FLUSHING, NY — Braves right-hander Raisel Iglesias received his 2024 National League LatinoMVP Reliever of the Year Award prior to Wednesday’s game against the Mets at Citi Field.
Known by many as a “Latin Grammy of Baseball,” the LatinoMVP Awards are the oldest and most prestigious awards given to Latino baseball players dating back to 1990.
The 35-year-old, hailing from Isla de la Juventud, Cuba, Iglesias, was named the recipient of the NL LatinoMVP Reliever of the Year Award in 2020 as a Cincinnati Red by the Latino Sports Writers and Broadcasters Association, and again in 2024 as a Brave.
Raisel Iglesias poses with his 2020 National League LatinoMVP Reliever of the Year Award – Image Credit: Latino Sports
“I’m happy to win the award for a second time,” he said in an interview with Latino Sports. “It was a long season and thanks to God, a healthy season with good numbers. To achieve that, how Mariano Rivera and Aroldis Chapman obtained it, brings me great pride.”
Iglesias’ 2024 NL LatinoMVP Reliever of the Year Award was crafted by Maz Adams (@mazadamsart), one of two of Latino Sports’ exclusive artists for the LatinoMVP Awards.
“It’s something variant for all the Latino players, and something to be exalted in,” he said of the LatinoMVP Awards, celebrating 35 years this season since its inaugural year of 1990. “It helps motivate us, and it’s very satisfactory to be able to know we can win this award.”
An up-close look of Raisel Iglesias’ 2024 NL LatinoMVP Reliever of the Year Award, crafted by Maz Adams – Image Credit: Hector Beauchamp/Latino Sports
One of eight relievers in the NL to pitch below an ERA of two last season, Iglesias, posted a 1.95 ERA across 66 appearances in 2024 with 34 saves and 68 strikeouts. His 34 saves ranked fourth amongst NL relievers on the year, while for his 11-year career, he has recorded 240 saves overall—the fifth-most by an active MLB pitcher, 41st-most in MLB history and second-most by a Cuban-born MLB pitcher ever—trailing fellow countryman Aroldis Chapman (356).
At the ages of 24, and 21, respectively, Iglesias, like Chapman, two LatinoMVP Award winners, each fought an uphill battle of defecting from Cuba in their early twenties, to make their dreams of becoming a Major Leaguer come true.
With that, an opportunity to potentially earn millions for themselves, their families and loved ones. But at the cost of leaving them behind, changing their lives in the blink of an eye and forcing themselves into a whole new world.
Raisel Iglesias was honored to be named a two-time LatinoMVP Award winner, receiving his 2024 NL LatinoMVP Reliever of the Year Wednesday night at Citi Field – Image Credit: Simon Lindenblatt/Latino Sports
As Iglesias explained in-depth, the journey of hardships and obstacles are similar for all international MLB players, no matter where their walks of life originated from.
“It’s tough,” he said, referring to his transition after defecting from Cuba to the United States. “It’s a journey coming over and leaving Cuba for us Cubans because we come from a culture that is totally different from how people live here in the USA. The language at first is difficult, we have to leave our family back home and I believe it’s one of the most difficult journeys one can take.
When you are here, you have to prepare, analyze and practice the day to day, and the ins and outs with the language and with the culture. Basically understanding the way of life on a daily basis here in the big leagues and in your everyday life on the street, I feel it’s a path that is hard and difficult for one of us to take, and not only for us Cubans but for all of us Latinos—Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Venezuelans, and the same for players from Asia and Japan. I believe it’s a difficult path and journey that we all take to get to the Major Leagues.”
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Julio
August 15, 2025 at 8:50 am
Cubans have to defect to play in the U.S. because it’s the only country that the U.S. State Dept. has an immoral & unjustified blockage against anything & everything coming from the island. As such, Cubans can not get a visa from the U.S. to enter the country, so they are forced to defect & forcefully leave their homeland & family if they want to play baseball in the USA.