Cuban baseball player César Prieto, a highly touted 22-year-old infielder, ditched the Cuban national team Wednesday and defected to the United States.
Prieto and his then-teammates arrived in Florida on Wednesday to compete in an Olympic qualifying tournament.
Hours after the team’s arrival, the Cuban Baseball Federation released a statement confirming Prieto’s departure. The player hopped in a car outside the team hotel almost immediately after their bus arrived, according to baseball journalist Francys Romero.
Because of the frosty diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba, the easiest way for Cuban players to enter Major League Baseball is by sneaking away from their home country. Jose Abreu, the 2020 American League MVP, defected in 2013.
In his most recent season in the Cuban league, Prieto hit .403 with seven home runs in 74 games.
The Cuban national team is in Florida to play an Olympic qualifying tournament against the U.S., Canada, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Colombia. Only one team will qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. Cuba is one of the favorites.
