind the paywall this month?

💰Show me the money: Which MLB teams still have international pool space available, and how much?

🎁 Jackpot: From a $10 K bet to a HR in his first at bat in MLB

🇯🇵 Not Ohtani: But close… Japan’s newest two-way sensation

🇨🇺 Island fever: he left Cuba just weeks ago and is already impressing scouts.

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Park, 17, attends Gwangju Jeil High School in Gwangju, a city located about 190 miles from the capital Seoul.

According to multiple industry sources, the agreement between Park and the Phillies is worth approximately $1.2 million, the highest bonus paid to a pitcher in the current international signing period. The official signing is expected to take place in the coming weeks.

Joe Doyle first reported on his X account that Park and the Phillies had reached an agreement.

What type of talent is Park? Why several prospects are skipping the KBO draft to go straight to MLB? Answers behind the paywall.

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In this monthly column, perhaps the only one fully dedicated to what’s happening on the international scene, we continue to highlight the most notable developments from month to month.

This March also brought several releases from previous signing classes, including two players who once sat at the top of the 2020 to 2021 period.

Infielders Yiddi Cappe (Cuba) and Armando Cruz (Dominican Republic) were released by the Marlins and Nationals, respectively. Neither player made the expected progress after being evaluated as advanced talents for their age five years ago.

Cappe was unable to advance beyond Double A, despite ranking among the Marlins’ top 10 prospects between 2023 and 2024. Cruz, meanwhile, reached as high as No. 14 in the Nationals system in 2023, but struggled significantly afterward to move past High A Wilmington, posting a .568 OPS in 2024 and a .455 OPS in 2025.

Both Cruz and Cappe were among the top bonus signings of the 2020 to 2021 international class. Of all the players who topped that class, only one has reached the Major Leagues after five years, while three have already been released. The remaining players are still active, but at this point, they appear to be a long way from reaching the Big Leagues.

OF Pedro Leon ($4,000,000) HOU (Active) MLB

SS Armando Cruz ($3,900,000) WSH (Released) A+

SS Yiddi Cappe ($3,500,000) MIA (Released) AA

SS Cristian Hernandez ($3,000,000) CHI (Active) A+

SS Carlos Colmenarez ($3,000,000) TB (Active) AAA

SS Cristian Santana ($2,975,000) DET (Active) A

SS Wilman Diaz ($2,700,000) LA (Released) A+

OF Pedro Pineda ($2,500,000) ATH (Active) A+

OF Shalin Polanco ($2,350,000) PIT (Active) A+

SS Manuel Beltre ($2,350,000) TOR (Active) A+

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“One day you will be the manager of this team,” Odor told him.

Nine years later, Omar López is a 10-2 manager in the World Baseball Classic, with a surreal run that, even without the best roster or many stars, led him to reign in the baseball world against powerhouses like Japan, the United States, and the Dominican Republic at loanDepot Park in Miami. In front of a roaring crowd and with the confidence of feeling like the home team, Venezuela also achieved, along the way, its first qualification for the Olympic Games as a baseball team.

López had to endure constant criticism, pressure to answer political questions, and negative comments on social media.

“I can control what is from here to here.”

After nine innings against the United States, and with a starting pitching performance by Eduardo Rodríguez, which I believe was one of the keys to the game, Venezuela defied all predictions, building an even better script for the World Baseball Classic championship game.

Rodríguez went 4.1 innings scoreless with 4 strikeouts, just 1 hit allowed, 57 pitches, and one walk. The 32 year old left hander, who has spent the last two seasons pitching with an ERA above 5.00 for the Arizona Diamondbacks, became the first left handed pitcher with 4.0 or more scoreless innings and 4 strikeouts in a WBC final.

The Venezuelans scored a run in the 3rd inning against Mets ace Nolan McLean, with a single to right field by Salvador Pérez, a walk to Ronald Acuña Jr., a wild pitch, and then a line drive hit at 97.7 mph exit velocity by Maikel García that traveled 347 feet, allowing Pérez to score from third.

Leading off the 5th inning early in the count, outfielder Wilyer Abreu extended the lead with a massive hit to center field at loanDepot Park.

