Matanzas Crocodiles: The Challenge of Repeating in the 65th National Series
With the champion’s aroma still fresh, the Matanzas Crocodiles prepare to defend the crown they already hold after being crowned back-to-back champions of Cuban baseball, with titles in the 2019-20 and most recent 2025-26 editions, plus a title in the 2023-24 Cuban Elite League.
The Yumurino squad arrives at the 65th National Series with the prestige of being, for now, the team to beat on the Island.
The squad has already completed several weeks of training at the University of Matanzas facilities, under the ratification of Armando Ferrer Ruz as team manager for the new campaign, a decision endorsed by the provincial INDER together with the discipline’s commission.
The preseason work has focused on strengthening the arms of the pitching staff, an area that pitching coach Jonder Martínez identified as one that weighed down the team’s performance in its recent stint in the Elite League, a tournament where Matanzas finished last.
On offense, the team maintains a core of high-caliber ballplayers, among whom stands out catcher Andrys Pérez, who was a protagonist in the definition of the previous title with a perfect performance behind the plate in the game that sealed the sweep over Las Tunas.
In the outfield, Eduardo Blanco stands out, named Most Valuable Player of that final series and recognized, according to specialized press, as one of the fastest and best-armed men in current Cuban baseball.
The infield also breathes experience with names such as Aníbal Medina, a veteran player with countless hours of flight in our national pastime, also veteran Yariel Duque, and young promises such as Adrián Pérez, Dayan Ibáñez, and Eduardo Parreira.
On the mound, Matanzas has traditionally counted on heavyweight assets such as left-hander Yoennis Yera and closer Armando Dueñas — pieces that gave solidity to the bullpen in recent campaigns.
Among the team’s potentialities for the upcoming campaign stands out the backing of a stable technical management — with Ferrer at the helm and a coaching staff that already knows the keys to recent success.
Added to this is the experience of having competed at the international level: the Crocodiles represented Cuba in the Baseball Champions League Americas 2026 in Mexico City, facing clubs such as the Diablos Rojos del México, the Dantos de Nicaragua, the Kane County Cougars of the United States, and the CTBC Brothers of Chinese Taipei — an exercise that gave the roster high-level experience.
The main challenge will be in the starting and relief pitching, after an irregular semester in the Elite League, while the offense — with Pérez, Blanco, Noroña, Peña, and Videt as references — seems to arrive in better conditions to sustain the team’s weight in the long stretch of the calendar.
With seven weeks of physical and technical preparation already completed and a broad preselection working at the Victoria de Girón stadium, Matanzas is once again shaping up as one of the top title contenders in the 65th National Series. The question is not whether the Crocodiles will fight at the top of the standings, but whether the adjustment in the pitching staff will arrive in time to sustain a new coronation.
