Kevin Barral

When talking about potential shortstop options for the 2024 season, Jacob Amaya has gone overlooked. A strong spring for the young shortstop could change that. The Miami Marlins don't have a clear starting shortstop for the 2024 season. They have several options who could potentially help at the position, including Jon Berti, Vidal Bruján, Xavier Edwards and now Nick Gordon, who was just acquired from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Steven Okert. But the best defensive shortstop in big league camp this spring might actually be Jacob Amaya. Acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Miguel Rojas last year, Amaya spent most of his 2023 season with Triple-A Jacksonville. In 128 AAA games, Amaya slashed .252/.345/.407/.752 with 15 home runs, 65 RBIs and an 89 wRC+ with plus defense. Prior to his call-up in June, Amaya was exceeding expectations as a hitter, slashing .278/.346/.472/.818 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs. The uptick in power was especially interesting. However, from the time of his demotion until the end of the season, Amaya slashed .232/.344/.357/.700 with six home runs and 30 RBIs. Despite his inconsistency at the plate, he stayed consistent on the defensive side of things. Also, his approach was very solid as he ended the season walking at a 12.4% rate against a strikeout percentage of 18.7%. There is a lot to like with Amaya's profile. He can play well at any spot in the infield and his floor is still higher than some other Marlins prospects. In 2023, he slashed .277/.383/.416/.799 with three home runs and 23 RBIs against left-handed pitching. During a period where the Marlins have designated fellow AAA hitters Jordan Groshans and Peyton Burdick for assignment, Amaya's spot remains safe, so the team evidently values him more. For Amaya, it feels like his batting stance changed just a bit after he was demoted back down to Jacksonville. He went to a slightly wider base. It is something to keep an eye out for during Spring Training. Amaya has one minor league option left, so the Marlins don't need to force him onto the Opening Day roster if he doesn't truly earn a job. If he demonstrates that the power he showed in the hitter-friendly International League is legitimate, the 25-year-old could be the answer Peter Bendix has been looking for at shortstop. View full article

The Marlins didn't wait for "the big game" to kick off on Super Bowl Sunday, swinging a trade with the Twins in the early afternoon for the versatile Gordon. On Sunday, the Miami Marlins struck a deal acquiring utility man Nick Gordon from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for reliever Steven Okert. Craig Mish of SportsGird was first with the full trade details. The trade is now official. Gordon was originally the fifth pick in the 2014 MLB Draft and didn't make his debut until 2021. His best season came in 2022 when he played 136 games and slashed .272/.316/.427/.743 with nine home runs, 30 RBIs and a 111 OPS+. In 2023, Gordon struggled in his limited 34-game sample before suffering a leg injury. On the bright side, he cut his strikeout rate in half, from 23.7% to 11.8%. Although there are questions about where Gordon will play, he has spent most of his major league career in the outfield (92 games in CF and 85 games in LF). He can also play second base and shortstop. Shortstop is still a spot that needs to be filled for the Marlins this season. Gordon will earn a salary of $900k this season after losing his arbitration case. He is under club control through 2027 and has no more minor league options. Gordon is the half-brother of former Marlins second baseman Dee Strange-Gordon, who spent three seasons with the team and was an All-Star, Gold Glove winner and batting champ. As for who the Marlins are giving away, Steven Okert joined the organization in 2021 when he signed a minor league deal with the team. Since then, Okert has provided the Marlins with two-and-a-half strong years in the organization. Okert's best season came in 2022, posting a 2.98 ERA, 4.36 FIP, 11.05 K/9 and 4.56 BB/9 through 51 ⅓ innings pitched. Although Okert had success in that 2022 season, his high FIP and walk rate made his success seem unsustainable and that proved to be the case. Okert got off to a good start in 2023 as he did lower the walk rate and FIP, but his ERA went up and he was giving up more contact. The Twins have the chance to get one of the better relievers in the National League from the first half of the season who posted a 2.53 ERA in 32 innings pitched and who lowered his walk rate. For Miami, they were able to trade what was originally a depth signing for a cheap, versatile hitter with nice upside. Be sure to check our on sister site, Twins Daily, for reaction to this trade from the Twins' perspective. View full article

