about us
who we are
Baseball Beyond Borders (BBB) bonds American and Cuban youth through baseball by organizing trips for American 13-14 year old baseball teams in the spring and high school teams in the winter & summer. Players and their families travel to Havana, Cuba for this baseball competition and cultural exchange.
Founder, Michel Rodriguez played professionally in Cuba. He now lives in Northern California where he is one of the top baseball trainers in the area.
Michel conceived the idea in 2016 to bridge the American and Cuban cultures and offer baseball youth in both countries a fun space to challenge prevailing ideologies, make new friends, and make the world a better place.
Since 2016 Baseball Beyond Borders has brought more than 1,000 American citizens to Cuba.
Games
Each team will play in 4-5 games. Actual number of games depends on trip length.
Clinics
Players train with Cuban coaches and learn the “Cuban way” to approach their on-field development.
Cultural Exchange
American and Cuban players train train together, connecting through their common love of baseball.
start here
Travel to Cuba is not as simple as visiting many other countries. The U.S.government has opened up travel to Cuba for Americans in recent years, but there are still certain restrictions mandated by both governments.
The Cuban government requires a visa plus some other documents for all travelers. The airlines will not allow passengers to board a flight to Cuba without the proper documents. Visitors must meet the Cuban government’s requirements to visit – simple “tourism” is not one of them.
Our travel consultant is a Cuban National in Miami. Her business is centered around Americans traveling to Cuba. She is well versed on the rules and regulations and ensures we are in compliance with both governments.
To date, our trips have been centered on 1-2 teams per year, mostly 12 and Intermediate All-Stars from the North Oakland / South Oakland Little League. We’ve also had players from a number of District 3 Little Leagues (Marin) and the Piedmont PONY League.
NEW FOR 2026! The Cuban sports officials want to host a “Cup” style tournament and have asked us to bring more teams.
As a result, we are conducting tryouts in the summer of 2025 to expand our pool of players so we can put more teams together.
We will host 2 Saturday tryouts – August 2 and September 6, 2025.
The first step is to register.
If you have a full team already playing together, email us at [email protected] and let’s discuss. We may be able to keep you together as a team.
We will announce teams from players seen at the tryouts by the end of September.
We will follow that up with a virtual “Kick off” call to discuss the calendar, costs, and fundraising (if applicable). We will email the Kick off call invitation to the parent email used to register for the tryout so be sure you use an email you can access.
The call will likely be a week-day evening around 7 or 8 pm Pacific Time. At that time, we will provide details on the trip and answer questions.
Refundable deposits will be due within 2-4 weeks of the Kick-off Call.
The following links will answer most preliminary questions:
After the Kick-off Call, pay your refundable deposit by the due date. Paying your refundable deposit lets us know you are interested so we can form a team. It is refundable, less transaction fees, until December 1st. Book your flights. See How it Works and FAQs for why flights are NOT included in the package.
RENEW your passport ASAP. Your passport should not expire within 6 months of your return date – the government’s rule, not ours.
Start fundraising (optional). If you want to fundraise we can give you some ideas and help.
Pay your installments around early December, then January and final payment in February.
When you arrive in Havana, a trip representative will meet you at the airport and you will be transported to the hotel in an air conditioned bus. The bus will transport you to all team activities.
Your trip will likely include:
– 3 to 5 games
– Clinics with Cuban trainers
– Some non-baseball activities
– Cultural activities
You will also have plenty of time to explore Havana on your own. Our representatives can help you schedule excursions.i
Included in your travel package:
BASEBALL BEYOND BORDERS BRIDGES BONDS THROUGH BASEBALL
Join Us
Check out past trips
We try our best to match the school spring holidays, but recognize we cannot match every school. The dates are selected to coincide with Presidents’ Day Week and the weeks around Easter Sunday, when many schools schedule spring break. Flights are schedule midweek to maximize savings.
Key People
Our Team is here to serve you!
MICHEL RODRIUEZ
Anthony Wilson
Amanda Klein
contact us
Question or Comment
Have a Question?
You have questions / we have answers. We’ve curated the most common questions and answers on our FAQ page. If you have additional questions, please submit your question on this form – we love to hear from people.
address
6114 La Salle Ave #494, Oakland, CA 94611
PHONE
(510) 691-3711