Former Major League Baseball player Miguel Cabrera will play for the Tigres de Aragua during the 2025-26 Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional regular season. The team—managed by Ozzie Guillén, who led clubs to the 2005 World Series and 2024 Caribbean Series titles—announced the move on May 23.
¡El buen hijo regresa a casa!
En el marco del 6️⃣0️⃣ Aniversario la organización Tigres de Aragua, y en nombre de su Pdte Víctor Zambrano, nos llena de mucha emoción anunciar el ingreso oficial de Miguel Cabrera al roster activo, para la venidera temporada 2025-26 de la LVBP. pic.twitter.com/V6y50aOoW1— Tigres de Aragua (@TigresOficiales) May 23, 2025
The last time Cabrera played for Tigres de Aragua was during the 2007-08 LVBP season.
Los Tigres de Aragua anuncian oficialmente el ingreso de Miguel Cabrera al roster activo para la temporada 2025-2026.
Será el regreso de Cabrera a la #LVBP. No juega desde la gran final de la temporada 2007-2008.
Vía: @TigresOficiales
— Daniel Álvarez-Montes (@DanielAlvarezEE) May 23, 2025
Cabrera made his professional debut with the Tigres at age 16 during the 1999-2000 LVBP regular season.
Throwback to Miguel Cabrera with Tigres de Aragua 🇻🇪
Now, in 2025, he's returning to play for the club where it all began.
📸 via @baseballinpix on Instagram
🔗 https://t.co/6MeDRblUaO#MiguelCabrera #LVBP #TigresDeAragua #Venezuela #WBC2026 #WorldBaseball pic.twitter.com/ItSKGMEggP— World Baseball Network (@WorldBaseball_) May 23, 2025
In the 2007-08 campaign, he batted .362 with 10 RBI in 12 games. During the LVBP best-of-seven championship series, he hit .455 with 10 hits in 22 plate appearances.
Cabrera helped lead Tigres de Aragua to the Caribbean Series in the 2003-04, 2004-05, 2006-07, and 2007-08 seasons. His lifetime stats in the LVBP include a .305 batting average with 181 hits, 34 doubles, three triples, 20 home runs, and 93 RBI.
The LVBP has not yet announced an official start date for the 2025-26 season, though it is expected to begin in mid to late October.
The LVBP Round Robin will run from late December to early January, followed by the league’s best-of-seven championship series. The winner will advance to the 2026 Caribbean Series, set for January 30 to February 7 in Caracas, Venezuela. Games will be held at Estadio Simón Bolívar, Estadio Fórum de La Guaira, and Estadio Universitario.
Champions from the 2025-26 LVBP season, Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico), Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana, and Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico will all qualify for the 2026 Caribbean Series.
The LAMP, LVBP, LIDOM, and LBPRC are part of the Confederación de Béisbol Profesional del Caribe (CBPC). The 2026 Caribbean Series will once again include the Japan Breeze, along with Cuba’s Serie Nacional champion. South Korea will send a KBO All-Star team featuring both minor and main roster players. Italy is expected to participate either with its Serie A1 champion or an assembled All-Star team as a scouting platform for 2026 World Baseball Classic roster additions.
Cabrera will also serve as hitting coach for the Venezuela national team at the 2026 World Baseball Classic under manager Omar López, who returns after managing the squad in 2023.
Miguel Cabrera irá al #WorldBaseballClassic 2026 como Coach de Bateo de Team Venezuela. 🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/I9IjXghQAU
— MLB Español (@mlbespanol) May 5, 2025
Venezuela will play in Pool D at loanDepot Park in Miami, facing the Dominican Republic, Israel, Nicaragua, and the Netherlands from March 6-11.
Cabrera made his MLB debut with the Florida Marlins on June 20, 2003, and helped the team win a World Series title that season, defeating the New York Yankees in six games.
He spent five seasons with the Marlins before being traded to the Detroit Tigers on December 5, 2007, alongside pitcher Dontrelle Willis. In return, the Marlins received pitchers Andrew Miller, Dallas Trahern, Eulogio De La Cruz, and Burke Badenhop, outfielder Cameron Maybin, and catcher Mike Rabelo.
Cabrera played 16 seasons in Detroit before retiring after the 2023 season.
He was a 12-time All-Star from 2004-07, 2010-16, and again in 2022. He won back-to-back American League MVP Awards in 2012 and 2013, earned the Triple Crown in 2012, and claimed seven Silver Slugger Awards. Cabrera also won two AL Hank Aaron Awards and four AL batting titles, led the league in home runs twice, and led in RBI in 2010 and 2012.
Across 21 MLB seasons, Cabrera played in 2,769 games, compiling a .306 career average, 3,174 hits, 627 doubles, 17 triples, 511 home runs, and 1,881 RBI, with a .901 OPS and a 67.2 WAR.