Venezuela’s bullpen did an admirable job, maintaining a streak that began in the 5th inning against the Dominican Republic and extended through the 8th inning against the United States in the final. A total of 21.1 scoreless innings was broken when Bryce Harper connected on a 93 mph changeup from Andrés Machado and sent it 432 feet over the center field wall, tying the game at 2-2.

However, Venezuela had a weapon more powerful than fastballs and 110 mph exit velocity hits. They were not afraid to lose. They played as if there were no tomorrow and that can be dangerous, but on nights like last night, it becomes the doorway that opens the path to glory.

Luis Arraez worked the best walk of his career against Garrett Whitlock in the top of the 9th inning. Upon reaching first base, he was replaced by Javier Sanoja, a 5 foot 7 player, a sort of Jose Altuve type, signed for a low international bonus in his first contract and underestimated.

“From the dugout I was supporting my teammates when they told me I was going to run at first.”

Sanoja was completely loose. They talked about Whitlock’s slow movements and looked to take advantage of that. That was when Sanoja went for the steal and, despite arriving just barely safe, the United States challenged the play on replay, which ultimately confirmed the stolen base.

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“We made the best decision,” Sanoja told me in center field while celebrating the world championship with his country of birth.

With Sanoja on second base and the United States unable to use Mason Miller, their best closer, Eugenio Suárez stayed calm and connected on a Whitlock changeup in a 3 2 count, placing it perfectly between left field and center field.

“To be able to hit that double and give the victory to a country that deserves it and a team that never gave up, I have to put that first. God has been good.”

When Suárez reached second base, he looked up to the sky and said several words, but there was one that stood out more than any other: “Thank you.”

Suárez became only the second player to deliver a go ahead hit in the 9th inning or later in a World Baseball Classic championship game since 2006. The first was Ichiro Suzuki in the 10th inning against South Korea on March 23, 2009.

After this sequence of events, intangible at the time, a 26 year old reliever from the Chicago Cubs named Daniel Palencia entered the 9th inning with the mission of recording three outs that would represent the greatest sporting victory in Venezuela’s history. He struck out Kyle Schwarber with a 98.5 mph fastball, then forced Gunnar Henderson into a ground ball to third base with another fastball over 97 mph, and the final batter, Roman Anthony, was overpowered with a 99.7 mph pitch, marking Palencia’s 7th strikeout at 99 plus mph in the World Baseball Classic, leading that category.

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Venezuela reached the highest point in its sporting history. A country extremely talented at playing this game, with incredible growth over the last 15 years and an increasing ability to manage and guide that talent, achieved glory at loanDepot Park in Miami, which felt more like a Venezuelan stadium than one in the United States.

Manager Omar López said through tears about half an hour later that he longed to be in his hometown of Maiquetía. Victor Martinez, the assistant manager, and Miguel Cabrera, the hitting coach, were crying uncontrollably in a crowd of journalists, family members, and tournament organizers in the outfield area of loanDepot Park.

Without stars like Jose Altuve, Jesus Luzardo, or Robert Suarez, the Venezuelan team pushed through all the difficulties that a team not expected to be champion usually faces. It is not the path anyone plans for, those perfect formulas that come together within a game and bring results.

This Venezuelan championship in the World Baseball Classic 2026 proves that baseball still is and will continue to be a game that does not believe in stars or logic.

Maybe they were not players of the caliber of Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes, or Alex Bregman. Maybe they did not go through the best paths to get where they did. Venezuela was not supposed to achieve that greatness. But there is no such thing as what is supposed to happen or not. Baseball is a game that does not believe in assumptions.

Why do you think you achieved this feat, I asked Luis Arraez an hour later on the field.

“We did it because we played united, we played with passion, with respect, and look, God’s timing is perfect, and God never keeps anyone’s effort.”

A total of 397 players born in Venezuela signed during the 2024 to 2025 international period, and more than 200 have already signed since January 15. Venezuelan talent will continue to enter and develop within the MLB system.

The glory achieved on March 17, 2026, in Little Havana in Miami is a cause and effect of all the concentrated talent and the immense faith of a nation.

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In 2023, Arozarena had taken that same walk to the plate against the very same opponent: the United States. Back then the game was played at Chase Field, and Arozarena was the leadoff hitter.

When he arrived at home plate, he extended his hand to greet catcher Will Smith. Smith refused the handshake.

Mexico went on to win that game 11–5, with Arozarena delivering three hits, including two doubles and two RBIs.

