Cuban Ballplayers' Names: Y Do You Ask?

In 2014 there were 13 Cuban-born players who appeared in 50 or more major league games. They are:

Player	G	Age	Tm	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	Pos
Alexei Ramirez	158	32	CHW	657	622	82	170	35	2	15	74	24	81	21	4	.273	.305	.408	.713	SS
Leonys Martin	155	26	TEX	583	533	68	146	13	7	7	40	39	114	31	12	.274	.325	.364	.689	CF
Yoenis Cespedes	152	28	TOT	645	600	89	156	36	6	22	100	35	128	7	2	.260	.301	.450	.751	LF
Yasiel Puig	148	23	LAD	640	558	92	165	37	9	16	69	67	124	11	7	.296	.382	.480	.863	RF
Adeiny Hechavarria	146	25	MIA	574	536	53	148	20	10	1	34	26	86	7	5	.276	.308	.356	.664	SS
Jose Abreu	145	27	CHW	622	556	80	176	35	2	36	107	51	131	3	1	.317	.383	.581	.964	1B
Dayan Viciedo	145	25	CHW	563	523	65	121	22	3	21	58	32	122	0	1	.231	.281	.405	.686	RF
Yunel Escobar	137	31	TBR	529	476	33	123	18	0	7	39	43	60	1	1	.258	.324	.340	.664	SS
Yasmani Grandal	128	25	SDP	443	377	47	85	19	1	15	49	58	115	3	0	.225	.327	.401	.728	C
Brayan Pena	115	32	CIN	372	348	23	88	18	1	5	26	20	42	2	3	.253	.291	.353	.645	1B/C
Kendrys Morales	98	31	MIN/SEA	401	367	28	80	20	0	8	42	27	68	0	0	.218	.274	.338	.612	DH
Yonder Alonso	84	27	SDP	288	267	27	64	19	1	7	27	17	36	6	1	.240	.285	.397	.682	1B
Aroldis Chapman	54	26	CIN	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0					RP

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 11/28/2014.

Of them, you'll note, over a third have first names starting with the letter Y. Those ranks will increase in 2015, as the Diamondbacks signed Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas to a six-year, $68.5 million contract this week. That'll make six Cuban players with a first name starting with Y. In 2014, the only players appearing in 50+ games with a first name starting in Y that were not Cuban were Mariners reliever Yoervis Medina, Yankees/Padres third baseman Yangervis Solarte (both from Venezuela), Indians catcher Yan Gomes (Brazil), and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (Puerto Rico). 

It turns out there's a reason. As this article explains, 

...the preponderance of names starting with the letter Y may reflect the contact Cubans had with Russian advisers sporting names like Yuri and Yevgeny in the years when the Soviet Union was bankrolling Castro's revolution.

That probably explains the Y-names for Medina and Solarte, both hailing from socialist Venezuela. That's also why the Cuban player who saw the most playing time this season, Alexei Ramirez, has a name you'd associate more with Russian than with a Spanish-speaking island.

So there you have it. Cuban ballplayers have first names starting with the letter Y because their parents wanted to pay homage to the USSR.

Sorry, that's all I've got for now. You'll have to find something else to read while you're standing in the checkout line at Target.