He is one of just six Latin-born players with 3,000 or more hits, joining Roberto Clemente, Rafael Palmeiro, Rod Carew, Adrián Beltré, and Albert Pujols. Ichiro Suzuki is the only other foreign-born player to reach the 3,000-hit milestone.
Cabrera also belongs to the elite group of Latin-born sluggers with 500 or more home runs, alongside Pujols, Palmeiro, David Ortiz, Sammy Sosa, and Manny Ramírez.
World Baseball Classic Legacy
The 42-year-old right-handed slugger from Maracay, Venezuela, is the only player in history to appear in every edition of the World Baseball Classic since its inception in 2006. His consistency on the international stage sets him apart as a foundational figure in Venezuela’s national team history.
Carlos Beltrán and Yadier Molina of Puerto Rico, along with Cuba’s Frederich Cepeda, are the only other players to have competed in four tournaments—2006, 2009, 2013, and 2017—but Cabrera stands alone in having participated in all five through 2023.
In the inaugural 2006 tournament, Cabrera played six games and posted a .211/.400/.579 slash line. He recorded four hits in 19 at-bats, including a double and two home runs, and drove in five runs while drawing four walks.
During the 2009 WBC, he appeared in eight games and hit .281 with a .594 slugging percentage, collecting nine hits in 32 at-bats. He added four doubles, two home runs, and four RBI as Venezuela advanced to the semifinals before falling 10-2 to South Korea at Dodger Stadium.
In 2013, Cabrera played in three games and delivered a .333 average and .583 slugging percentage across 12 at-bats. He contributed four hits, including two doubles and a home run, while also stealing a base and walking twice.
The 2017 tournament saw Cabrera struggle at the plate, hitting .190 over six games. He still managed to tally a home run and three RBI with four walks in 21 at-bats.
In his final WBC appearance in 2023, Cabrera played in two games, notching a single hit in nine at-bats for a .111 average before concluding his decorated international career ahead of his final MLB season.
Venezuela Looking Ahead to 2026 WBC
Venezuela fell 9-7 to the United States in the quarterfinals of the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
The nation’s best finish at the WBC came in 2009, when Venezuela reached the semifinals but lost 10-2 to South Korea at Dodger Stadium.
Omar López, who managed Venezuela during the 2023 WBC, led the team to the Super Round of the 2024 Premier12 this past November at the Tokyo Dome. Venezuela went 5-4 across Pool A and the Super Round and lost 6-1 to the United States in the bronze medal game on November 24. After the tournament, López returned to Puerto Rico to manage the Cangrejeros de Santurce during the 2024-25 Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente season.
López was promoted to Astros bench coach on December 1, 2023. He had previously served as Houston’s first base coach since the 2020 season.
López and Aracelis León, president of the Federación Venezolana de Béisbol, will need to evaluate a deep pool of position players in the coming months. That list includes Wilson Contreras, William Contreras, Ronald Acuña Jr., Anthony Santander, José Altuve, Andrés Giménez, Gleyber Torres, Jackson Chourio, Eugenio Suárez, David Peralta, Orlando Arcia, Luis Arráez, Wilmer Flores, Maikel Garcia, Miguel Rojas, Ezequiel Tovar, Francisco Álvarez, Luisangel Acuña, Oswaldo Cabrera, Wilyer Abreu, Salvador Perez, and Gabriel Moreno.
Venezuela will also need to determine how to build out its starting rotation and bullpen for the 2026 WBC. Possible options include Pablo López, Jesús Luzardo, Ranger Suárez, Martín Pérez, Eduardo Rodríguez, Edgardo Henriquez, Brusdar Graterol, José Ruiz, Germán Márquez, José Butto, Robert Suárez, José Alvarado, and Luis García—some of whom played in 2023 and others who could debut next March.
FEVEBEISBOL is expected to scout players across multiple professional leagues throughout 2025, including Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan, the Korean Baseball Organization, the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan, the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol, and the 2025-26 LVBP season, as well as in other winter leagues in the Caribbean and Australia.
Venezuela is currently ranked No. 3 in the World Baseball Rankings, published by the World Baseball Softball Confederation.
WBC Overview
Japan leads all nations with three WBC championships (2006, 2009, 2023). The United States won the tournament in 2017, while the Dominican Republic captured the title in 2013. These are the only countries to win the event since its launch in 2006.
The World Baseball Classic is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation in partnership with Major League Baseball, the MLB Players Association, and WBCI. It is staged during spring training.
Confirmed pool matchups and venues for the 2026 tournament are listed on WBC Official’s site, though game start times have not yet been released.
2026 World Baseball Classic Information
Pool A will feature Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, Panama, and Colombia at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico from March 6–11. Pool B includes the United States, Italy, Mexico, Great Britain, and Brazil and will be held at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas.