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Three years later, in another showdown between Mexico and the United States, Arozarena approached the plate again. Perhaps this time he hesitated before offering his hand. The catcher waiting for him was different, this time it was Cal Raleigh, his teammate in Seattle since 2024.

To the surprise of many, Raleigh chose not to return the greeting. Arozarena was left hanging, his hand extended into empty space. Raleigh said something to him as Arozarena looked back, visibly surprised, trying to understand the reason behind the refusal.

The moment between Arozarena and Raleigh was not a minor incident, nor simply another misunderstanding between two teams that share a long rivalry in the World Baseball Classic, like the United States and Mexico.

What happened at home plate represented something larger: a deeper difference between two ways of seeing the game and competition itself: two baseball cultures with opposing views on how the game should be played.

Clash of Cultures

A confrontation that has stretched across more than two decades in baseball, one that reaches into debates about whether bat flips should be celebrated, the theoretical clash between tradition and modernity, and whether written or unwritten rules truly define the game.

Is it respectful to celebrate a home run? To flip the bat after a big hit? To keep pushing for runs when your team already holds a comfortable lead? Or to continue swinging when the opponent is fading in a lopsided defeat?

“It’s funny to think about the American way of playing baseball, but it’s also impressive to see all these cultures from Asia, Latin countries, and the Americas,” Bryce Harper said before Sunday’s game between the United States and the Dominican Republic at loanDepot Park.

Harper added that every culture approaches the game differently. He admitted he can’t dance the way Fernando Tatis Jr. does, but he still has his own way of enjoying the game.

During the quarterfinal matchup between the United States and Canada, first baseman Josh Naylor tried to greet catcher and Seattle teammate Cal Raleigh at home plate. Raleigh, the MLB single-season home run record holder for catchers, did not extend his hand.

Still, the two appeared to exchange a brief greeting, even as Naylor’s hand remained awkwardly outstretched.

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Before the first pitch of the Dominican Republic–United States game, Tatis Jr. did not extend his hand to catcher Will Smith. Many wondered what might have happened if Raleigh had been behind the plate when Julio Rodríguez walked toward home.

Would Julio have extended his hand? Would Raleigh have greeted him after leaving teammates like Randy Arozarena and Naylor hanging earlier? And ultimately, does it really matter whether players shake hands at home plate before a game?

Not a War, Not a Battle

Despite these cultural differences in how the game is understood, there have also been moments of unity during the World Baseball Classic. William Contreras and Tatis Jr. shared a long embrace when they met at home plate before the first pitch of Venezuela vs. the Dominican Republic.

After that embrace, Fernando Tatis Jr. blasted a home run with a bat flip off Antonio Senzatela.

United States manager Mark DeRosa, however, described the tournament in different terms during a press conference. For him, it’s a battle, a mindset in which exchanging greetings or hugs might be seen as a sign of weakness or distraction.

Yet that philosophy does not sit well with everyone. Many fans and players feel uncomfortable with the idea that sportsmanship could be mistaken for vulnerability.

The point is not whether one approach is right or wrong. It simply reflects each nation’s perspective and its cultural lens for viewing competition.

“In the end, we compete, but many of these guys are friends,” Albert Pujols told me.

Beyond the competition itself, the World Baseball Classic has become a meeting point, sometimes a clash, of cultures. Every country has its own language for asserting itself on the field.

“When you cross that line, you focus on the game. But that doesn’t mean we’re enemies.”

Some teams, such as the United States, even leaned into the battlefield mentality to strengthen their focus. During the first round in Houston, former Navy SEAL Robert J. O’Neill, who led the mission that killed Osama bin Laden, visited the clubhouse to deliver a motivational talk to Team USA.

For others, the World Baseball Classic is simply a game, not a battlefield.

This diversity of cultures and viewpoints is precisely what makes a global event like the tournament so compelling and successful. Rather than diminishing the competition, those differences have helped the sport, and the event itself, grow.

It’s Only a Game

The Dominican Republic, one of the most electrifying teams to watch in this tournament, experienced the other side of the story Sunday at loanDepot Park. Dominican pitchers struck out 15 batters against the United States’ star-studded lineup, yet the offense failed to produce the run needed to tie the game.

