New Cardinals catcher Brayan Peña delivers story of defection from Cuba
The St. Louis Cardinals signed catcher Brayan Peña to a two-year, $2.5 million contract in the offseason to back up Yadier Molina. While he has spent 11 years in the majors with now five teams, the most remarkable story of Peña's career is how he defected from Cuba to the United States.
In an article written by Peña at The Players' Tribune, titled "The Window," he goes into detail of his incredible journey to becoming a big leaguer.
With security watching every move in the Cuban team hotel, Peña was forced to quickly make a decision whether to leave the only life he knew in Cuba and attempt to make a name for himself by trying to make an MLB roster.
Despite Peña's reviewing the hardships aspiring pro baseball players faced growing up in Cuba, he recalls the excitement he felt when he and several other Cuban MLB players had the opportunity to return to their home country on a goodwill trip.
Peña reflects on the feelings he felt seeing his family for the first time in 16 years and helping children currently playing baseball in Cuba realize how they can achieve their goals. While relations between the two countries have softened in recent years, Peña believes baseball can help the relations.
Read Peña's article in its entirety at The Players' Tribune. Certainly a good read to understand the feelings and hardships of Cuban players.
