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Straight out of Cuba: Yandy Diaz, Leandro Linares signed with Cleveland Indians after defecting together

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Yandy Diaz hid in the tall grass on a hill by the beach. He had been there before and it did not go well.

Twice he had been caught and arrested trying to defect from Cuba. Each time he was jailed for 21 days. He said he was scared the first time he was arrested. People had seen him near the beach and called the police.

"After that I wasn't scared," said Diaz, a utility player who started at DH for the Indians on Saturday against Kansas City at Surprise Stadium.

Said one international scout, "He's lucky.