Yeah, Japan is roughly AAA level. Cuba isn't nearly as good.
Alvarez sounds like not more than a C+ type prospect. He hasn't made the Cuban national team, and has only one season that stood out a little. He has the tools to maybe turn into a solid regular, but probably as many question marks and as much bust potential as guys like Puello and Vaughn.Davenport runs translations for Serie Nacional players, just as he does for Japanese league players, minor leaguers, and others not in the majors. He considers the competition in Serie Nacional to be equivalent to high-A ball in North America's minor leagues — the Carolina, California, and Florida leagues.
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/...-weapon-planet
He doesn't seem to be a better hitter than Henry Urrutia, who signed with the Orioles for under $1M. He's a little bit better athlete than Urrutia, who is more a LF type. So worth a little more. The infielder, Diaz, looks like the better prospect.