The Marlins added more pitching depth at the end of the week, but it came at the expense of one of the best power bats in their minor league system. On Friday, the Marlins swung a deal with the Seattle Mariners, acquiring Darren McCaughan in exchange for cash considerations. The addition of the right-hander was overshadowed by the corresponding roster move: designating Peyton Burdick for assignment. First, Darren McCaughan has spent six seasons in Minor League Baseball, briefly seeing action in the majors in 2021 and 2023. Most recently McCaughan was with the Mariners AAA affiliate, where he posted a 5.83 ERA, 6.05 FIP, 8.42 K/9 and a 2.85 BB/9 through 139 innings pitched last season. In every full season of his professional career, McCaughan has made at least 20 starts. Since 2018, he leads all minor leaguers with 707 ⅓ innings pitched. McCaughan's arsenal is comprised of a sweeper, sinker, changeup and four-seam fastball, with the sweeper and sinker being his most-used pitches. He only averages 89 miles per hour on his fastball—that is the lowest velocity of any healthy pitcher on the Marlins 40-man roster. It is worth noting that McCaughan comes from the Pacific Coast League (PCL), which is by far the most hitter-friendly league in Minor League Baseball. "The PCL is a tough league to pitch in," said current Marlins pitcher Ryan Weathers, who struggled in the PCL himself. "When I got to the International League (where the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp play), my pitches moved where they were supposed to move." With one minor league option left, McCaughan will most likely open the 2024 season in Jacksonville.. A 2019 Marlins draft pick, Peyton Burdick just never quite worked out for the Marlins at the major league level. The powerful outfielder had instant success in the low minors. After the 2020 minor league was season cancelled due to COVID, he kept on producing in AA, where he slashed .231/.376/.472/.848 with 23 home runs, 52 RBIs and a 137 wRC+ to be named the 2021 Pensacola Blue Wahoos team MVP. Burdick was promoted that same season to AAA-Jacksonville, but struggled in his eight games of action. He would begin the 2022 season in AAA and slashed .224/.341/.421/.762 with 14 home runs, 51 RBIs and a 104 wRC+ to force a call-up in August when the Marlins were out of contention. Burdick also played 14 games for the Marlins in 2023 when they were hit with several outfield injuries, but spent most of the year in Jacksonville, getting reps at all three outfield positions. The biggest struggle for Burdick has been strikeouts. Even in the minors, his career strikeout rate is 30%. In parts of two seasons at the major league level, he has a 38.1 K%. To compare, no MLB hitter to receive 400 plate appearances in 2023 was above a 35 K%. Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB 2019 22 2 Teams 2 Lgs A-A- MIA 69 312 260 60 80 20 4 11 64 7 7 34 72 .308 .407 .542 .949 141 12 13 0 5 0 2019 22 0.7 Clinton MIDW A MIA 63 287 238 57 73 20 3 10 59 6 6 32 67 .307 .408 .542 .950 129 11 12 0 5 0 2019 22 1.1 Batavia NYPL A- MIA 6 25 22 3 7 0 1 1 5 1 1 2 5 .318 .400 .546 .946 12 1 1 0 0 0 2021 24 2 Teams 2 Lgs AA-AAA MIA 114 491 401 76 90 20 2 23 53 9 5 79 146 .224 .367 .456 .823 183 12 11 0 0 2 2021 24 -2.5 Jacksonville AAAE AAA MIA 8 31 28 5 4 3 0 0 1 0 0 3 11 .143 .226 .250 .476 7 2 0 0 0 0 2021 24 -0.5 Pensacola AASO AA MIA 106 460 373 71 86 17 2 23 52 9 5 76 135 .231 .376 .472 .848 176 10 11 0 0 2 2022 25 -1.4 Jacksonville IL AAA MIA 99 429 364 74 78 16 5 15 58 13 3 53 120 .214 .326 .409 .736 149 8 9 0 3 0 2022 25 -3.6 MIA NL Maj MIA 32 102 92 8 19 4 0 4 11 1 0 8 35 .207 .284 .380 .665 35 1 2 0 0 0 2023 26 -0.3 Jacksonville IL AAA MIA 114 492 420 63 92 20 2 24 74 12 2 57 180 .219 .327 .448 .775 188 6 12 0 3 0 2023 26 -2.2 MIA NL Maj MIA 14 37 33 4 6 2 0 1 2 1 0 3 18 .182 .270 .333 .604 11 0 1 0 0 0 Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Majors (2 seasons) Majors 46 139 125 12 25 6 0 5 13 2 0 11 53 .200 .281 .368 .649 46 1 3 0 0 0 Minors (4 seasons) Minors 396 1724 1445 273 340 76 13 73 249 41 17 223 518 .235 .353 .457 .810 661 38 45 0 11 2 All Levels (6 Seasons) 663 2824 2337 488 621 138 21 111 456 90 31 366 719 .266 .381 .485 .867 1134 39 89 3 29 4 AAA (3 seasons) Minors 221 952 812 142 174 39 7 39 133 25 5 113 311 .214 .324 .424 .747 344 16 21 0 6 0 AA (1 season) Minors 106 460 373 71 86 17 2 23 52 9 5 76 135 .231 .376 .472 .848 176 10 11 0 0 2 A (1 season) Minors 63 287 238 57 73 20 3 10 59 6 6 32 67 .307 .408 .542 .950 129 11 12 0 5 0 A- (1 season) Minors 6 25 22 3 7 0 1 1 5 1 1 2 5 .318 .400 .546 .946 12 1 1 0 0 That being said, the Burdick DFA comes as a surprise given that he has two