The first season of the so-called "Cuban invasion" into Japanese baseball has ended with mixed results and the uncertainty as to whether it will continue in 2015 or was a one-time fad that will fade quickly. Eight Cuban-born players were signed to contracts in Japan in 2014, and their performances ranged from excellent to downright pathetic.
The season began with four Cuban defectors who had previously played in the U.S. in the major leagues or Triple-A, and the best of those turned out to be Yomiuri Giants first baseman/outfielder Leslie Anderson who, despite missing a good chunk of the schedule with a couple of injuries, managed to hit 15 home runs with 50 RBIs while batting .319.
On the other end, Orix Buffaloes infielder Yuniesky Betancourt, a nine-year MLB veteran, could hit only .141 with no homers and four RBIs in just 18 games. Slugger Michel Abreu of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, the 2013 Pacific League home run king with 31, was recently released after missing all but six games this season because of back problems.