Jorge Luis Barcelán is one of those cases when one feels in the presence of a player who could have given much more on the fields, but injuries played more than one bad trick on him.

Already retired from our National Series, despite being only 34 years old, “El Torito” was characterized by his strength at bat and his dedication to all the uniforms he defended for 13 seasons.

He was an international player with the Cuban team from the youth categories, but when he reached the elite he drew attention with the now disbanded Metropolitanos Team, with whom he had a couple of good seasons: 2009-2010 (.300 average, with 10 doubles and four home runs) and 2010-2011 (.357, with 47 runs scored, 70 RBIs, 11 home runs and leader in doubles with 32).

Then the injuries began to appear and after the elimination of Metros it was difficult for him to make the Industriales line-up, so he played with Mayabeque and as a reinforcement with Isla de la Juventud. He finished with good figures in the 54th Series with this last team (.307, .431 OBP, .502 slugging, 43 runs scored, 20 doubles, nine homers and 46 RBIs) and in the 57th Series with Mayabeque (.336 average, six homers and 34 RBIs in 74 games played).

After finishing his performance in our domestic compentition, the last three years he ventured into the Serie A of Italy with the BBC Grosseto Spirulina Becagli club, always above .400.

Exclusively for Cubasí, “El Torito” made a balance of his career:

“I always tried to give 100% on and off the field even though I wasn't the most talented. I'm happy with every result I had but injuries hit me hard since I was a child. The two times I was able to make the Cuban team I had injuries, I was on the list for the 2013 World Baseball Classic and at that time I had a fractures on the tibia and fibula, and I got a herniated disc in 2015, when they had asked me to reinforce for Granma team.”

What do you remember as your best moments?

“I was second among batters in the ALBA Games in 2011 and I had other very happy moments, but for me the most important one was related to fate. With the double fracture, it was thought that I would not be able to play anymore, I had rods in place for more than seven months.

“That year 2013 Industriales was going through a bad offensive moment and I was suffering with the rods because I could not contribute. I kept hitting bottle caps at home with a broomstick with my dad. I never stopped training waiting for the next opportunity. When I had the rods removed, I went to Changa Stadium twice and did some hitting practice. Lázaro Vargas and Wilber de Armas saw me one day and asked if I could come back. I hadn't even run yet and the Series was already half over, but they saw me the next day and the following week I was already on the team.

“I only dreamed of hitting a home run in that first time at-bat when I returned to the Latino. That first time I failed, but the fans applauded me anyway and I will never forget it. The home run was in the next turn against the star left-hander from old Habana Yulieski González, on the opposite outfield.
That's why I say it was the happiest moment of my career.

“Second place with Isla de la Juventud in 2015 also made me very happy. I gave everything I could in the 13 National Series I played, always with the will to give my best. I fell many times, and I also got up many times.”

“Since I was little I played third base, but when I was transfer to Isla de la Juventud, Michel Enriquez was there and asked me if I could play in the outfield. I told them that if I wanted to play regularly they could count on me and they told me not to worry about defense, that they wanted my help on offense. The first day against Pinar del Rio in left field, at night, they hit a ball close to the line and I caught it with my glove almost on the ground. I ended up with a single error that was in the Victoria de Giron in Matanzas, the ball hit a bump, rose and went back.”

When Metros was disbanded it became much more difficult for you to make it to a team…

“The elimination of Metros was a very hard blow, because talented players always came out. The enemies of the capital's baseball were happy, but now with the new Political Administrative Division and with Mayabeque and Artemisa it was one more team.

“I think that if there are problems in our baseball the solution cannot be to have fewer teams or to play less, but quite the opposite, because many talented players lose the chance to improve. Then there can be an Elite League, like now, but the National Series cannot be of six teams as it was said. You need to play more every day for them to develop.”

How complex is it to be so long away from your family?

“I made very good relationships in all the teams I went, I have no complaints. The distance is complex but when you love what you do you overcome it. I spent a lot of time away from my wife and my parents, who for me are the best in this world and in that aspect I consider myself privileged.” (Here, as when he spoke of the applause at the Latino, his voice breaks with emotion).

With so many mentors and coaches that you worked with, who did you learn the most from?

“I have very good memories of Iday Abréu (Cuba team), because everything he did in training he applied to the baseball game. He also defended several young people, including me, who in theory was a substitute but Michel Enríquez got sick and I didn’t make him look bad. Also Armando Jhonson, who managed me in the children’s categories, the late Juan Suárez and Orbe Luis Rodríguez, and those from Industriales of course, Armando Mallorquín here at Cerro, Luis Suárez, in short, there are many people and each one contributed their own, from the sporting aggressiveness to the methodology, the moderation and patience. All that knowledge is what I’m trying to pass on now and I have to thank everyone even though I have not mentioned them.”

He is currently in talks with other teams to return to Italy, a League that’s played between May and September, and he dedicates most of his time to the Toro Barcelán community project, which seeks above all to promote young talents, but we will dedicate a separate work to that.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff