Top Cuban Prospect Defects

Cuba has just a mediocre track record for pitchers. For every Jose Contreras or El Duque, there seems to be an Alay Soler or Yoslan Herrera. The Next Big Thing is on his way, though. Fireballer Aroldis Chapman, a 21-year-old lefty, defected from Cuba and will soon be on the open market. (He could command a Dice-K-like deal). Chapman's talents were on display in the World Baseball Classic this year. He touched 100 mph repeatedly, throwing with a loose and easy arm motion. Chapman's command, secondary offerings, and mound presence all could use some work, so he won't jet right to the majors, but he could be there within a year or two of signing. His slider, to be fair, is pretty effective usually.

Big-market teams like the Yankees and Red Sox will definitely be after Chapman's services. The White Sox, who have Cubans such as Contreras, Alexei Ramirez, and Dayan Viciedo, are also a likely landing spot. The process that Chapman needs to go through now to become a free agent is pretty complicated, so he probably won't sign for a couple of months. When he does, though, he'll immediately become one of the best prospects in the game.