minor league options remaining, can play all three outfield spots and has some of the best raw power in this organization. It is likely that the soon-to-be 27-year-old will get claimed off waivers when you consider that teams will be able to use the 60-day injured list next week to create roster openings. If he doesn't get claimed, the Marlins will outright him to AAA and invite him to big league camp as a non-roster invitee. Burdick could soon become the latest 2019 early-round draft pick to leave the Marlins. JJ Bleday, Kameron Misner and Evan Edwards were all traded, while Nasim Nuñez was selected in the Rule 5 Draft this offseason by the Washington Nationals. Miami's struggles with drafting and development have led to several recent changes to the front office and left them with one of baseball's worst farm systems. View full article

Cuban pitcher Miguel Romero participated in his first-ever Caribbean Series, contributing to Venezuela's Tiburones de La Guaira and hoping to put himself on the radar of major league clubs. MIAMI, FL—Cuban Miguel Romero participated in the 2023 World Baseball Classic with the Cuban National team, but came just short of a championship appearance. This time around, returning to the same ballpark representing Tiburones de La Guaira of Venezuela, Romero was crowned a champion. On Friday, La Guaira defeated Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Republic by a final score of 3-0. Following the game, Romero spoke to some media members on the field. "It's huge to have won the finals with Venezuela," said Romero. "Winning one (with La Guaira) and now one here. Thinks it is special, especially for us Cubans that play here for La Guaira and just an advancement for all Cubans for the country that are representing different countries." After Romero threw here at loanDepot park during the WBC, he did not envision getting the opportunity to return. "Thank God that my life went a certain way where I was back," said Romero. Although Romero didn't pitch in the championship game, he was successful against the Dominican Republic during their round-robin matchup on February 1. He also started Venezuela's semifinal game and went 5 ⅓ innings, gave up two runs off of six hits, walked one and struck out one. He gave his team length and that's what manager Ozzie Guillén needed from him, especially with how strong the Curacao bats were. "The arrival of Ozzie was very positive for the team because he has confidence in every player and he always tells us stories in the dugout," said Romero. "He's a manager that is worth playing for." Signed by the Oakland Athletics as a minor league free agent in 2017, Romero pitched for their Triple-A Las Vegas affiliate from 2019-2023. However, he still hasn't tasted the big leagues and was released by the A's last May. Entering what will be his age-30 season, Romero is a free agent and it is unclear if he has had contact with any MLB team. For the majority of teams, pitchers and catchers will be reporting to Spring Training during this upcoming week. View full article

Tiburones de La Guaira (Venezuela) shut out Tigres del Licey (Dominican Republic) in the most well-attended game in Caribbean Series history. MIAMI, FL—The Caribbean Series champion was crowned on a breezy Friday night at loanDepot park where the Tiburones de La Guaira of Venezuela took on the Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Republic. A sac fly in the bottom of the fourth and then an RBI triple in the fifth would be all Venezuela needed to take home the 2024 championship. For Dominican Republic starter César Valdez, it was a rocky start. Despite giving his team four innings of work, he gave up three runs off of seven hits, walked three and only recorded one strikeout. The first run of the ballgame came in on a bases loaded sac fly from Alcides Escobar, who drove in Odúbel Herrera. Herrera had entered the game in place for Yasiel Puig (exited with leg discomfort). An inning, later, Valdez got into enough trouble and was taken out. Hernán Pérez smacked an RBI triple, which drove in Wilfredo Tovar. Herrera's ground out was enough for Pérez to score and make it a 3-0 game. Ricardo Pinto started for La Guaira in the championship-clinching game. After a quick first inning, Pinto got to work as he ended his outing with six strikeouts through 5 ⅔ shutout innings, only giving up four hits. His outing was cut short as it seemed that he suffered a blister, which was affecting him. Tigres del Licey were unable to score a run as this marks the first time in the 2024 Caribbean Series that they have been shut out. In total, the Dominican Republic produced six hits on the night. Three of them came from second baseman Robinson Canó. For the Dominican Republic, they missed out on a chance to win back-to-back Caribbean Series titles and are dethroned. For Venezuela, the 2024 Caribbean Series marks the end of a 15-year drought since the country was previously crowned the champion. Ozzie Guillén becomes the first latino manager ever to win a World Series, winter league championship and Caribbean Series. Ricardo Pinto was named MVP of the tournament. The paid attendance was 36,677, setting a new Caribbean Series record. View full article

