Bárbaro Erisbel Arruebarrena Escalante (; born March 25, 1990) is a Cuban

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

for the

Algodoneros de Guasave The Algodoneros de Guasave ( en, Guasave Cotton Growers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican Pacific League based in Guasave, Sinaloa. They won the league championship in 1972. The team was purchased in April 2014 by a group of inve ...

of the

Mexican Pacific League The Mexican Pacific League (), known as Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico for sponsorship reasons or simply LMP for its acronym in Spanish, is a professional baseball winter league based in Northern Mexico. The ten-team regular season schedule ru ...

and the

Cocodrilos de Matanzas Cocodrilos de Matanzas (English: Matanzas Crocodiles) are a baseball team in the Cuban National Series. Based in Matanzas Province, the ''Cocodrilos'' were formed after the dissolution of Henequeneros and Citricultores, two teams from Matanzas. ...

of the

Cuban National Series The Cuban National Series (, SNB) is the primary domestic professional baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. ...

. Arruebarrena played for Cienfuegos in the

from 2008 through 2012, and played for the

Cuba national baseball team The Cuba national baseball team (Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de Cuba'') represents Cuba at regional and international levels. The team is made up from the most professional players from the Cuban national baseball system. Cuba has been de ...

in international competition, before defecting from Cuba in 2013 to pursue a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

career. He played in

(MLB) with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

in 2014 before a poor attitude and various violations of team rules led to his banishment to the low minors and eventual release. In 2019, he became the first ex-MLB player to return to the

Cuban baseball league system The Cuban baseball league system is not a single baseball league; rather it is a structure of leagues and series that are governed by the Baseball Federation of Cuba and culminate in national championships and the selection of the Cuba national bas ...

after defecting from the country. He now plays for the

of the

, as well as the

Professional baseball career

Cuban career

Arruebarrena played for the Cienfuegos team in the

from 2008-2012 and was a member of the

in the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...

2012 Haarlem Baseball Week The 2012 Haarlem Baseball Week was an international baseball competition held at the Pim Mulier Stadium in Haarlem, the Netherlands from July 13–22, 2012. It was the 26th edition of the tournament. In the final Cuba won over Puerto Rico, be ...

, the

2013 World Baseball Classic The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to March 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike t ...

, and the

2013 World Port Tournament The 2013 World Port Tournament was an international baseball competition held at the DOOR Neptunus Familiestadion in Rotterdam, the Netherlands from June 30 through July 7, 2013. It was the 12th edition of the tournament and featured teams from C ...

. In September 2013, Arruebarrena tried to

defect A defect is a physical, functional, or aesthetic attribute of a product or service that exhibits that the product or service failed to meet one of the desired specifications. Defect, defects or defected may also refer to: Examples * Angular defec ...

from Cuba, and was barred from participating in the 53rd

as a result. In November, he successfully defected from Cuba, established residency in Haiti and began working out in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

for Major League scouts.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On February 12, 2014, it was reported that Arruebarrena had reached a preliminary agreement on a contract with the

. On February 22, 2014, the Dodgers announced that they had signed him to a 5-year contract worth a reported $25 million, with a $7.5 million signing bonus. He was assigned to the AA

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

to start his career and was called up to the Dodgers on May 21, 2014. He made his MLB debut as the starting shortstop for the Dodgers on May 23, 2014. He struck out three times in that game. He recorded his first hit the next day, on a single to center field off of David Buchanan of the Philadelphia Phillies. On July 26, 2014, Arruebarrena started a massive brawl between the

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an e ...

and

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, which opened in 2009. ...

in an AAA game. The day before, he had spent a long time circling the bases after hitting a 3-run homer, and at his first at-bat, he was nearly hit by a pitch. After he struck out, the opposing catcher "brushed him" as he threw to third base, Arruebarrena "shoved" the catcher, and both benches cleared. He was optioned to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes the next day. He played in 68 games in the minors in 2014 between three different levels and hit .259. In 22 games with the Dodgers, he was primarily used as a defensive replacement but also had eight hits in 41 at-bats, for a .195 average. Arruebarrena was designated for assignment on December 31, 2014. He cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to the Dodgers new AAA team, the

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ba ...

. He was also invited to attend major league spring training as a non-roster player. Arruebarrena was not assigned to any minor league teams and began 2015 in extended spring training in Arizona. On May 21, 2015, he was suspended indefinitely by the team, without pay, for disciplinary reasons. After he appealed to the commissioner's office, the suspension was reduced to 30 days. He spent the entire season in the minor leagues, first with three games for the Arizona League Dodgers, then 12 for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes before spending 38 games with the Tulsa Drillers. Overall, he hit .299 in 53 games with 3 homers and 15 RBI. Arruebarrena returned to Tulsa to start the 2016 season. In 17 games, he hit only .182. On May 4, 2016, the Dodgers announced that he would be suspended for the rest of the season for "repeated failure to comply with the terms of his contract." In the 2017 season, he was not assigned to any minor league rosters until late in the year, and only appeared in eight games for the Arizona League Dodgers, where he hit .519 (14 hits in 27 at-bats). Arruebarrena did not appear in any games for the organization in 2018, and was eventually released in late July.

Return to Cuba

In 2019, it was reported that Arruebarrena had successfully

repatriated Repatriation is the process of returning a thing or a person to its country of origin or citizenship. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as to the pro ...

and would join the

of the

. He thus became the first Cuban ex-MLB player to return to the

. With Matanzas' victory in the 2019/20 CNS, he also became the first ex-MLB player to win a domestic Series title after repatriating.

References

External links

Cuban baseball statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arruebarrena, Erisbel 1990 births Living people Defecting Cuban baseball players Los Angeles Dodgers players Elefantes de Cienfuegos players Arizona League Dodgers players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Chattanooga Lookouts players Albuquerque Isotopes players 2013 World Baseball Classic players Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Tulsa Drillers players Pan American Games medalists in baseball Pan American Games bronze medalists for Cuba Baseball players at the 2011 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Cocodrilos de Matanzas players Algodoneros de Guasave players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Mexico People from Cienfuegos

Professional baseball career

Cuban career

Los Angeles Dodgers

Return to Cuba

See also

References

External links