By Matthew Tallarini
World Baseball Network
The Federashon Di Beisbol Di Korsou announced their official roster for the 2023 Caribbean Cup, which will be held in Fajardo and Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, from October 1-8.
This year marks the fifth edition of the tournament. The games will be played from October 1-8 at Estadio Concepcion Perez Alberto in Fajardo and at Parque Beisbol Doble-A Emilio Huyuke Las Piedras, Puerto Rico.
The four nations participating in the Caribbean Baseball Cup are world-ranked No. 13 Puerto Rico, No. 8 Cuba, No. 27 Curacao, and the 64th-ranked U.S. Virgin Islands.
This event will affect the World Baseball Rankings for the next international baseball calendar cycle on December 31, 2023. Curacao is currently No. 27 in the most recent World Baseball Rankings, which were released on August 15, moving up five slots from the previous rankings.
Curacao will have a similar roster to the one they brought to the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, El Salvador, the 2023 Caribbean Series in Caracas, Venezuela, a club event not organized through the WBSC, and the 2022 Caribbean Cup in Nassau, Bahamas – the last three international senior events in which the country participated.
The Caribbean Cup preselection roster is filled with players that were recently released from professional organizations throughout the world, active international league professionals in the Netherlands, Italy, Curacao’s professional leagues on the island at the Rookie, Single-A, and Double-A levels, and players currently active with Major League Baseball organizations at the minor league level along who aren’t on 40-man rosters.
The 2023 Caribbean Cup will provide an opportunity to evaluate talent for the Curacao Winter League’s 2023-24 season. The winner of the Curacao Baseball League will go onto play in the Caribbean Series in Miami at loanDepot Park from February 1-9.
This is the first time that the league has operated since the Santa Maria Pirates appeared in the 2019 Latin American Series.
The Santa Maria Pirates withdrew from the 2019 Latin American Series due to financial issues involving the league and the federation, resulting in Mexico’s Liga Invernal Veracruzana sending another team, the Chileros de Xalapa, along with winner of that league’s season, the Tobis de Acayucan.
The Liga Invernal Veracruzana was also in operation with the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol until it went under hiatus prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The only appearance an organization made in the Latin American Series representing Curacao was the 2018 tournament, when the Wildcats won the league to appear in the event at Estadio Nacional Dennis Martinez in Managua, Nicaragua.
In February, Curacao appeared in the Caribbean Series for the first time with a roster that was filled with professionals from the island and non-citizens. They went 2-5, beating the Panama ProBeis league’s Federales de Chiriqui 1-0 and Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico’s Cañeros de Los Mochis 2-1.
Curacao won the gold at the 2021 Caribbean Cup on home soil, won bronze at the 2022 Caribbean Cup to qualify for the 2023 Central American Games in San Salvador, placed silver at the 2022 Honkbal Haarlem Week Event, losing to the Kingdom of Netherlands in the gold medal game, and placed fifth at the 2023 Central American Games with a 3-3 record.
Curacao could potentially put together a national team for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, but would have to qualify for the event in 2025. The next WBSC Premier 12 tournament in 2024 will give an opportunity for Curacao’s officials to scout players from the Netherlands national team to have players from Curacao, who will play in the event for the Netherlands following the professional seasons in Major League Baseball, Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, Nippon Professional Baseball, Chinese Professional Baseball League, and the Korean Baseball Organization.
Curacao is currently the 12th-ranked nation in the WBSC Americas sector. The countries ahead of Curacao in the World Baseball Rankings are No. 24 Brazil, No. 18 Nicaragua, No. 16 Colombia, No. 14 Canada, No. 13. Puerto Rico, No. 11 Panama, No. 10 Dominican Republic, No. 8 Cuba, No. 6 Venezuela, No. 3 Mexico, and No. 2 the United States.
The coaching staff will be similar to all the previous tournaments and will be announced when the active roster is selected from Jedrek Magdalena, President of the Federashon Di Beisbol Di Korsou.
