Pitcher Liván Hernández Opens Baseball Academy in South Florida

August 14, 2022

Former MLB Cuban pitcher, Liván Hernández from Villa Clara, opened a baseball academy in Hialeah, in southern Florida. The "MVP" of the 1997 World Series wants children to train in this city, as happened a few years ago.

"I want to bring baseball back to Hialeah. An academy under the name of Liván Hernández Baseball so that the children who now have to go to other places to play baseball don't have to leave Hialeah and can develop right here, as it used to happen in the past," he said in a conversation with the site "Pelota Cubana".

Hernández explained that he wants to make the academy with about 15 teams, all from Hialeah. He added that it was the biggest project of his career as a coach, emphasizing his specialty, pitchers. However, there will also be batting cages, among other elements for the training of the young ballplayers.

"Playing at one level and staying at it is not the goal. Every year we've sent one or two ballplayers to the Major League Draft, thank God. Then there are the ballplayers who make it to Universities which is something very important for parents," he added.

"The important thing is to see the children who progress. For a team to reach the final of a tournament. That's where you see the results. We came out leaders in batting, in pitching. Three of our batters were among the top five. I'm demanding, but it's not just me, we have several coaches who are going to combine efforts," he continued.

Regarding the presence of more than 30 Cubans in the Major Leagues at present, Hernández recalled how alone he was in his early days in the best baseball in the world.

"Now you can go and eat Cuban food in another city. I am a warrior. When I stayed, I stayed alone. I knew how to navigate. I always wanted to adapt to the American system. Many young people suffer because of that, because they don't adapt to the baseball system here," he said.