Frederich Cepeda speaks out on emigrated Cuban baseball players

The espirituano Frederich Cepeda granted in the last few hours an extensive interview to journalist Elsa Ramos where he talked about important passages of his sports career and spoke clearly about Cuban baseball players who have emigrated. 

One of the headlines left by the dialogue was his opinion on the call of the island authorities to Cuban baseball players who have emigrated. It is not the first time that the 24th of the Roosters refers to this issue. And he maintains his point of view.

Now he has been even more forceful. "That decision should never have been vetoed because they are Cubans who want and wish to play for their country," he said, as reported in the newspaper Escambray.

Regarding his particular inclusion or not in the last Cuba teams, he said: "It is the Federation's decision. A team is formed and if you believe that this player is above that one and will solve the problem at a given moment, I don't see it wrong.

However, Cepeda acknowledged that baseball officials in Cuba were unfair when they left him out of the World Classic.

Interview with Frederich Cepeda: details about emigrated Cuban ballplayers

"That moment there was no consideration with me, it was a mark, not only personally. For a Cuban it was the first five Classics and I have several records, it would have been important to have a Cuban playing in Cuba in his National Series who arrived with those marks," he said.

In fact, despite thanking the Cuban Baseball Federation for having formed him, he admitted that there was a "conversation" about this event and that "they did not agree".

The Cuban baseball legend is also firm in his desire to continue playing baseball, hopefully with his son, and to live in Cuba. "I was born here, I want to live in Cuba forever," he said.

And for those still debating what his Major League Baseball (MLB) career could have been, he also had answers:

"I would have liked to try myself in the Major Leagues, which was a taboo. Today everyone says: 'I'm going to play here or there'. Before, you couldn't even remotely do that. I didn't have the will or the desire to separate myself from my family."