After Venezuela clinched their spot in the 2024 Caribbean Series final, manager Ozzie Guillén discussed his complicated past and uncertain future during a lengthy press conference. MIAMI, FL—Entering the 2012 season, the Miami Marlins traded for Ozzie Guillén to become their next manager. Expectations were high for the former World Series winner as the team moved into a new ballpark and invested heavily in free agents. Unfortunately, as we all know, the Marlins disappointed and ended up going 69-93 with that star-studded team. Guillén was suspended for tone-deaf comments about Fidel Castro and fired after the season. He has not resurfaced on a major league coaching staff since then. Guillén is finally back at loanDepot park for the Caribbean Series. He has managed Venezuela's Tiburones de La Guaira to a 6-1 record in the tournament, beating Panamá on Thursday to advance to the final. In his Spanish-language postgame press conference, Guillén reflected on his history with the Marlins: He added, "I remember telling the front office, when you fire someone from your organization and you still have to pay a couple million dollars that is left for others or you can say that they were fired and you're still getting paid, that's when I knew what was coming. But again, they threw me out because I was a bad manager, not for the comment that I supposedly made." The 60-year-old Guillén still lives here in Miami. He was asked about his interest in a possible return to the Marlins organization if their managerial position ever became open. "They're going to have to put down a couple million dollars in front of me. You can't say no to that...I'm not looking to manage in the big leagues right now, but if the offer comes through, I may take it. The dream is still there." The Marlins are currently led by reigning NL Manager of the Year Skip Schumaker. New president of baseball operations Peter Bendix has spoken positively about his first impressions of Schumaker, though his contract has not been extended yet. “I’m really fortunate to be able to work with him,” Bendix told Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald last month. "It’s such an important part of the job to get the most out of the players to get them ready to play every single day...I’m really excited to work with Skip to see how he was able to do that.” Venezuela will take on the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Series final at 8:00 p.m. View full article

Final score: CW 2, VEN 6 The Tiburones de La Guaira bats eventually broke through against Curacao's pitching to give Venezuela the win and ticket to Friday's title game against the Dominican Republic. MIAMI, FL—Thursday would define who would be playing for the 2024 Caribbean Series title. Those two teams ended up being Tigres del Licey from the Dominican Republic and the Tiburones de La Guaira from Venezuela, who defeated Curacao in the night cap of the semifinals. Venezuela starter Miguel Romero gave up a lot of contact, but despite a Jurickson Profar RBI single in the top of the first inning, Romero kept his team in it as he went 5 ⅓ innings, struck out one, walked one and gave up two runs on six hits. Romero would give up his second run of the game in the top of the fourth inning as Juremi Profar smacked an RBI double to drive in Ademar Rifaela to extend the lead to 2-0. The Tiburones de La Guaira took the lead in the bottom of the fourth after Curacao starter Nelmerson Angela has been perfect, not giving up a single hit. After a fly and ground out, Venezuela designated hitter Wilson Ramos broke the no-hitter and it was followed up by a Yasiel Puig walk. Following a mound visit, Ramón Flores, who had a two-RBI night against Nicaragua on Wednesday night followed it up on Thursday with an RBI to drive in Ramos and put Venezuela within one run. Following Flores RBI single, Angela was taken out of the game in place for Curacao's best reliever Kevin Kelly, but with the bases loaded catcher Luis Torrens came in the clutch and drove in two-runs on an RBI single to give the Tiburones a 3-2 lead. Xavier Angela ended his outing going 3 ⅔ innings, giving up three runs off of two hits, three walks and zero strikeouts. Kelly, who didn't go back out for the following inning, so he ended his appearance giving up one hit and walking