The 65th edition of the Caribbean Series will be played in Caracas, Venezuela, at the La Rinconada stadium in Caracas and the Forum stadium in La Guaira. It’ll start on February 2 and end on February 10.
The competition has been held annually since 1949. However, in the first stage, there were only 12 editions of the event, of which Cuba won seven, Puerto Rico four, Panama one, and Venezuela none.
The teams participating in this tournament have to make an arduous effort during a whole season in their respective local leagues to be the best team in the country and conquer the championship that grants them the right to be the representative of the Caribbean Series.
For the first time in the history of the tournament, eight teams from different countries will participate in the 2023 Serie del Caribe:Â
- Wildcats (Curaçao)
- Tigres del Licey (Dominican Republic)
- Federales de Chiriquà (Panama)
- Agricultores (Cuba)
- Indios de Mayagüez (Puerto Rico)
- Vaqueros de Monteria (Colombia)
- Cañeros de Los Mochis (Mexico)
- Leones del Caracas (Venezuela)
The Colombians won the last edition, held in Santo Domingo, thanks to five wins by the Caimanes de Barranquilla.
Now, let’s look at the preview of the games to be played on the first day of the Caracas 2023 Caribbean Series.
Serie del Caribe 2023 – Agricultores vs. Wildcats – Betting Odds and Free Pick – Info
When:
Thursday, February 2 at 09:30 AM ET at the Forum Stadium of La Guaira
Moneyline odds:
Agricultores
Wildcats
Where Can I Watch it?
The match that will kick off the Caracas 2023 Caribbean Series will be between Cuba and Curaçao, i.e., Agricultores and Wildcats.
The Cuban team participates as a guest in the Caribbean Series. It returns to the tournament after three years. In 2019, Leñadores de Las Tunas lost to Toros de Herrera of Panama in the final. Cuba has not won the Caribbean Series since 2015 (Vegueros de Pinar del RÃo won in San Juan, Puerto Rico).
The Agricultores won a thrilling final series of the Elite League of Cuba over the Portuarios in seven games.
On the other hand, the Wildcats have made it clear that they will not go for a stroll in the Venezuelan capital. Major League players are on the roster for the Caribbean Series that kicks off this Thursday, February 2. The WildCats KJ74 are the current champions of the Curaçao National Championship AA League and the first to be present in the Caribbean classic for Curaçao.
The Wildcats will be led by their MLB stars: Jurickson Profar (San Diego Padres), Jonathan Schoop (Detroit Tigers), and Andrelton Simmons (Chicago Cubs). Curaçao’s organization was invited to the Caribbean competition and is the Cinderella of the upcoming edition.
It will undoubtedly be a pitching duel. Cuban teams tend to base their game around their pitchers, and they will likely start the championship that way. First, however, we will see what can happen against great players like the established Curaçao players.
For this game, our winner’s chip goes to the Wildcats.
Agricultores vs. Wildcats Betting Pick: Wildcats
Serie del Caribe 2023 – Tigres del Licey vs. Cañeros de los Mochis – Betting Odds and Free Pick – Info
When:
Thursday, February 2 at 12:00 PM ET at Estadio La Rinconada
Moneyline odds:
Tigres del Licey
Cañeros de los Mochis
Where Can I Watch it?
The day’s second game will be between Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Republic and Cañeros de Los Mochis of Mexico.
The Dominican Republic will be represented by the Tigres del Licey, top winners of their country’s winter tournament with 23 championships and 10 Caribbean Series titles. They won their last one in 2008. The Dominicans last celebrated in 2020 in San Juan.
Although he is back from injury, second baseman Robinson Canó is the team’s star after being called up as a backup to replace the absence of, among others, Colombian Jorge Alfaro, who was vital in winning the domestic championship.
Aruba’s Xander Bogaerts, who signed with the San Diego Padres, and Cuba’s J.D. MartÃnez, who left for the Los Angeles Dodgers, are other notable absentees for the felines, who nevertheless have enough dynamite to aspire to the title.
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From Mexico, the Cañeros de Los Mochis will play. They won the fourth title in its history in the Mexican-Pacific League. The Aztecs were champions for the last time in 2014, precisely on Venezuelan soil.
Under the guidance of Venezuelan manager José Moreno, Mexico will travel to Caracas to play this edition of the “Caribbean Classic”.
