Alexander Mayeta

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Alexander Mayeta Kerr (listed as Malleta in mostt Cuban sources)

  • Bats Left, Throws Left
  • Height 6' 2", Weight 207 lb.

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Biographical Information[edit]

Alexander Mayeta is a first baseman who has played frequently for the Cuban national team.

A late bloomer, Alex emerged as a star in the 2004-2005 Serie Nacional, hitting .330 with 14 homers and winning MVP honors despite not leading the league in anything. He debuted with the national team in 2006, playing in the COPABE Olympic qualifiers. He hit .333/.436/.727 with 4 homers, 9 runs and 13 RBI in 9 games. He led the competition in RBI, one ahead of more famed teammate Yulieski Gourriel. He also tied Gourriel, Mark Reynolds and four others for the home run lead. He helped Cuba lock up a spot in the 2008 Olympics with his performance. During the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games, Mayeta led all players with 11 RBI. He hit .483/.452/.759 to lead Cuba to Gold.

In the 2006 Intercontinental Cup, the 29-year-old kept it up, hitting .487/.488/.590 with 7 runs and 7 RBI in nine games. He led in hits (19, two ahead of Yung-Chi Chen) and was second to Ben Risinger in average as Cuba won Gold. Sharnol Adriana was honored as the best first baseman ahead of Mayeta.

In the 2007 Pan American Games, Mayeta had two of Cuba's 3 RBI in their Gold Medal game win over Team USA after previously homering twice against Mexico, the Bronze Medal co-winner. He hit .278/.381/.667 in the event, leading in home runs (2) and placing second in RBI (6, two behind Pedro Alvarez). In the 2007 Baseball World Cup, Alex batted .295/.311/.364 as Cuba failed to win Gold for the first time in decades; they got Silver instead.

Through 2006-2007, Mayeta had hit .299/~.398/.490 in 10 seasons in the Cuban leagues. He has played primarily for the Industriales.

Mayeta batted .365/.477/.643 in the 2007-2008 season with 17 homers in 249 AB. He was 6th in the loop in average and slugging and just missed the top 10 in circuit clouts. In the 2008 Olympics, Alexander hit .167/.231/.333 and was replaced at first by Héctor Olivera Jr. as the Games went on. His 2-run homer off of Jonathan Lockwood helped Cuba beat Canada 7-6 and was his highlight of the Games.

Mayeta split first base duties in the 2009 World Baseball Classic with Leslie Anderson and Joan Carlos Pedroso; he was ineffective, going 1 for 9 with a walk and a run. His only hit came against Cuba's weakest opponent, South Africa; the pitcher was Barry Armitage.

Mayeta slumped to .286/.433/.493 in 2008-2009 and did not place among the top 10 in any key offensive department. In 2009-2010, he hit .280/.399/.487 with 14 homers, fielding .994. He helped the Industriales to the 2010 title. Postseason MVP in 2006 and 2010, Alex became the third player to take home the award twice in his career, following Norge Luis Vera and Jorge Luis Valdés. He was only 1 for 13 in the 2010 Pan American Games Qualifying Tournament, backing up José Dariel Abreu at 1B. He drove in five as his one hit was a grand slam against Argentina and he added another RBI elsewhere. He was 5 for 16 with two runs and three RBI in the 2010 Intercontinental Cup, serving as DH and cleanup man by tourney's end. He had the go-ahead hit in the 5th in a comeback over Italy, but was 0 for 4 with a whiff in the Gold Medal game against the Dutch national team.

In 2010-2011, the veteran hit .322/.461/.659 with 74 runs, 22 doubles, 27 home runs, 76 RBI and 78 walks in 88 games. He tied Alfredo Despaigne for 6th in the league in homers, was 8th in total bases (202), led in walks (one over Frederich Cepeda), tied Michel Enriquez for second in intentional walks (18), was 7th in slugging (between Reutilio Hurtado and Yordanis Samon), made the top 10 in OBP and was 8th in OPS (between Yoenni Southeran and Hurtado).

He batted .288/.447/.494 with 70 runs, 74 RBI and 90 walks in 93 games in 2011-2012. He was 8th in runs (between Abreu and Andrés Quiala), 6th in RBI (between Edilse Silva and Danel Castro), second in walks (one behind Despaigne) and third in intentional walks (21, behind Abreu and Despaigne) while making the top 10 in OBP. He fell to .264/.381/.397 in 2012-2013 and only made the leaders in doubles (21, tied for 9th with Rudy Reyes and Dayan García) and walks (55, 5th, between Ramón Tamayo and Abreu). Coming off an off-year, he failed to make Cuba's squad for the 2013 World Baseball Classic as Abreu and Luis Rivera were picked at first base.

Mayeta did make the Cuban "B" team that appeared in the 2013 World Port Tournament, hitting .235/.235/.471 though he had the tourney's lone homer and finished 3rd in slugging (behind Gourriel and Dwayne Kemp). In 2013-2014, he hit only .247/.379/.387 but still was third in the league in RBI (13 behind Yadiel Hernández and Gourriel) and 7th in walks (58, between Hurtado and Andy Zamora). He was Cuba's starting first baseman in the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games but that had more to do with Abreu's defection than Mayeta's recent production. He did well in the event, batting .313/.421/.563 with 5 runs and two RBI in five games. He hit a two-run homer off Adrian Rosario in a semifinal win over the defending champion Dominican Republic then scored twice in the Gold Medal game win over Nicaragua. For the tourney, he tied for fourth in runs (one behind Gourriel, Luis la O and Pedro Feliz). He was 3rd on Cuba in slugging, behind Cepeda and Despaigne.

During 2014-2015, the 37-year-old rebounded some, hitting .277/.385/.457 with 64 RBI in 87 games. He tied Yordan Batista for 4th in the league with 13 homers, was 5th in RBI (between Guillermo Aviles and Yasiel Santoya), tied Samon and Enriquez for 4th with 15 intentional walks, led with 8 sacrifice flies and was 4th in walks (56, between Hurtado and Dennis Laza). Joining Pinar del Río for the 2015 Caribbean Series, he split time with William Saavedra. He was 2 for 9, but one of his hits was a homer off César Valdéz.

Mayeta remained Cuba's starter at 1B for the 2015 Pan American Games, when he hit .296/.387/.333 with 7 runs in 8 games. He tied for 5th in the Games in runs; he was one run behind Reyes for the team lead. He scored twice in the 6-5 semifinal loss to the US. Cuba got the Bronze. In the 2015 Premier 12, he was part of a fairly old Cuban contingent, batting .350/.381/.500 with 4 runs in six games.

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