Armando Johnson will have the very high responsibility of directing the Cuban team in the Fifth World Baseball Classic in March 2023, according to an official release from the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB), published by Jit sports publication.
This is one of the most important designations in baseball, as this tournament is the most demanding in the world.
Mandy, as he is known among baseball fans, has a vast managerial experience and remarkable results with the team of Isla de la Juventud, the Pirates.
His management of the Pirates for 19 years yields 755 victories and an effectiveness of over 50% of wins, which places him as the most winning mentor with the teams from the Isla de la Juventud. Between 1999 and 2004, he led that team to qualify for the postseason in five of six seasons and led the players to a historic third place in the national league in 1999.
Johnson, in addition to the World Classic, will manage the main Cuban national team in all top-level events in 2023 and 2024. After that period, an assessment of his performance will be made in order to ratify him or not for the four-year period until Los Angeles 2028, the FCB stated
The top baseball organization added that, "as established in the new strategy for the development of our sport, the decision implied deep analyses on the professional competencies of each candidate to hold this position, including those resulting from the follow-up assigned to them during the 61st National Baseball Series and their international performances in the last few years."
Johnson's first challenge will be to advance from the initial phase of the World Classic, something the Cuban team has always achieved in the four previous versions. Now, Group A presents a very high demand, as there will be the host Taipei of China, Italy, the Netherlands, and a team to be defined, which will come out of the qualification system of this event. The first three teams have high caliber players, and only the top two will advance to the next stage, which will be played in Japan.
The Pinar del Río strategist will have, in the debut of the Elite League of Cuban Baseball (October-January), his main laboratory to find the formula for a team that responds to this high demand, although he would count, according to the FCB's own strategy, with the players contracted in the Japanese professional league and others who play, through personal efforts, in other tournaments.
The Cuban Federation also announced that Alain Alvarez, from Cienfuegos, will lead the U-23 team, replacing Johnson. The U-23 team will take part in the World Championship of that category next month, also in Taipei, China, another high-level event for Cuban baseball.
Translated by ESTI
