(Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
Matthew Tallarini
December 8, 2023
The Panama ProBeis league announced on Thursday that the start date of the league will happen on January 2, 2024 with three teams operating prior to the start of the 2024 Caribbean Series.
The full schedule of the 2024 ProBeis regular season has not yet been announced.
Former Major League Baseball Panamanian legend Carlos Lee was named the president of the Panama ProBeis league on Thursday during the league and Confederation de Beisbol Profesional del Caribe press conference held in Panama. Lee replaced David Salayandia as the president of the league and is currently a television analyst with TVMax Deporte Panama.
Lee was the owner of Caballos de Coclé that won three championships in 2013, 2015 and 2018 and took over the position when the ProBeis league relaunched in the 2011-12 winter league season.
The Caballos de Cocle participated in the Latin American Series in 2013 during the event as well as 2015, and 2018 when the event was in operation until after the 2019 tournament.
Panama only hosted the Latin American Series in 2015 at Estadio Rod Carew in Panama City and Caballos de Cocle lost in the championship game 1-0 to Leones de Monteria of the Liga Profesional de Béisbol Colombia, which was the only time the nation appeared in the final of when the tournament was operated.
“November was a difficult month for the entire country, the economy collapsed for many reasons and a couple of sponsors fell out. Thanks to the Instituto Panameño de Deportes and some private companies we got ahead,” Salayandia stated during the ProBeis press conference to RPC News Media in Panama on Thursday interpreted from Spanish to English.
The Federales de Chiriquí, Panamá Metro and Águilas Metropolitanas will be the only teams participating in the 2024 ProBeis regular season.
The Aguilas Metropolitanas are the only team for the 2024 ProBeis regular season that has drafted players prior to the start of the season with right-handed pitcher Abraham Atencio, right-handed pitcher Luis Machuca, left-handed pitcher Juan Reyes, utility player Edgard Munoz, catcher Eduardo Tait, and outfielder Ariel Lebron being selected.
All of the games during the 2024 ProBeis season will take place at Estadio Rod Carew and Estadio Juan Demóstenes Arosemena which are both located in Panama City, Panama.
Federales de Chiriquí and Águilas Metropolitanas will be the only teams returning from the 2022-23 ProBeis regular season to participate in the 2024 season.
Astronautas Los Santos will not return for the upcoming 2024 ProBeis regular season as they participated in last year’s 2022-23 season.
Atlánticos de Bocas Del Toro y Colón only participated in the 2022-23 ProBeis regular season and will not participate in the 2024 regular season, the league announced on November 9.
“After a Board of Directors meeting, our organization determined that the social and economic situation of the country has directly negatively impacted both the Club’s sponsors and shareholders, which makes it impossible for us to play in the tournament this year. We trust and pray to god that the country returns to the social peace that we all long for; in order to return confidently to the League in the 2024-2025 season”, general manager Max Estrada of Atlánticos de Bocas Del Toro y Colón stated to RPC News Media on November 13.
In the 2023 ProBeis best-of-seven championship series last season, Federales de Chiriquí swept Atlánticos de Bocas Del Toro y Colón in four games to go to the 2023 Caribbean Series in Caracas, Venezuela.
Panama finished 3-4 during the eight-team tournament in Venezuela and did not qualify for the semifinals of the 2023 event.
The 2023 Caribbean Series was the first time in the history of the tournament that it expanded to eight teams.