one, but he did give up the RBI to Torrens, just the runs counted towards Angela. Flores has had a strong showing in the Caribbean Series as he slashed .292/.346/.417/.763 with one home run and six RBIs entering the semifinals. His two-RBI night certainly boosted all of those stats. For Torrens, he has struggled in the Caribbean Series, but saw himself in a better position these last two games where he will be a factor in the final game against the Dominican Republic with his MLB experience. In the sixth inning, Wendell Floranus entered in relief for Curacao. Floranus was the fourth reliever used and whenever Venezuela has needed someone to come in and produce, it's been Flores. Before Flores, Wilson Ramos got a base hit, which then saw Yasiel Puig line out, but in a full count, Flores took advantage of a fastball and sent it into the gap in left-center to drive in Ramos. With the win, Venezuela's Tiburones de La Guaira have an opportunity to win their eighth Caribbean Series championship. The title game against Tigres del Licey will begin at 8:00 p.m. View full article

Final score: DR 4, PAN 1 The Dominican Republic avenged their loss to Panamá from the day before, putting them on the verge of repeating as tournament champs. MIAMI FL—Within the first hour of Thursday's semifinal game, the Dominican Republic took a 2-0 lead. They never looked back on their way to defeating Panamá and moving onto the 2024 Caribbean Series championship game. Panama starting pitcher Harold Arauz saw his start get cut short after struggling through 2 ⅓ innings, where he gave up three runs, walked three and only struck out two. The first run that Arauz gave up, an RBI single to third baseman Dawel Lugo, drove in Gustavo Nuñez who worked a walk in his plate appearance. Lugo was tagged out trying to go for second base, which made it an early 1-0 game in favor of the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic's second run would come in after Junior Lake drew a walk and advanced to second base on a balk. Emilio Bonifacio drove Lake home on an RBI single. The third and final run that Arauz would give up happened after he was replaced by reliever Steven Fuentes. Yadiel Hernández had a sac fly, which drove in the inherited runner, Emilio Bonifacio. In his 3 ⅓ innings pitched, Fuentes struck out two, giving up one run off of four hits. In the top of the sixth inning, first baseman Kelvin Gutierrez drove in Yadiel Hernández, who had a base hit in his at-bat. This extended the Dominican Republic's lead to 4-0. Although Panamá had multiple attempts with runners in scoring position, Dominican Republic starter Cameron Gann gave Gilbert Gómez and his team 4 ⅓ strong innings of shutout baseball. Gann struck out two, walked two and allowed three hits. In place of Gann, Jonathan Aro entered the game in relief. A total of five relievers entered the game for the Dominican Republic. Although they allowed five hits and one RBI to make it a 4-1 game, Panamá frequently ran the ball into ground or swung underneath it. Their offense produced only one extra-base hit. Panamá plays one last game on Friday at 3:00 p.m. against the loser of the Venezuela/Curacao game to determine who will be the third-place team in the Caribbean Series. As for the Dominican Republic, they will now aim for their 23rd Caribbean Series win on Friday night against the winner of Venezuela/Curacao. View full article

On a night where all Ozzie Guillén needed was to get through this game, Ángel Padrón gave Venezuela all he had and threw a no-hitter against Nicaragua to close out the Round Robin portion of the 2024 Caribbean Series and clinch the number one seed for his country entering the semifinals. MIAMI, FL—For the second time ever and the first time since 1952, a no-hitter was thrown during the Caribbean Series. History was made on Wednesday night by Ángel Padrón as Venezuela beat Nicaragua by a final score of 9-0 to earn the number one seed for Thursdays' semifinal. Originally, the plan was for Padrón to go about 3-4 innings, but little by little, it became more apparent that the no-hitter was becoming more of a possibility. "In the fourth inning I thought about it," said Padrón following the game. "I saw the scoreboard and saw that I had a perfect game, but I think that I stayed calm, told myself that I wasn't going to think too much about it so that my emotions don't get the best of me and that is what I think I did, which was stay focused pitch-by-pitch, hitter-by-hitter and inning-by-inning and well, thankfully it was accomplished." Padrón went nine shutout innings, allowing zero hits, one walk and striking out four along with throwing 88 pitches. Nicaragua's starter was Yoanner Negrin for what would be their final game in the 2024 Caribbean Series as they