The team from Los Mochis will bring 18 reinforcements for this Caribbean Series 2023 in Venezuela. But, unfortunately, only ten players from the original team who won the Arco Mexicana del PacÃfico League against the Algodoneros de Guasave will be on the roster.
Although the Cañeros de Los Mochis have almost a full roster for this Caribbean game, the Licey lineup with Robinson Canó at the helm is lethal. That is why, for this game, our winner’s chip goes to Tigres del Licey.
Tigres del Licey vs. Cañeros de los Mochis Betting Pick: Tigres del Licey
Serie del Caribe 2023 – Indios de Mayagüez vs. Vaqueros de MonterÃa – Betting Odds and Free Pick – Info
When:
Thursday, February 2 at 02:00 PM ET at the Estadio Fórum de La Guaira
Moneyline odds:
Indios de Mayagüez
Vaqueros de MonterÃa
Where Can I Watch it?
The third game of the first day of the Caracas 2023 Caribbean Series will be between Indios de Mayagüez of Puerto Rico and Vaqueros de MonterÃa of Colombia.
The Puerto Rican teams accumulate 15 championships, but Mayagüez, in particular, is responsible for only two (1978 and 1992).
They put together a team with some players with experience in the best baseball in the world, such as the third baseman of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Enmanuel Rivera. Also, notable are the names of Jeremy Rivera, Most Valuable Player of the Puerto Rican final, and Rubén Castro, batting champion of the campaign.
The pitching staff includes Americans Daryl Thompson, Ronnie Williams, Rob Whalen, and 41-year-old veteran Fernando Cabrera, who played in the MLB from 2004 to 2010 and was the Pan American champion in Lima in 2019.
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This will be the second time the Vaqueros represent Colombia in a Caribbean Series. Although the first time this happened was in the Caribbean Series “San Juan 2020”, this tournament represented the first participation of a Colombian team in the Caribbean Classic; however, it was not the desired intervention for the Monterianos, as they obtained a negative record of 0-5.
Vaqueros de MonterÃa will seek to defend the Caribbean title in Santo Domingo in 2022 when the Caimanes de Barranquilla won.
The star of the Colombian team will be second baseman Jordan DÃaz, who made his Major League debut this year with the Oakland Athletics.
However, they will miss starter Reynaldo RodrÃguez, who was the MVP of the league last year with the Caimanes but will play the event with Cañeros de Los Mochis, as he is a reserve and has a contract with a Mexican League team.
MonterÃa arrives with a lot of confidence after what the Caimanes de Barranquilla did in the previous edition. Still, Mayagüez comes with everything looking to be the king of the Caribbean once again. Therefore, our winner’s chip goes to the Indios de Mayagüez.
Indios de Mayagüez vs. Vaqueros de MonterÃa Betting Pick: Indios de Mayagüez
Serie del Caribe 2023 – Leones del Caracas vs. Federales de Chiriquà – Betting Odds and Free Pick – Info
When:
Thursday, February 2 at 07:30 PM ET at La Rinconada Stadium
Moneyline odds:
Leones del Caracas
Federales de ChiriquÃ
Where Can I Watch it?
The last game we will have on the opening day of the Caribbean Series 2023 will be between the host team, the Leones del Caracas representing Venezuela, and the Federales de Chiriqui of Panama.
Representing the hosts will be the Leones del Caracas, the top champions of their country’s league with 21 championships. They won the Caribbean Series in 1982 and 2006. On the other hand, the Tigres de Aragua were the last team to give the Caribbean title to the Venezuelans in 2009, the longest drought for a participant in the event.
The Leones have everything ready and know the road they must travel to compete, fight, and represent Venezuela in this event that will thrill the entire Caribbean.
The Venezuelan team was assembled with some of the Tiburones de La Guaira players that they faced in the LVBP Grand Final, and they will try to make the locality respect in the ninth tournament that takes place in Caracas.
A total of 13 players were confirmed as reinforcements for the Caracas players, according to the management of the Leones del Caracas. They are divided into seven pitchers and six position players.
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Panama returns to the Caribbean Series with the Federales de ChiriquÃ. The country surprised in 2019 with the wand won by the Toros de Herrera in Panama City, the first since 1950.
St. Louis Cardinals major league organization baseball player Ivan Herrera is part of a roster that includes former MLB Severino Gonzalez and Davis Romero, who are part of a pitching staff that also includes Steven Fuentes, linked to the Washington Nationals.
For this game, we expect the Leones del Caracas to take advantage of the home crowd’s warmth to win.
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