Their best chance came in the seventh inning, with runners on second and third and one out. Reliever David Bednar struck out Tatis Jr. and Ketel Marte, extinguishing the comeback hopes.

Even in the ninth, with Rodríguez on second base and one out, the Dominican lineup could not push across the tying run.

“I’m not going to focus on that last pitch,” Pujols said minutes after the defeat.

United States closer Mason Miller threw a slider that missed the strike zone by 3.7 inches, yet home plate umpire Cory Blaser called it strike three, an unexpected ending that surprised nearly everyone in the stadium.

Equally surprising was Pujols’ calm response. Despite the elimination, the Hall of Fame–caliber legend avoided criticizing the call.

“I feel incredibly proud of these guys. Once again, we raised our flag high.”

Pujols said that among all his achievements as a hitter and future Hall of Famer, managing in this tournament ranks among the most meaningful experiences of his career. He even thanked Austin Wells, who was not born in the Dominican Republic but still chose to represent the country.

For Pujols, destiny ultimately lies in God’s hands.

“This year wasn’t our Classic,” he said.

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For Paolo Espino, that moment arrived on the afternoon of March 9, 2026, at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. At 39 years old, the curtain quietly closed on a career defined by perseverance, a journey that leaves valuable lessons for pitchers still trying to carve out their own place in the game.

Panama manager José Mayorga slowly made the walk to the mound in the top of the fifth inning. When he reached Espino, the message was clear: it was time. The pitching change would become the final one of Espino’s professional career.

Yet there was no sadness in the moment. Teammates gathered around the mound, offering embraces and words of respect. Among them were infielders José Caballero and Edmundo Sosa. The right-hander, who spent six seasons in Major League Baseball, calmly handed the baseball to his manager.

Down the left-field line, Panama’s bullpen pitchers stepped toward the edge of the fence and raised their arms in salute. Espino then made the slow walk back to the dugout for the final time as an active professional baseball player.

From a performance standpoint, Espino’s fastball, once sitting around 90 to 93 mph, had begun to fade. In terms of raw power, he was no longer the same pitcher. Still, with his experience, command and pitching craft, Espino likely could have continued competing a while longer. But…

“Physically, the last few years have been very complicated,” Paolo Espino told me during the postgame press conference.

The game itself was not the ending Panama had hoped for. They lost 4–3 to Colombia, finishing fifth in Pool A in Puerto Rico. The result means Panama will have to go through the qualifying tournament to earn a spot in the next World Baseball Classic.

For Espino, however, retiring on the stage of the World Baseball Classic while wearing the uniform of his home country felt like the right moment. The decision came when Panama manager José Mayorga removed him from the game after 4.1 scoreless innings, allowing one walk and striking out four.

The final pitch of Espino’s career was a 69 mph curveball to Reynaldo Rodríguez, ending in a strikeout.

After being selected in the 2006 Draft by the Cleveland Guardians (then Cleveland Indians), Paolo Espino began a 12-year journey through the minor leagues before finally reaching the majors in 2017. Endurance became one of his most valuable weapons in the game.

Born in Panama City, Espino turned into a baseball journeyman, spending nearly a decade moving through Double-A, Triple-A, the Dominican Winter League, and international tournaments with Panama before eventually establishing himself between 2021 and 2022 with the Washington Nationals. I remember that in 2023 he chose to remain in Spring Training with the Nationals to compete for a spot in the rotation rather than join Panama for the tournament in Taiwan.

Espino told me he feels proud and grateful for everything he accomplished throughout the long and demanding path of his career.

“Plenty of ups and downs, but I’m very happy with everything I was able to do.”

Before walking toward the dugout, with all the infielders gathered on the mound, first baseman Christian Bethancourt asked the umpire for a new baseball so Espino could keep the one from the game.

As Espino made the roughly 20-second walk to the dugout, where the rest of his teammates were waiting, he tipped his cap, gripped the ball as if he were about to throw another pitch, and then raised his cap toward the bullpen group. Those were the final moments of his outing as an active professional baseball player.

“My tears didn’t come out, but I was close,” Espino said. “My throat tightened up.”

Along with Alexei Ramírez of Cuba and Shairon Martis of the Netherlands, Paolo Espino is the other player who appeared in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and returned again 20 years later.

Espino does not see many similarities after so much time has passed.

