2024 Caribbean Series Preview: Panamá

[Noah Berger]

We're taking team-by-team looks at each Serie del Caribe participant, how they stack up against the rest of the competition, and what connections they have to the Marlins.

With LoanDepot Park hosting the Caribbean Series beginning this Thursday, Fish On First will be introducing you to all seven participating teams.

Next up: Panamá.

 

Panamá's Roster

With Federales de Chiriquí coming out on top of the Panamanian Professional Baseball League (LPBP), they'll represent the country in the Caribbean Series. Their roster features plenty of recognizable names, not just on their playing roster but also their coaching staff.

 

 

Marlins Connections

C Christian Bethancourt is the first name that jumps off the page as being connected to the Marlins because he is the only active Marlins player on the roster. The Marlins acquired Bethancourt a few months ago from the Guardians in exchange for cash considerations. Christian is expected to split time behind the plate for the Marlins with C Nick Fortes. 

In exchange for a player to be named later, the Phillies traded RHP Severino González to the Marlins in 2017. He spent just two seasons in the Marlins organization, getting called up to the big leagues multiple times, but never throwing a single pitch in a major league game for Miami. Before being traded, Gonzalez pitched 66 major league innings for the Phillies in 2015 and 2016. 

The Marlins acquired OF Ricardo Cespedes and RHP Merandy González from the New York Mets in 2017 in the trade that sent RHP AJ Ramos to NY. Cespedes spent the next few seasons bouncing around between the Marlins' minor-league affiliates before being released in 2019.

CF Jhonny Santos spent significant time bouncing around the Marlins' minor league system between his signing in 2013 and departing in 2019 via the Rule 5 Draft. 

Hitting/pitching coach Rodrigo Vigil was signed by the DSL Marlins as a second baseman in 2010. He became a catcher shortly thereafter, spent the next nine seasons catching for various Marlins minor league affiliates, and received multiple invites to Marlins spring training. He never made it to the big leagues and elected free agency in 2019.

 

 

 

 

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Vigil has since spent time in the Mariners minor league system, but has never made it to the major leagues. 

First base coach Earl Agnoly is most notable for being on Panamá's roster for the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics and the 2005 Rotterdam Baseball World Cup team that won the bronze medal. Before all of that, though, he spent six years playing in the Florida Marlins minor league system, hitting .321 in 1993 and .336 in 1994 for the DSL Marlins. 

 

Other Notable Names

SS Ruben Tejada played in 11 major league seasons for four teams, boasting a career OBP of .324 with 530 career hits. His run as the starting shortstop during the New York Mets run to the World Series in 2015 was cut short by a fractured right fibula suffered in an infamous collision with Chase Utley during the NLDS. He also was part of Panamá's roster for the 2009 WBC, 2013 WBC qualifying tournament, and the 2023 WBC where he slashed .333/.375/.667 in 15 at-bats, leading the team in OPS with 1.042. Panamá was eliminated after group play through a tiebreaker in a five-way tie between all five teams. 

INF Johan Camargo has played in parts of the last seven major league seasons for the Atlanta Braves (2017-2021), Philadelphia Phillies (2022), and San Francisco Giants (2023). He also played for the Dominican Republic in the 2021 Caribbean Series. He is currently a free agent. 

SS Allen Cordoba played in 100 major league games for the San Diego Padres in 2017, batting .208 in 202 at-bats. He played for Panama in the 2021 Caribbean Series and drove in three runs during the 2023 WBC.

C Iván Herrera was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an international free agent in 2016 and has worked his way up through their system to make his Major League debut on May 24, 2022. He played 11 games for the Cardinals in 2022 and 13 in 2023, with a batting average of .236 and an OPS of .611. After excelling at Triple-A last season, Herrera is expected to crack the 2024 Cardinals Opening Day roster.

 

Serie del Caribe Schedule

• February 2 @ Curacao, 10:30 a.m.
• February 3 vs. Mexico, 3:30 p.m.
• February 4 @ Nicaragua, 10:30 a.m.
• February 5 vs. Puerto Rico, 8:30 p.m.
• February 6 @ Venezuela, 8:30 p.m.
• February 7 vs. Dominican Republic, 3:30 p.m.

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