Undefeated Pitcher Pablo Luis Guillén Leads Nine Cuban-Born Players on Spain's Premier12 Roster

September 17, 2026

Spain's baseball federation has called up nine Cuban-born players for the WBSC Premier12 2027 qualifying tournament, set for October 9-11, 2026, at the Camp Municipal de Béisbol Carlos Pérez de Rozas in Barcelona's Montjuïc Olympic zone. Spain will face Italy, Germany and Colombia there for two of the tournament's qualifying spots.

Leading the group is pitcher Pablo Luis Guillén, a native of Villa Clara who competes for the Marlins de Tenerife and has gone 6-0 with a 0.97 ERA so far in the 2026 season, extending his combined unbeaten run in Spain's top division to 14-0 over the past two years.

He is joined on the preliminary roster by pitchers Elián Leyva, Royd Hernández, Rubén Menes, Dayan González and Carlos Sierra, catcher Omar Hernández, and outfielders Félix Stevens and Frank Hernández. Spain, which qualifies for the Premier12 directly through its WBSC ranking and does not need this tournament to advance, has increasingly turned to Cuban-born players who have obtained Spanish citizenship to strengthen its national team.