Speedy Outfielder Dairon Blanco Leaves Cuba

Dairon Blanco, a 23-year-old outfielder who was one of the fastest players in Cuba, has left the country to pursue a contract with a major league team, Baseball America has learned.

Blanco has played four seasons in Serie Nacional, falling one season short of the five seasons Cuban players need to be exempt from the international bonus pools, so he will fall under the bonus pools.

After a rough start to the 2015-16 season, which ended in April, Blanco rebounded to finish the year hitting .296/.351/.427 in 373 plate appearances with 29 walks and 42 strikeouts. An 80 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale, Blanco tied for the league lead in stolen bases with 29 steals in 33 attempts and led Serie Nacional with eight triples.

At 6 feet, 175 pounds, Blanco is an excellent athlete who has been a solid performer in Cuba, though he’s still more raw tools than baseball skills and would have to start his career in the minor leagues. He can beat out infield hits to first base in under 4.0 seconds from the right side of the plate, but he hasn’t shown natural hitting rhythm and actions. Blanco split his time between center and right field in 2015-16, and while his defensive instincts looked shaky at times, he did win a gold glove during the 2014-15 season.

With the current 2015-16 international signing period closing on June 15, Major League Baseball certainly won’t clear Blanco to sign before then, so he will fall under the 2016-17 international bonus pools. Given that many Cuban players recently have waited six months or more after they left Cuba to get cleared to sign, it’s unlikely Blanco would sign until after the 2016 season anyway.