'Cuban Ohtani' pursuing path to MLB

Could the next two-way international superstar hit the market soon?

Oscar Luis Colas, who is known to some as the “Cuban Ohtani,” defected from Cuba earlier this month in order to chase his Major League dream, according to LasMayores.com reporter Francys Romero. Colas, who plays all three outfield positions and first base, is also a left-handed pitcher.

Because of his age and experience level, Colas, 21, must sign under the international signing guidelines for amateur international players. It’s uncertain if he will sign during the international signing period that starts on July 2 and ends June 15, 2021, or wait until the next period that starts July 2, 2021.

What’s certain is that the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Colas must first establish residency in a country outside of the United States and Cuba before he is eligible to petition for free agency from MLB and sign with a club. His whereabouts are also unknown.

What is also known is that Colas is considered an interesting prospect with talent and mixed reviews among international scouts. While many evaluators stop short of calling him the next Luis Robert, Yoán Moncada and Shohei Ohtani, there will be teams interested in evaluating Colas once he becomes eligible and starts to showcase his talents for clubs. His 95 mph fastball from the left side is enough to entice scouts to give him a closer look. The pitch usually hovers in the 92-94 range.

Last season, the left-handed batter hit .302/.350/.515 with 11 home runs in the Minors for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan and .278 with one home run in seven games for the organization’s Nippon Professional Baseball club. He did not pitch.

Colas slashed .289/.389/.533 in 54 at-bats in 2019, his third and final season for Santiago in Cuba’s Serie Nacional.