The Japan Breeze team announced on July 29 that former Venezuelan professional player Alex Ramirez would be the manager for the 2025 Caribbean Series in Mexicali, Mexico, at Estadio Nido de los Águilas during the 2024-25 season.
@Ramichan3 が監督として率いるチーム
Japan Breeze（ジャパンブリーズ）は
2025年カリビアンシリーズ メキシコ大会に
日本を代表して参加、プレーします⚾️アジア諸国初の参加となる国際大会への
招聘にあたって、7月29日記者発表会を実施！今後もチームの活動などお知らせします???? pic.twitter.com/M24C1q3ulD
— Japan Breeze広報アカウント｜2025年メキシコ開催カリビアンシリーズ参戦日本代表チーム (@Japanbreeze2024) July 29, 2024
Ramirez will join the Japan Breeze staff, which includes Toma Irokawa as general manager and Kenji Sato as operating officer.
Ramirez is also the CEO and founder of the Japan Breeze team, according to the Hollywood Reporter Japan.
Ramirez, 49, was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and played 13 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan, with the Yakult Swallows/Tokyo Yakult Swallows from 2001-07, the Yomiuri Giants from 2008-11, and the Yokohama DeNA BayStars from 2012-13.
During his career in Japan, Ramirez won the CL MVP twice from 2008-09, was an
Eight-time All-Star from 2002-03 and 2007-12, won a Japan Series championship twice in 2001 and 2009, won the 2008 CLCS MVP, a four-time Best Nine Award winner in 2003 and from 2007-09, won the CL batting title in 2009, led the CL in RBI three times in 2003, 2007, and 2008, and led the CL in home runs in 2003.
He played in 1,744 games in NPB and batted .301 with 7,152 plate appearances, 2,017 hits, 328 doubles, 12 triples, 380 home runs, 1,272 RBI, 20 bases swiped, 308 walks, 1,259 strikeouts, and a .859 OPS.
After playing, Ramirez managed the Yokohama DeNA BayStars from 2016-20.
Ramirez helped the Yokohama DeNA Baystars reach the 2017 Japan Series against the Pacific League champion Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks after they finished the regular season third at 73-65-5 and 14.5 games behind the first-place Hiroshima Toyo Carp at 88-51-4.
During Ramirez’s second season as manager, the Yokohama DeNA Baystars lost six games to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Ramirez was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2023 and is the first Latin-born player in their country’s HOF.
Ramirez played three seasons in Major League Baseball with the Cleveland Indians from 1998-2000 and was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 28, 2000.
Ramirez played 135 games in three seasons in the MLB while batting .259 and 350 plate appearances, smacking 86 hits, 17 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs, 48 RBI, three stolen bases, 15 walks, 78 strikeouts, and a .730 OPS.
The Japan Breeze team is also part of the Asian Breeze organization, which has its headquarters in Oro Valley, Ariz., and Tomizawa, Taihaku-ku, Sendai City, Japan.
The Asian Breeze organization began in 2019 and played its first season in 2020 during spring training against MLB organizations at the complex level prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic. It played four full seasons before the start of the 2024-25 winter league season.
The Asian Breeze plays its regular season in the middle of the calendar year and also plays against minor league prospects in MLB spring training camp at the beginning of each year.
The Japan Breeze roster for the 2025 Caribbean Series will include players from the NPB minor leagues, the Japan independent leagues, current free agents, and players playing in independent professional leagues globally.
According to Yahoo Japan News, the Japan Breeze has confirmed that former MLB player Robinson Cano is interested in joining the organization as a reinforcement for the 2025 Caribbean Series.