The 2025 Caribbean Series is less than 24 hours away, and while you might not be familiar with the teams that have earned berths in this year’s event, there are definitely some familiar faces who will be on the field in Mexicali this week.
Here are two players from each team to watch as the champions of the LIDOM, Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico, Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional, and Liga Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente, as well as the Japan Breeze, compete for winter ball’s biggest prize.
Japan Breeze
Munenori Kawasaki, OF – As our own Alfred Ezman noted yesterday, Kawasaki has Major League Baseball experience, having played for the Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, and Chicago Cubs from 2012-16. He last appeared in Nippon Professional Baseball in 2017, and has since been playing in independent leagues in Japan.
He holds a career .292/.344/.376 batting line in NPB, where he hit 27 homers and a .720 OPS with the Daiei/SoftBank Hawks.
While playing in MLB, Kawasaki was something of a cut-up, breaking the stereotypical mold of the reserved Japanese player. For example, take this interview with Barry Davis of Canadian network SportsNet, where he describes what he does to avoid cramps, and explains why:
If didn’t make you smile, here’s a compilation of Kawasaki being Kawasaki:
Rintaro Hirama, P – I have a lot of doubt about whether the Japan Breeze pitching staff is going to be good enough to make the team competitive at the Caribbean Series, as I detailed last week. Rintaro Hayama has made sporadic appearances outside of Japan, making five starts in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol with Oaxaca and Mexico City in 2022, throwing 19 innings with a WHIP of 2.105 and a 7.57 ERA. This winter, he made three starts in Venezuela for the Tigres de Aragua, throwing 9 1/3 innings with an ERA of 4.82, walking three, and striking out four. So he’s got experience playing baseball on this side of the Pacific and has likely faced several of the batters he’ll face this week.
The Dominican Republic’s Leones del Escogido
Johnny Cueto, P – Cueto’s 38 now, and his best Major League days are behind him, but 2024-25 marked his return to LIDOM for the first time since 2007-08. He returned to the league with the Aguilas Cibaenas, where he made three starts with a 5.40 ERA, and then joined the Leones after the Aguilas’ putrid performance in the round robin ended their season. He made two starts for the Leones in the LIDOM championship series, allowing one earned run in nine innings of work. Cueto may no longer be the dominant pitcher he was for the Cincinnati Reds in 2014, a year that saw him finish second in the National League Cy Young balloting, but he could be the difference for the Leones in the Caribbean Series.
Jean Segura, IF – Segura played 1,413 games in MLB, last appearing in the show with Miami in 2023, where he played 85 games and batted .219 before spending all of 2024 with the Norfolk Tides, the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. He returned to LIDOM for the first time in 12 years, batting .287/.324/.377 with a .701 OPS and 23 RBIs in 46 games for the Leones this winter. While he’ll no longer have Junior Caminero protecting him in the lineup, Segura was a big piece of the offense for the Leones during the regular season and playoffs, and if the Leones emerge triumphant, Segura will likely be a candidate for Caribbean Series MVP.
Venezuela’s Cardenales de Lara
Rangel Ravelo, OF – Ravelo is, at the moment, the only Cuban player in this year’s Caribbean Series. He appeared in 42 MLB games with St. Louis over parts of two seasons, and has extensive winter ball experience. This will be his third Caribbean Series, having appeared in the 2019 Caribbean Series with the Cardenales and won the 2021 Caribbean Series with the Aguilas Cibaenas of LIDOM. Ravelo batted .282/.422/.436 with an .858 OPS in 39 games with Lara this winter after having an off year split between the Seattle Mariners’ Arizona Complex League club and the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos last summer.
Alex Scherff, P – Scherff isn’t a name that would be on your radar unless you follow the Minnesota Twins’ farm system, but he’s put together a nice winter in the bullpen for Lara, posting a 2.79 ERA in 19 1/3 innings over 18 appearances. Winter ball managers will make a lot of pitching changes, but having a reliable guy who can get out of jams in the middle and late innings in always welcome, and Scherff did just that. The former fifth round pick of the Boston Red Sox might be able to find himself an invite to spring training with a stellar showing in Mexicali this week.
Puerto Rico’s Indios de Mayaguez
Daryl Thompson, P – Thompson, an eighth round pick of the Montreal Expos in the 2003 MLB Draft, has carved out a nice career for himself playing in Latin America. Since his last appearance in MLB with the Cincinnati Reds in 2011, the 6-foot, 205-pound righty has spent the summers playing for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the Atlantic League, and has appeared in five Caribbean Series, three (2013, 2014, and 2017) for Venezuela and two (2023, 2024) for Puerto Rico. With the Indios this year, Thompson posted a 2.81 ERA over 42 1/3 innings with a 1.080 WHIP.
Emmanuel Rivera, IF – A solid corner infielder, Rivera has bounced around MLB a bit, but has some big game experience from having played for Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. This will be his fifth Caribbean Series appearance for Puerto Rico, all representing his hometown of Mayaguez. Rivera’s winter ball numbers weren’t stellar this year, but over 73 at-bats with the Orioles last season, he hit .313/.370/.578 with a .948, which shows that the potential to be a dangerous bat at the highest level is still there. He’ll be back in Baltimore this coming year.
Mexico’s Charros de Jalisco
Manny Banuelos, P – Since he last appeared in MLB with the New York Yankees in 2022, Banuelos has pitched in Japan, Taiwan, and his native Mexico. He split this winter ball season between the Tomateros de Culiacan and the Charros, posting a 3.12 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP, striking out 41 and walking 26 over 49 innings of work spread across nine starts. This will be the second Caribbean Series for Banuelos, who appeared at the 2020 tournament with the Tomateros de Culiacan.
Billy Hamilton, OF – The speedy sensation who stole 155 bases in the minors 2012 never got the chance to benefit from the pitch clock and disengagement rules in MLB, but Hamilton has taken his speed to Mexico, where he stole 35 bases in 52 games with the Charros during the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol Season in 2024 and then pilfered 38 in 64 games this winter. He posted a .322 OBP this season, and is a threat to score from first base on balls hit to the gaps or corners, as evidenced by his 49 runs scored this winter.