tried to search for what would be their first and only win of the tournament. Despite giving up three runs, Negrin went five innings, struck out three, gave up eight hits and didn't walk anyone. Negrin provided plenty of length for his team, but at the end of the day, Nicaragua had to go with four relievers. Ramón Flores had to enter the game midway through replacing Venezuela center fielder Franklin Barreto, who came out due to an injury. Flores popped out in his first at-bat, but in his following one, he drove in the first two runs of the game on a bases loaded RBI single. Flores ended the night going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. He also made a great running catch in center for the final out of the seventh inning that kept the no-no alive. bkc5ZUdfV0ZRVkV3dEdEUT09X1Z3bFZWRkpWQXdzQVhsVUFWd0FBQkFCZkFGaFRXd1VBVmdOUkExRUJCVkJTQmdRQw==.mp4 The final run that Negrin gave up wasn't totally on him. He allowed a base hit to Yasiel Puig, then was taken out and after Leonardo Reginatto also got a base hit, Alcides Escobar grounded into a double play that Puig scored on and gave Venezuela a 3-0 lead. The Tiburones would go on to score six more runs, including RBIs from Flores, Reginatto, Escobar, Odúbel Herrera, Wilfredo Tovar and Francisco Arcia. As for Nicaragua, they finish the tournament as the last-place team and the only team without a win, but Ozzie Guillén had a lot of praise and on top of that offered his help to Nicaraguan baseball. Following the final out, Guillén went up to manager Marvin Bernard and gave him a handshake and hug along with before the game, they had a long conversation. "Following the game, I went up to the Nicaragua dugout to let them know personally how thankful, proud and how good I feel watching Nicaragua competing in these tournaments," said Guillén. "I said it beforehand, we have to help Nicaragua. I spoke to their manager and I told him that I am fully in to do whatever it takes—besides be the manager—to help Nicaragua out as a baseball country." With that, Venezuela secures the 9-0 victory and Ángel Padrón secured his no-hitter. He joins Henderson Álvarez (2013) and Edinson Vólquez (2017) as pitchers to accomplish this feat at loanDepot park (Álvarez and Vólquez were both Marlins pitchers at the time). Venezuela becomes the number one seed in the Caribbean Series and will be the home team for Thursday's 8:00 p.m. game against Curacao. The ballpark roof will be OPEN. The Dominican Republic will take on Panamá in the 3:00 p.m. semifinal game where Panamá is the home team. View full article

Final score: DR 1, PAN 3 Panamá heads to the tournament's semifinals with a 5-1 record, with help from the current Marlin who's in the heart of their lineup. MIAMI, FL —For the Dominican Republic and Panamá, there was not much at stake during Wednesday's game with both teams already advancing to the Caribbean Series semifinals. Despite that, the afternoon pitching duel was worth the price of admission. One team had to eventually pull away and this time, it was Panamá who took the late lead and won. Panamanian right-hander Ernesto Silva went five innings, gave up one run off of five hits, walked three and didn't strike out anyone. Although the final line seems a bit concerning in terms of no strikeouts, Silva generated a lot of grounders to keep his team in the game. The run that Silva gave up was a Dawel Lugo RBI single, which drove in Emilio Bonifacio. For the Dominican Republic, Cuban starter Jorge Martinez went five innings, gave up one run off of three hits, walked two and struck out seven. The one run he gave up was a home run to Jhonny Santos, which made it an early 1-0 lead for Panamá at the time. Lisalverto Bonilla entered the game in relief of Martinez and that's when Panamá regained the lead. Christian Bethancourt, one of the newest members of the Miami Marlins, took Bonilla deep 397 feet to center field for a solo shot. The ball left the bat at 100.7 miles per hour and that was his first career Caribbean Series home run (as well as his first at LoanDepot Park at any level of competition). Through six games, Bethancourt has a .261/.370/.478/.848 slash line with a strikeout rate of only 11.1%. Gilbert Gómez's ballclub had their chances to fight back, but went 1-for-12 with scoring position, so Panamá ended up winning the game and finishing the Round Robin portion of the tournament with a 5-1 record. They aren't confirmed as the top seed yet as they await the Venezuela/Nicaragua result on Wednesday night (Venezuela can surpass them with a win). In either case, Panamá will play in the semifinals on Thursday. View full article