Pool C will take place at the Tokyo Dome from March 5–10, with Japan, Australia, South Korea, the Czech Republic, and Chinese Taipei. Pool D will compete at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, and includes the Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Venezuela, Israel, and Nicaragua.
Quarterfinal games begin March 13, with Pool A’s runner-up facing Pool B’s winner at Daikin Park, followed by Pool B’s runner-up against Pool A’s winner on March 14. The other side of the bracket features the Pool C runner-up vs. Pool D winner, and the Pool D runner-up playing March 13.
Semifinals are scheduled for March 15 and 16 at loanDepot Park, with the championship game to be held on March 17.
The schedule for the 2026 @WBCBaseball is here! 👀 pic.twitter.com/B5MvUIrZK5
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 9, 2025
WBSC Rankings Outline
The most recent WBSC rankings place Japan at No. 1. Chinese Taipei ranks second, followed by Venezuela at No. 3, Mexico at No. 4, and the United States at No. 5. South Korea, the Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Cuba round out the top ten. The Dominican Republic ranks No. 11, followed by Australia, Colombia, Italy, the Czech Republic, Nicaragua, Great Britain, Israel, Canada, and Brazil.
In the 2023 WBC, Nicaragua, Great Britain, and the Czech Republic made their tournament debuts. Israel and Colombia have now played in three straight tournaments, while Brazil returns for the first time since 2013. Panama previously appeared in 2006, 2009, and 2023.
China did not qualify for the 2026 WBC, missing out after an 0-3 showing in the Tucson qualifier. This will be the first time the Chinese national team does not appear in the tournament.
WBC nations in the WBSC Americas sector include the United States, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Nicaragua, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic. Europe is represented by Italy, Israel, Great Britain, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. Asia’s representatives include Japan, Chinese Taipei, and South Korea, while Australia represents the Oceania sector.
All countries listed have appeared in at least one WBC since the tournament’s inception in 2006.
In case of ties during pool play, Total Quality Balance (run differential) and head-to-head records will be used to determine advancement.
2026 WBC Pool Matchups With Confirmed Dates
Pool A – Puerto Rico, Colombia, Panama, Canada & Cuba
Venue – Hiram Bithorn Stadium – San Juan, Puerto Rico
March 6
Game 1 – Cuba vs. Panama
Game 2 – Puerto Rico vs. Colombia
March 7
Game 3 – Colombia vs. Canada
Game 4 – Panama vs. Puerto Rico
March 8
Game 5 – Colombia vs. Cuba
Game 6 – Panama vs. Canada
March 9
Game 7 – Colombia vs. Panama
Game 8 – Cuba vs. Puerto Rico
March 10
Game 9 – Canada vs. Puerto Rico
March 11
Game 10 – Canada vs. Cuba
Pool B – United States, Mexico, Brazil, Great Britain & Italy
Venue – Daikin Park – Houston, Texas
March 6
Game 1 – Mexico vs. Great Britain
Game 2 – United States vs. Brazil
March 7
Game 3 – Brazil vs. Italy
Game 4 – Great Britain vs. United States
March 8
Game 5 – Great Britain vs. Italy
Game 6 – Brazil vs. Mexico
March 9
Game 7 – Brazil vs. Great Britain
Game 8 – Mexico vs. United States
March 10
Game 9 – Italy vs. United States
March 11
Game 10 – Italy vs. Mexico
Pool C – Japan, Chinese Taipei, Australia, South Korea & Czech Republic
Venue – Tokyo Dome – Tokyo, Japan
March 5
Game 1 – Chinese Taipei vs. Australia
Game 2 – Czechia vs. South Korea
March 6
Game 3 – Australia vs. Czechia
Game 4 – Japan vs. Chinese Taipei
March 7
Game 5 – Chinese Taipei vs. Czechia
Game 6 – South Korea vs. Japan
March 8
Game 7 – Chinese Taipei vs. South Korea
Game 8 – Australia vs. Japan
March 9
Game 9 – South Korea vs. Australia
March 10
Game 10 – Czechia vs. Japan
Pool D – Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Venezuela, Israel & Nicaragua
Venue – loanDepot Park – Miami, Fla.
March 6
Game 1 – Netherlands vs. Venezuela
Game 2 – Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic
March 7
Game 3 – Nicaragua vs. Netherlands
Game 4 – Israel vs. Venezuela
March 8
Game 5 – Netherlands vs. Dominican Republic
Game 6 – Nicaragua vs. Israel
March 9
Game 7 – Dominican Republic vs. Israel
Game 8 – Venezuela vs. Nicaragua
March 10
Game 9 – Israel vs. Netherlands
March 11
Game 10 – Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela
Photo Source: Tigres de Aragua on Facebook.
