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.