With a 2-0 win over Curacao, the Dominican Republic clinched their spot in the Caribbean Series semifinals. Here is what manager Gilbert Gómez had to say about his plans for Raul Valdes and the pitching staff for the remainder of the tournament. MIAMI, FL—Following a 2-0 win over Curacao, the Dominican Republic clinched their spot in the 2024 Caribbean Series semifinals. With victories on Thursday and Friday, they will repeat as tournament champions. Before that, they still have Wednesday's game against Panamá at 3:30 p.m. After having just thrown 71 pitches and five scoreless innings, Tuesday's starting pitcher, Raul Valdes, spoke about his availability for the rest of the tournament. "I am always available," said Valdes following his outing. "I don't have any limits. I threw today and if the manager decides that I can enter the game in relief tomorrow, I can pitch every day. I don't have any issue with that." "That's what makes a pitcher like Raul [Valdes] a great piece, because we know that he will be available more than possibly other starters," said manager Gilbert Gómez. "But right now, it is just too early for us to just say that Valdes will be available for the final. We know that we can count on him and we know that he will be ready to go, but that is more of a group conversation and more with Raul himself. Just looking in terms of what happens (Wednesday), how he feels the next day and how our pitching staff looks. Then, that's when it is easier for us to make a decision." The oldest player in the tournament at age 46, Valdes is playing in his ninth Caribbean Series. This is a special one for the winter league vet as it would be the first one he would win in an MLB ballpark. "It would mean a lot," said Valdes. After striking out seven batters against Curacao, Valdes has 61 total K's in his Caribbean Series career, one away from tying the all-time record held by Juan "Terín" Pizarro. View full article

With both teams backs against the wall, both teams starter were big, but only one run that Curacao gave up early in this game made the difference as the Dominican Republic won, 2-0. MIAMI, F.L. - A game that was crucial for both teams who look to advance to the semi-finals saw Curacao starter Cody Mincey and Dominican Republic starter Raul Valdes keep their teams in it, but at the end of the day, one team had to strike and it was the Dominican Republic who won to a final score of 2-0. Cody Mincey, a former Marlins prospect took the ball in what was one of the most important games of the Caribbean Series for Curacao and went innings and didn't give up his first run of the game up until the bottom of the fourth inning where Gustavo Nuñez began the inning with a base hit and after a Robinson Cano fly out, Ramon Hernandez and Dawel Lugo had base hits, but it was Lugo's base hit which turned into an RBI single to drive in Nuñez and give the Dominican Republic a 1-0 lead. Despite the one run, Mincey ended the afternoon going 6.1 innings, striking out three, walking zero and giving up one run off of five hits. Following Mincey's exit, Curacao went with reliever Kevin Kelly who got the Suns out of the bottom of the seventh, but Franklin Van Gurp got into some trouble, allowing hits to both Emilio Bonifacio and Gustavo Nuñez putting runners on the corners with one out in the bottom of the eighth. Van Gurp was taken out and in his place, Shea Spitzbarth entered the game and thankfully, the most he gave up was a sac fly to Robinson Cano which scored a run, but Van Gurp is given that run scored. For the Dominican Republic, Cuban starter Raul Valdes was on the verge of history before being taken out after the top of the fifth inning. For Valdes, this is his ninth Caribbean Series and before he came out, he was one strikeout away from tying the top pitcher for most strikeouts in Caribbean Series history at 62, but Valdes was taken out with 61 strikeouts. Valdes shut down the Curacao offense through his five innings of work, only allowing two hits, striking out seven and not walking anyone. Valdes was also one strikeout away from tying Venezuela's starter Ricardo Pinto for the most strikeouts in a single game in the 2024 Caribbean Series which is eight. Following Valdes start, the Dominican Republic bullpen gave up one hit J.C. Mejia struck out the side in the top of the eighth and closer Jairo Asencio entered the game to finish the job and give the Dominican Republic their third win of the Caribbean Series and keep them alive. For Curacao, they have a make-or-break game with Puerto Rico in the morning, which would possibly send them to the semi-finals or eliminate them from the 2024 Caribbean Series. Currently, Curacao has a 3-3 record with the loss. For the Dominican Republic, they have one last game against Panama who are 4-0, so a lot will be indicated in the night game following this game which is Venezuela vs. Panama. View full article