The 2024-25 Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional champion Cardenales de Lara announced their 2025 Caribbean Series official roster on January 28.
The Cardenales de Lara, under manager Henry Blanco, added right-handed pitchers Jesús Vargas, Silvino Bracho, Anthony Vizcaya, left-handed pitcher Liarvis Breto, catcher Francisco Arcia, and utility player Alexi Amarista as reinforcements to their Caribbean Series roster.
Roster Oficial 🇻🇪🤩
Estos serán nuestros jugadores en la Serie del Caribe Mexicali 2025 🙌🏻
📌 Refuerzos: Jesús Vargas (RHP), Silvino Bracho (RHP), Anthony Vizcaya (RHP), Liarvis Breto (LHP), Francisco Arcia (C) y Alexi Amarista (UTIL).
¡BIENVENIDOS! 👏🏻#SomosUno 🆑 pic.twitter.com/o2QayxBbxk
— Cardenales de Lara (@CardenalesDice) January 28, 2025
Cardenales de Lara shortstop Ildemaro Vargas will be a key player to watch forat the 2025 Caribbean Series after winning the 2024-25 LVBP Robert Pérez MVP Award. He played in six games, leading the best-of-seven championship series with .556 with average, 15 hits, eight runs scored, two home runs, a .600 OBP, and a .815 slugging percentage.
🔥⚾ Ildemaro Vargas fue el MVP de la Gran Final de la LVBP @CardenalesDice#GranFinal#NuestroBeisbol | #LVBP
📎https://t.co/MRtaMG8Iw7 pic.twitter.com/5UmeuEHGZJ— #NuestroBeisbol ⚾️🇻🇪 (@LVBP_Oficial) January 28, 2025
The Cardenales de Lara secured their seventh Caribbean Series appearance after defeating the Bravos de Margarita 9-0 in Game Six of the 2024-25 LVBP best-of-seven championship series on January 26 at Estadio Antonio Herrera Gutiérrez in Barquisimeto, Venezuela.
The Cardenales de Lara pitching staff finished the championship series 4-2, posting a 4.67 ERA over 54 innings, allowing 59 hits, 28 earned runs, four home runs, 16 walks, 28 strikeouts, and a 1.39 WHIP.
The Cardenales de Lara earned a berth to the 2025 Caribbean Series at El Nido de los Águilas in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, and will play their first game on January 31 at 4:30 p.m. ET against the 2024-25 LIDOM champion, Leones del Escogido.
El Nido de los Águilas is home to the Águilas de Mexicali franchise of the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico.
The 2025 Caribbean Series will take place from January 31 to February 7 at El Nido de los Águilas in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. The event will be televised on ESPN Deportes in Spanish and MLB Network in English, with coverage continuing through the final out of the championship game on February 7.
Mexicali is hosting the Caribbean Series for the second time, the first being in 2009, when the Tigres de Aragua won the 2008-09 LVBP championship.
Mexico has also hosted the Caribbean Series in Hermosillo in 1974, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997 and 2013.
The city of Mazatlan has hosted the Caribbean Series in 1978, 1989, 1993, 2005 and 2021. Culiacan held the event in 2001 and 2017, while Guadalajara hosted in 2018.
The five participating in the 2025 Caribbean Series, including the champions of the 2024-25 winter league seasons with the host nation in the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico, the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC) champion Indios de Mayagüez, the Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) champion Cardenales de Lara, the Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana (LIDOM) champion Leones del Escogido, and the Japan Breeze, which will appear in the tournament for the first time as an invitee.
The LAMP, LVBP, LIDOM, and LBPRC are all part of the Confederación de Béisbol Profesional del Caribe (CBPC).
The Cardenales de Lara have won six LVBP championships in 1990-91, 1997-98, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2018-19, and 2019-20. Before their latest title, they had appeared in the Caribbean Series in 1991, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2019, and 2020.
At the 2020 Caribbean Series at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Cardenales de Lara finished second with a 4-1 record, losing 9-3 in the championship game to the 2020-21 LIDOM champion Toros del Este.
