Johan Camargo, shown here with the San Francisco Giants, will play for Panama in the 2024 Caribbean Series in Miami. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
By Matthew Tallarini
World Baseball Network
Panamanian infielder Johan Camargo will play for the 2024 ProBeis league champion team for Panama at the 2024 Caribbean Series in Miami at loanDepot Park from Feb. 1-9, Panama’s RPC Deportes reported on Friday.
Camargo will play in his second Caribbean Series in his career. Camargo played for the Aguilas Cibaenas of LIDOM in the 2021 Caribbean Series in Mazatlan, Mexico, at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal.
Camargo batted .136 in seven games with 24 plate appearances, recording three hits, one home run, two RBI, two walks, and five strikeouts during the 2021 event.
The Aguilas Cibaeñas beat the Criollos de Caguas of Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in Puerto Rico 4-1 in the championship game of the 2021 Caribbean Series, and won all seven games they played at the event.
Panama’s first game at the 2024 Caribbean Series will be on Feb. 2 against Curacao at 10:30 a.m. EST on ESPN Deportes at loanDepot Park. Panama is one of the three invitees of the event , along with Nicaragua and Curacao. Nicaragua is participating at the Caribbean Series for the first time in 2024.
Panama will have a day off on Feb. 1, the first day of the 2024 Caribbean Series.
The 2024 Caribbean Series will be the first time the event is being played at a Major League Baseball Stadium since the tournament began in 1949. All of the games at the 2024 Caribbean Series will be televised on ESPN Deportes.
Camargo will play for the Aguilas Metropolitanas and will report to the organization next week, RPC Deportes reported on Friday. No exact date has been announced by the organization on when Camargo will arrive.
Camargo, 30, was born in Panama City, Panama, and has played eight seasons in Major League Baseball with the Atlanta Braves from 2017-21, the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022, and the San Francisco Giants in 2023.
Last season, Camargo started out with the Kansas City Royals at Triple-A Omaha and played in 15 games, batting .298 with 17 hits, two doubles, four home runs, eight RBI, 11 walks, and 11 strikeouts before being released on June 15, 2023.
Camargo was signed to a minor league contract by the Detroit Tigers on June 22 and was assigned to Triple-A Toledo on June 23. With Triple-A Toledo, Camargo played in 22 games, batting .238 with 19 hits, four doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI, six walks, and 15 strikeouts prior to being released on Aug. 3.
Camargo was picked up by the Giants on Aug. 11 and was back and forth with the big league club and Triple-A Sacramento prior to being released on Sept. 12.
With Triple-A Sacramento, Camargo played in 14 games, hitting .213 in 53 plate appearances with 10 hits, two home runs, seven RBI, six walks, and 11 strikeouts. During his time with the Giants, Camargo played in eight games, batting .222 with four hits, two RBI, one walk, and four strikeouts before being released.
Camargo also played during the 2023-24 winter league season with the Aguilas Cibaenas of LIDOM and the Yaquis de Obregon in Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico.
Camargo was activated by the Aguilas Cibaenas on Dec. 16 and played in six games, hitting .286 smacking six hits, one double, six RBI, three walks, and five strikeouts before heading to Mexico.
Camargo went to the Yaquis de Obregon on December 28 and played in three games, going hitless with three walks and five strikeouts.
During his seven seasons in MLB, Camargo has played in 424 games with a lifetime average of .254 in 1,359 plate appearances recording 316 hits, 71 doubles, four triples, 37 home runs, 161 RBI, 100 walks, 284 strikeouts, and a .720 OPS.
The last game of the 2024 ProBeis season will be on Jan. 22 with the Federales de Chiriquí playing against the Águilas Metropolitanas at Estadio Rod Carew in Panama City, Panama at 10 a.m. EST.
The top two teams in the 2024 ProBeis regular season will play in a best-of-five championship series, with the last game of the series, if necessary, scheduled for January 28.
Panama finished in sixth place at the 2023 Caribbean Series with a 3-4 record.
During the 2022 Caribbean Series at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Herrera played in five games with Astronautas de Los Santos and batted .300 with six hits, two RBI, one walk and three strikeouts. Panama finished in fifth place at the 2022 Caribbean Series with a 1-4 record.
Panama has won two Caribbean Series titles, the first in 1950 with the Carta Vieja Yankees, and again in 2019 with Toros de Herrera, the first year Panama returned to the tournament since the 1960 event.
Panama will play in their 18th Caribbean Series when they take the field on February 2 at loanDepot Park against Curacao.
Panama 2024 Caribbean Series Schedule
All Games At loanDepot Park, Miami, Florida.
All times Eastern Standard Time
Friday, February 2, 2024
10:30 a.m. – Panama vs. Curacao
Saturday, February 3, 2024
3:30 p.m. – Mexico vs. Panama
Sunday, February 4, 2024
10:30 a.m. – Panama vs. Nicaragua
Monday, February 5, 2024
8:30 p.m. – Puerto Rico vs. Panama
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
8:30 p.m. – Panama vs. Venezuela
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
3:30 p.m. – Dominican Republic vs. Panama
Thursday, February 8, 2024
3 p.m. – Semifinal 1
8 p.m. – Semifinal 2
Friday, February 9, 2024
3 p.m. – Third-place Game
8 p.m. – Championship Game