Cuban baseball player Yasmani Tomas defects
By Brian Miller
American baseball is a haven for international players looking to make big money in the country where professional baseball pay an arm and a leg to sure they have the best arms and legs in the majors. A lot of the talent in the game today has come from Cuba, and we have our latest defector looking to make it big in Major League Baseball.
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Havana Industriales outfielder Yasmani Tomas has reportedly defected and will attempt to make the leap to professional baseball in America like so many before him have attempted.
According to Baseball America, Tomas hit .275 with ten home runs and 59 RBI’s last season for the Industriales. In recent years other Cuban national players have defected, most notably Jose Abreu who signed a $68 million deal with the Chicago White Sox and Yasiel Puig who inked a $42 million dollar deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Other Cuban national players have gone on to play in Japan as well after defecting the country.
"Yasmani Tomas, one of the top young power hitters in Cuba and a member of the national team, has left the island to pursue a contract with a major league team, Baseball America has learned. The Cuban newspaper Granma also confirmed that Tomas had left the country."
The 23 year old outfielder is widely considered to be one of the best sluggers in the Cuban league.
This year Cuba began allowing it’s athletes to sign temporary contracts to play overseas in an attempt to halt defections of their top athletes. The player must however fulfill all of their obligations domestically. Tomas has played for the Industriales since 2008 and last year played for the Cuban national team in the World Baseball Classic.
Tomas is a right handed power hitter who plays both right and left field. During the World Baseball Classic last year, Tomas went 6-for-16 with two home run, one double, and four strikeouts. He was batting .290 this season for the Industriales.