Once upon a time, Guillermo Heredia was a phenom in Cuba. A key cog with Serie Nacional since he was 18, he twice won Cuba’s version of the gold glove and was even the starting centerfielder on the Cuban team at the 2013 World Baseball Classic, where Cuba was eliminated in the second round by the surprising Dutch.
But In 2015, the then 24-year old outfielder defected from Cuba, eventually joining the Seattle Mariner organization on a one year major league contract. He then made two brief stops in Jackson and Tacoma before making his Seattle debut in July 2016.