Curacao 2023 Caribbean Cup Roster
AA – Curacao Professional Federation League
IBL – Serie A1- Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball – Italian Baseball League
KNBSB – Koninklijke Nederlandse Baseball en Softball Bond – Honkbal Hoofdklasse
Pitchers (Team)
Ruderly Manuel (Wildcats – AA)
Nigel Calmes (Wildcats – AA)
Siamani Boekhoudt (Santa Rosa Indians – AA)
Jordan Lucas (Santa Rosa Indians – AA)
Cerilio Soleana (Royal Scorpions – AA)
Temesh Lourens (Royal Scorpions – AA)
Elchero Francisca (Royal Scorpions – AA)
Marlison Brunken (Groot Kwartier Stars – AA)
Nick Keur (HCAW – KNBSB)
Nelmerson Angela (Amsterdam Pirates – KNBSB)
Sedley Karel (HCAW – KNBSB)
Arlinson Rodriguez (New York Mets)
Infielders (Team)
Raywendley Van Gurp (Royal Scorpions – AA)
Andrelton Simmons (Marchena Braves – AA)
Dudley Leonora(San Marino – IBL)
Darren Seferina (Unipolsai Fortitudo Bologna – IBL)
Outfielders (Team)
Rochendrick Alexander (Santa Rosa Indians – AA)
Raysheandall Michel (Wildcats – AA)
Daytan Biegel (Marchena Braves – AA)
Ericson Leonora (San Marino – IBL)
Shakir Albert (Unipolsai Fortitudo Bologna – IBL)
Catchers (Team)
Ulrich Snijders (Wildcats – AA)
Stephan Vidal (Royal Scorpions – AA)
Utility-Infield-Outfield (Team)
Swindley Lint (Wildcats – AA)
Ortwin Pieternella – (San Marino – IBL)
2023 Curacao Caribbean Cup Coaching Staff
Carlos Pineda – Manager
Ramiro Balentina – Bench Coach/Hitting Coach
Dennis Neuman – Pitching Coach
Jhonattan Ferreira – Bullpen Coach
Sorick Liberia – First Base Coach
Ghionelo Jansen – Third Base Coach
2023 Caribbean Baseball Cup Schedule
* – There will be two games each day of the tournament until the final day of play on October 8. Every team will face off against one another twice in the regular round. The 3rd place game will be played on October 8 at 3:30 p.m. ET in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. The championship game will follow on October 8 at 7:30 p.m., also in Fajardo. Each team will receive a day off on Wednesday, October 4.
Regular Round – October 1-7
Sunday, October 1
3:30 p.m. ET – U.S. Virgin Islands vs. Cuba – Fajardo
7:30 p.m. ET – Curacao vs. Puerto Rico – Fajardo
Monday, October 2
3:30 p.m. ET – Cuba vs. Curacao – Las Piedras
7:30 p.m. ET – Puerto Rico vs. U.S. Virgin Islands – Las Piedras
Tuesday, October 3
3:30 p.m. ET – Curacao vs. U.S. Virgin Islands – Fajardo
7:30 p.m. ET – Puerto Rico vs. Cuba – Fajardo
Wednesday, October 4
No Games Scheduled
Thursday, October 5
3:30 p.m. ET – Cuba vs. U.S. Virgin Islands – Las Piedras
7:30 p.m. ET – Puerto Rico vs. Curacao – Las Piedras
Friday, October 6
3:30 p.m. ET – Curacao vs. Cuba – Fajardo
7:30 p.m. ET – U.S. Virgin Islands vs. Puerto Rico – Fajardo
Saturday, October 7
3:30 p.m. ET – U.S. Virgin Islands vs. Curacao – Las Piedras
7:30 p.m. ET – Cuba vs. Puerto Rico – Las Piedras
Championship Day – Sunday, October 8
3:30 p.m. ET – 4th Place vs. 3rd Place – Fajardo
7:30 p.m. ET – 2nd Place vs. 1st Place – Fajardo
Previous Caribbean Baseball Cup Tournament Results
2018 – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Gold Medal – Dominican Republic
Silver Medal – Curacao
Bronze Medal – U.S. Virgin Islands
2019 – Dominican Republic
Gold Medal – Dominican Republic
Silver Medal – Peru
Bronze Medal – U.S. Virgin Islands
2021 – Willemstad, Curaçao
Gold Medal – Curacao
Silver Medal – Cuba
Bronze Medal – Peru
2022 – Nassau, Bahamas
Gold Medal – Puerto Rico
Silver Medal – Cuba
Bronze Medal – Curacao