The Cardenales de Lara finished the 2024-25 LVBP regular season in first place with a 33-23 record. The Bravos de Margarita, led by manager José Moreno, finished second at 31-25, followed by the Águilas del Zulia, managed by Lipso Nava, in third at 30-26. The Navegantes del Magallanes, under manager Eduardo Pérez, placed fourth at 29-27, while the Tigres de Aragua snuck into the Round Robin with a 27-29 record under interim manager Russell Vásquez.
Former Tigres de Aragua manager Buddy Bailey was fired on December 4, 2024, before Russell Vásquez took over as interim manager for the remainder of the 2024-25 LVBP season.
The Leones del Caracas, managed by José Alguacil, failed to qualify for the 2024-25 LVBP Round Robin, finishing sixth at 27-30. The 2024 Caribbean Series champion Tiburones de La Guaira, led by Ozzie Guillén, finished seventh at 26-31, while the Caribes de Anzoátegui, under Morgan Ensberg, ended last at 22-34.
In the 2024-25 LVBP Round Robin, the Cardenales de Lara and Bravos de Margarita both finished 11-5, while the Águilas del Zulia placed third at 7-9. The Navegantes del Magallanes ended fourth at 6-10, and the Tigres de Aragua finished last at 5-11.
The LVBP has won the Caribbean Series with the Navegantes del Magallanes in 1970 and 1979, the Águilas del Zulia in 1984 and 1989, the Leones del Caracas in 1982 and 2006, the Tigres de Aragua in 2009, and the Tiburones de La Guaira in 2024.
The 2025 Caribbean Series marks the 67th edition of the tournament and the 76th year of the CBPC, beginning on January 31.
Cardenales de Lara 2025 Caribbean Series Official Roster
*Reinforcement Player
Pitchers
Máximo Castillo
Jimmy Endersby
Adrián Almeida
Jesús Vargas*
Arnaldo Hernández
Brian McKenna
Alex Scherff
Jesús Valles
Robinson Hernández
Silvino Bracho*
Anthony Vizcaya*
Liarvis Breto
Edwin Escobar
Vicente Campos
Catchers
Alí Sánchez
Francisco Arcia*
Yojhan Quevedo
Infielders
Ildemaro Vargas
Rangel Ravelo
Hernán Pérez
Eduardo García
Alexi Amarista*
Daniel Izturis
Jermaine Palacios
Outfielders
Gorkys Hernández
Danry Vásquez
José Rondón
Jecksson Flores
2025 Caribbean Series Schedule
All Games Will Be Televised On ESPN Deportes in Spanish & MLB Network in English
All Caribbean Series Games Will Be Played At Estadio Nido de los Águilas
Friday, January 31
Venezuela vs Dominican Republic – 1:30 p.m. PT/4:30 p.m. ET
Puerto Rico vs Mexico – 8:00 p.m. PT/11:00 p.m. ET
Saturday, February 1
Dominican Republic vs Japan – 12:50 p.m PT/3:50 p.m. ET
Mexico vs Venezuela – 5:50 p.m. PT/8:50 p.m. ET
Sunday, February 2
Japan vs Puerto Rico – 12:50 p.m. PT/3:50 p.m. ET
Dominican Republic vs Mexico – 5:50 p.m. PT/8:50 p.m. ET
Monday, February 3
Venezuela vs Puerto Rico – 12:00 p.m. PT/3:00 p.m. ET
Mexico vs Japan – 5:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. ET
Tuesday, February 4
Puerto Rico vs Dominican Republic – 2:00 p.m. PT/5:00 p.m. ET
Japan vs Venezuela 7:00 p.m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET
Wednesday, February 5: Semifinals
Semifinal 1: 2:00 p.m. PT/5:00 p.m. ET
Semifinal 2: 7:00 p.m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET
Thursday, February 6
Third place game: 7:00 p.m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET
Friday, February 7
Final: 7:00 p.m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET
