Statistically, the Gigantes de Carolina offense was among the best during the 2023-24 LBPRC season. They led the league with 314 hits, finished second in on-base percentage (.326), and scored 148 runs, good for second behind the Indios de Mayagüez and the Criollos de Caguas, who scored 150 each.
However, their offense sputtered in the championship round against the Criollos de Caguas, scoring two runs or fewer in four of the eight games. The Gigantes lost all four of those matchups. With a new season imminent, their focus could be timely hitting in crucial situations.
Manager – Edwards Guzmán
2023-24 Record – 24-16
2023-24 Playoff Results – Lost in eight games to Criollos de Caguas in Championship
Manager Edwards Guzmán, a former third baseman in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants (1999, 2001) and Montreal Expos (2003), also made appearances for the Pericos de Puebla and Tigres de Quintana Roo in the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol and had multiple playing stints in the LBPRC.
Guzmán, 48, was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and is an area scout for the Chicago Cubs. The Inter-American University of Puerto Rico product won Manager of the Year honors at the end of the 2023-24 season for his leadership with the Gigantes de Carolina.
Notable Offseason Additions (2024 Stats/MLB Organization or Team(s)/League)
Championship History
Since joining the LBPRC in 2000, the Gigantes de Carolina have won two league titles in back-to-back seasons. Former Gigante’s manager, Lino Rivera, led the team to consecutive championship seasons in 2005-06 and 2006-07. The organization has yet to win a Caribbean Series title.
In the 2006 Caribbean Series, in Venezuela, the Gignates went 2-4 as representatives of Puerto Rico, with both of their wins against the Venados de Mazatlán of the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico.
In 2007, at their home stadium, Estadio Roberto Clemente, the Gigantes finished second place with a 4-2 record in the Caribbean Series, receiving an extraordinary offensive contribution from former two-time American League MVP and Puerto Rican outfielder Juan González.
First Game
The Gigantes de Carolina will play their first game of the 2024-25 regular season on the road against the Criollos de Caguas on Thursday, November 7, at 7 p.m. EST, at Estadio Yldefonso Solá Morales in Caguas, Puerto Rico. The matchup will be the first of the new season and the only game of the day.
Photo Credit: The stadium mostly empty during an LBPRC Baseball game between the Los Gigantes de Carolina and the Cangrejeros de Santurce at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, PR. Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC) (Photo by Bradley Rex/Icon Sportswire) (Photo by Bradley Rex/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
