Maikel Azcuy

Maikel Azcuy Perez

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 220 lb.

• Born June 6, 1982 in Pinar del Río, Pinar del Río Cuba

Biographical Information

Maikel Azcuy has played in Britain's top league, where he has won four home run and four RBI titles. His father Fidel Azcuy and uncle Lázaro Azcuy played in Cuba.

Azcuy was born and raised in Cuba then came to Britain in 2005. He spent 2005-2010 with the Croydon Pirates. In 2007, he led Britain's top league in runs. In 2010, he led with 6 home runs and was named the All-Star third baseman. From 1995-2011, he was third in slugging (.765), third in OPS (1262) and second in triples (7). He led the league with 4 homers and 26 RBI in 2011, playing for the Harlow Nationals.

Azcuy debuted for the British national team in the 2012 European Championship. He was 3 for 10 with six strikeouts but was hit by two pitches and scored five runs in a part-time role. He led the team in runs, one ahead of US minor league veteran Aaron Hornostaj. In the 2013 B-Level European Championship, he hit .294/.478/.471 with five runs and six walks in six games, making three errors. Britain won a return to the European Championship.

In 2014, Azcuy was with the Essex Arrows and led Britain with 30 RBI; he tied for the homer lead at 3. He started at 3B for the British Lions in the 2014 European Championship and hit .370/.433/.444 with four runs in seven games. He led the team in average (.050 ahead of Mitch Evans) and was 4th in OPS. He won a Triple Crown in 2015, now with the Herts Falcons, leading Britain in average (.467), RBI (28) and home runs (6, tied). He also tied for the lead with 28 hits and led in OBP (.568) and slugging (.883).

Switching teams yet again, he was on the Southampton Mustangs in 2016 and led Britain with 36 RBI. He also tied for first with 38 runs. He passed Simon Pole as Britain's modern (since 1976?) home run leader as he got to 40 for his career. He was also at 237 RBI, tying Brad Thompson for first. He hit .222/.300/.333 as Britain's main DH in the 2016 European Championship but managed 4 RBI to tie Brett Rosen and Sam Wiley for second on the team, 3 behind Nateshon Thomas.

The veteran got into one game for Britain in the 2017 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers. With Britain beating Pakistan by a 13-0 score in the top of the 7th, he batted for Todd Isaacs and doubled off Muhammad Asif, advanced on an error and scored on a fly from Jordan Serena. He did not stay in to play the field. In his swan song for the national team, he hit .316/.350/.316 as their main DH in the 2019 European Championship, with three runs and two RBI in seven games.

As of 2021, he was Britain's modern leader in hits (322) and RBI (273), was second in doubles (68, four behind Pole) and triples (13, 8 behind Thompson) and third in runs (258, behind Alan Bloomfield and Thompson. He had hit .444/.517/.750 in Britain. He made the British Baseball Hall of Fame in 2021, its first inductee from Cuba.

Sources

• British Baseball Federation
• Project Cobb
• European Baseball Federation
• World Baseball Classic
• Extra Innings
• Archy Sport
• Deportescineyotros.com (shows the connection between Maikel and Lazaro Azcuy)