Rangel Ravelo: Lone Cuban-Born Player at 2025 Caribbean Series

Cardenales de Lara first baseman Rangel Ravelo is the only Cuban-born player on an active roster at the 2025 Caribbean Series in Mexicali. The Dominican Republic’s Leones del Escogido, Mexico’s Charros de Jalisco, Puerto Rico’s Indios de Mayagüez, and first-year invitee Japan Breeze do not have any native players listed on their rosters from the Pearl of the Antilles.

Ravelo was listed in the lineup on Friday afternoon, for the Cardenales de Lara in the first game of the 2025 Caribbean Series in Mexicali against the 2024-25 LIDOM champion Leones del Escogido in their 2-0 loss, while going 0 for 4 with one strikeout in a 2-0 loss, as Lara’s offense struggled, managing just five hits and advancing a runner to second base only three times.

While Ravelo is the only Cuban-born player competing in the 2025 Caribbean Series, 79 other Cuban-born players participated in the 2024-25 winter league season across the Caribbean, according to Cubalite‘s report, but were not selected as reinforcements.

“After a record number of Cubans played in the Caribbean circuits this year, only one Cuban will play in the Serie del Caribe. Rangel Ravelo is that person and was a key cog in the Cardenales de Lara’s LVBP championship this season,” noted The Cuban Baseball Digest. “In a tournament where Cubans have a long and storied history, Ravelo will be the only person in charge of living up to that billing for his countrymen this year.”

Slugger Rangel Ravelo will be the only Cuban seeing action in the @seriedelcaribe with the @CardenalesDice of the @LVBP_Oficial .#Cubanbaseballdigest #SerieDelCaribe2025 #LVBP pic.twitter.com/zzHqBstKpN

— Cuban Baseball Digest (@CBaseballDigest) January 30, 2025

Ravelo, 34, was born in La Habana, Cuba, and was drafted in the sixth round of the 2010 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft out of Hialeah High School in Hialeah, Fla. He spent 10 seasons in the minors before making his big league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals on June 17, 2019.

Ravelo played two seasons in MLB with St. Louis from 2019-2020 before heading to Nippon Professional Baseball, where he spent 2021-22 with the Orix Buffaloes. He helped them win the Japan Series in six games over the Central League champion Tokyo Yakult Swallows.

In the 2024-25 Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional season, Ravelo played a key role in leading Cardenales de Lara to a championship. The club defeated Bravos de Margarita in six games, clinching the title with a 9-0 win on January 26 at Estadio Antonio Herrera Gutiérrez in Barquisimeto, Venezuela.

Ravelo appeared in 39 games for the Cardenales, hitting .282/.422/.436 across 154 plate appearances. He recorded 35 hits, four doubles, five home runs, 31 RBIs, five stolen bases, 25 walks, and 18 strikeouts.

Ravelo played in 15 games in the 2024-25 LVBP Round Robin and batted .293/.364/.466 with 58 at-bats, collecting 17 hits, one double, three home runs, 19 RBI, six walks, 10 strikeouts. 

In the LVBP best-of-seven championship series, Ravelo delivered a two-run home run over the left-center field wall in the top of the first inning in Game Three on January 22, during the Cardenales de Lara 9-2 win over the Bravos de Margarita. He also contributed a key two-run triple with a fly ball to left field in their Game 5 victory on January 24. 

During Game Six of the LVBP championship series, Ravelo drove a two-run home run over the left-center field wall for the first-two runs of the game in their 9-0 shutout win against the Bravos de Margarita to earn a berth into the 2025 Caribbean Series.Ravelo went 2-for-4 with a run scored, three RBIs, and a strikeout.

Ravelo finished the LVBP championship series hitting .391/.481/.739 over six games, recording nine hits, one triple, and two home runs across 23 at-bats. 

Over 15 seasons, Ravelo has played in NPB, MLB, the minors, and various winter leagues. His winter league experience includes stints with Leones del Escogido (2014-15 LIDOM season), Cardenales de Lara (2015-19, 2022-25), Águilas Cibaeñas (2019-21 LIDOM seasons), and a 2021 Caribbean Series appearance with the 2020-21 LIDOM champion Águilas Cibaeñas. He also played in Liga Mexicana de Béisbol with Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos. Across 1,404 career games, he has maintained a lifetime batting average of .301 in 5,593 plate appearances, totaling 1,445 hits, 303 doubles, 20 triples, 121 home runs, 765 RBIs, 45 stolen bases, 606 walks, 755 strikeouts, and an .835 OPS.

Last season with Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos, Ravelo played in 21 games and logged 154 plate appearances, hitting .257/.380/.500 with 35 hits, four doubles, five home runs, 15 RBIs, 11 walks, and 13 strikeouts. He helped Tecolotes finish second in the Zona Norte and reach the regional championship series, where they lost to Sultanes de Monterrey in six games.

A few months before heading to Mexico, Ravelo was released by the Seattle Mariners organization on July 3, 2024, after being placed on the 60-day injured list on March 20, 2024.

After signing a minor league contract on November 16, 2023, Ravelo dealt with injury setbacks throughout the year but will return to Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos for the 2025 season. He may also explore opportunities in Japan, South Korea, or Taiwan, or even attempt a return to the major leagues.

Friday afternoon, prior to the first game of the Caribbean series, Ravelo stated in an interview with World Baseball Network, “Yeah I’m going back to Laredo. So, last year I played for two months and we made the semifinals. We lost to {Sultanes de] Monterrey. But yeah, like I say, I’m going back and excited to be part of the Laredos this year.”

Ravelo and Cardenales de Lara will face the 2024-25 Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico champion Charros de Jalisco at 8:50 p.m. EST on Saturday, February 1, at El Nido de los Águilas in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, as they look for their first win at the 2025 Caribbean Series.