Cuban defector resumes dream after two years out of baseball…

Yohannis Perez is working hard to make the Milwaukee Brewers team years after he left Cuba.
The shortstop doesn't know any English and is dependent on other players to translate for him to understand what's going on. But he's quick to name his favorite player -- Yankees captain Derek Jeter.

Perez, 24, defected from Cuba in July 2005 but had to wait to sign a minor league deal with Milwaukee until November. In the meantime, he trained in Miami and the Dominican Republic
while trying to sort out visa problems that came after he spent days on a raft with 31 other strangers floating in the Gulf of Mexico. Perez said that he left Cuba hoping to play one day in the Major Leagues. He was well-known in Cuba, where he played in the Cuban National League for Matanzas for six years. He also was caught once before trying to leave the country. Then, a group of people found out about it after he got caught and told him if I wanted to go again they would take him. So Perez took up the offer, floating toward Florida and waiting to connect in Tampa with family that included cousins, an uncle and the girlfriend he had dated for eight years in Cuba.

After he resolved the visa issues, Milwaukee became interested in Perez, who had strong defensive skills, He has not stood out in camp, but general manager Doug Melvin said that it's just a matter of time before Perez regains the form he had before his layoff.

Perez, who came into Monday's game in a double switch after third baseman Tony Graffanino fouled a ball off his toe, said he understands he has a lot of work to do before he'll play on the
same field as Jeter. He's 2-for-9 at the plate in four spring training games. Perez said that he wants to know more and get his swing ready. It’s going to take time, no doubt about it that he needs to go down to the minors for a little bit, may be longer than that. As long as incumbent starter J.J. Hardy can stay healthy -- he only played in 35 games last season because of an ankle injury -- Perez may not get playing time in Milwaukee any time soon.

But Melvin said Perez fits in the franchise's big picture. "Any time you get a chance to sign a middle infielder, they're valuable commodities in the game," Melvin said. "He's got good
feet, he's got quick hands, good release, and good instincts, knows where to be. He knows how to play the game. He's a player we think could play at the upper levels, Triple-A or Double-A, but we don't know yet."

But now that Perez is playing again, he's already got another goal. "I wanted to play baseball in the big leagues," Perez said. "Now, I want to get more playing time and be a starter."