“The field looks similar. Everything is beautiful here. And baseball is still the same.”

After throwing his final pitch, reporters asked Paolo Espino about his immediate plans following retirement. He admitted he does not yet know what tomorrow will look like, though he did not rule out pursuing a future as a coach or working in baseball operations.

Espino was one of Panama’s most visible faces in Major League Baseball over the past decade. His name now joins a historic list of pitchers from the country that includes Mariano Rivera, Bruce Chen, Juan Berenguer, Ramiro Mendoza, Randall Delgado, Manny Corpas, Jaime Barría, Manny Acosta, and Pat Scantlebury.

At Hiram Bithorn Stadium, a light drizzle begins to fall around four in the afternoon. Espino walks out alongside manager José Mayorga and Panama’s press officer. Loud music echoes throughout the stadium. Soon, another game will begin.

Baseball does not stop for anyone, just as life does not. Espino lowers his head at times. He takes his cellphone from his left pocket, opens it, looks at it for two seconds, and then places it back in the same back left pocket of his pants.

They walk along the first base side of the stadium toward the visiting dugout. Espino looks out at the field as if it might be the last time. At moments he smiles, though the expression quickly turns serious amid the blowers and vacuums working on the field in preparation for the next game.

Espino keeps walking the same way his career unfolded over more than twenty years. He walks down the dugout steps, greets two people, and disappears from my line of sight.

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One of those differences is the way Cuba has approached analytics and scouting. Since 2016, a Cuban baseball team has not won a competitive international tournament. The last time was in Okinawa, Japan, when a group of players who were not even adults won the U-15 World Cup organized by the WBSC.

Whether because of lack of knowledge, infrastructure, or culture, Cuba has not properly embraced the new ways of managing opponent analysis. In 2023, I remember asking Cuba’s manager at the time, Armando Johnson, in Taiwan about Italy’s starting pitcher, Matt Harvey.

“We don’t really know much about him,” Johnson said at the Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan.

Three years later, at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico, I asked the same question to Cuba’s manager, Germán Mesa. In 2023, Mesa served as bench coach and the senior voice inside the clubhouse, which is why he was named Cuba’s manager for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

On March 6, Mesa entered the press conference saying he was cold. A moment later, I asked the same question again.

FR: For a long time, scouting has not really been Cuba’s strength. What do you know about the Panama team, and what have you studied most ahead of today’s first game?

GM: “We have all the scouting studies done on Panama,” said the star Cuban shortstop from 1985 to 2000. “Our players and pitchers have the scouting report on the Panama team.”

FR: What do you basically know about that pitcher (Logan Allen)? What does he rely on, what does he use to dominate?

GM: “Against different hitters he uses different pitches like the sweeper and the fastball depending on the situation, but he’s a pitcher with very good command of the strike zone.”

The Cuban press conference ends, and Germán Mesa walks slowly toward the exit with his head down. Cuba finished in fourth place in the World Baseball Classic, and in a perfect scenario, a quarterfinal qualification in this 2026 tournament would have met expectations, especially after they finished 3–4 in Pool A in Puerto Rico, a group that included Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Panama, and the host nation.

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I recall during the 2023 edition in Taiwan how many MLB teams had scouts focused on the opening game between Cuba and the Netherlands, where Yariel Rodríguez was the starting pitcher. Just days later, Rodríguez made the decision to travel to the Dominican Republic and terminate his contract with the Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball.

After returning from Taiwan and covering the semifinals and championship game in Miami, I was greatly surprised by the sheer number of scouts from multiple MLB franchises positioned behind home plate at loanDepot Park, evaluating every player participating in the final round.

In this piece, we analyze ten talents who could draw the attention of MLB organizations and project as potential Major League players in the future.

The World Baseball Classic has previously served as a launching platform for future MLB players such as Yuli Gurriel, Yu Darvish, Aroldis Chapman, Alexei Ramírez, Seung Hwan Oh, Paolo Espino, Yoenis Cespedes, Masahiro Tanaka, Raisel Iglesias, Jose Abreu and Kenta Maeda. It has also led to Minor League signings, ranging from experienced professionals to younger, less proven talents, as was the case with the impressive 2023 performance of Duke Hebbert with Team Nicaragua, which ultimately earned him a Minor League contract with the Detroit Tigers.

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