Cuban baseball player Rodnier Rodríguez, 15 years old, a former member of the Cuba team in this youth category, left the island this week in search of a professional contract with a Major League Baseball (MLB) organization.
According to report in Facebook from specialist Francys Romero, the right-hander left Cuba in recent days and “is in the Dominican Republic looking to sign with an MLB organization.”
“Rodríguez is a native of Cienfuegos and was a member of the Cuba U-15 team that participated in the category’s World Cup in March. He will be eligible to sign as of January 15, 2026,” Romero detailed.
He also reported that from the Cuba U-15 team, of which the Cienfuegos pitcher was a part, nine players have already left the country, out of a total of 20 athletes.
The young Cuban pitcher belongs to the Dominican academy “Fénix Academy”, run by representatives Elizán Gámez and Santiago Camacho.
Throughout this year, a dozen young Cuban baseball prospects have left the island in search of a better future in sports and in life for themselves and their families.
In January, Cuban pitcher Jorge Luis Manzolo, 19 years old and originally from Holguín, left Cuba with the same objective: to sign with a Major League entity.
Manzolo, a right-handed pitcher, participated in the 62nd National Baseball Series of 2023 with the Holguín Cubs, although they did not give him many opportunities and he only pitched 0.2 innings without allowing hits or runs.
That same month, 18-year-old Yandro Hernández, son of legendary Industriales baseball player Stayler Hernández, also escaped from the country in search of a Major League professional contract.
The young outfielder was one of the best prospects left on the island in the U-18 category.
Also, just two months ago, 15-year-old Sancti Spiritus baseball prospect Jonathan Raúl Delgado, who was a member of the Cuba U-15 team, left the island.
The promising switch-hitter is currently in the Dominican Republic, where he will try to sign a Major League contract to begin a new stage in his sports career.
Jonathan Raúl Delgado, a native of Sancti Spíritus, comes from a family with an outstanding career in Cuban baseball, as he is the son and grandson of two outstanding baseball players in that province.
His grandfather, José Raúl Delgado, was a renowned catcher who played for 20 seasons in the National Series and was part of the Cuban national team between 1989 and 1993. José Raúl also won a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
