Photo: Getty Images
By Matthew Tallarini
World Baseball Network
The Federación Nicaragüense de Béisbol Asociada announced their official roster for the 2024 Caribbean Series on Saturday.
The 2024 Caribbean Series will be held in Miami at loanDepot Park from February 1-9.
Nicaragua will play their first game of the 2024 Caribbean Series on February 1 at loanDepot Park against Puerto Rico at 10:30 a.m. EST and will be televised on ESPN Deportes.
The 2024 Caribbean Series will be the first time that the event will take place in a Major League Baseball stadium.
Nicaragua will have their team represented by the Federacion Nicaraguense de Beisbol Asociada and will have Nicaraguan born players along with having up to seven foreign players on the 2024 Caribbean Series roster.
Nicaragua’s team will be made up of players from all five teams in their Liga de Beisbol Profesional Nacional. Nicaragua scouted for other players to join as reinforcements for the 2024 Caribbean Series roster with eligibility from players that have currently played in the winter leagues during the 2023-24 season.
The winner of the 2023-24 Liga de Béisbol Profesional Nacional regular season will not represent Nicaragua in the Caribbean Series.
Players that have played in the minor leagues with Major League Baseball organizations, players that have played in MLB, independent leagues in the United States and Canada, and professional free agents are on Nicaragua’s provisional roster for the 2024 Caribbean Series.
Luis Ramirez, Yoanner Negrin, Jesus Linarez, Samuel Adames, Euclides Leyer, Francisco Peguero, and Jarius Richards are all the foreign players listed on Nicaragua’s official roster for the Caribbean Series.
Melvin Novoa, Juan Diego Montes, Leonardo Crawford, Carlos Teller, Junior Tellez, Elian Miranda, Cheslor Cuthbert, Fidencio Flores, Osman Gutierrez, Norlando Valle, Ronald Medrano and Joaquin Acuna all played in the 2023 World Baseball Classic Nicaragua national team and are on the official roster for the 2024 Caribbean Series.
Nemasio Porras is the president of FENIBA.
FENIBA announced Marvin Benard as their manager for the 2024 Caribbean Series on December 18.
The 2024 Caribbean Series coaching staff for Nicaragua will consist of Juan Lopez being the bench coach and hitting coach, Lenin Picota assigned as the pitching coach, Oswaldo Mairena as a bullpen coach, Sandor Guido will be the third base coach, and Eddy Talavera is assigned as the first base coach.
Nicaragua’s last club tournament that the nation participated in was the Latin American Series, which was established in 2013 and played through 2019. Nicaragua won four straight Latin American Series from 2016-2019. Gigantes de Rivas represented Nicaragua in 2016, Tigres de Chinandega in 2017 and 2018, and Leones de Leon in 2019.
This will be the first time Nicaragua will have a team in the Caribbean Series in their nation’s history. The Caribbean Series was established in 1949.
The Caribbean Series was dissipated from 1961 to 1969 because of the 1960 United States trade embargo fought by Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, which took away professional baseball in Cuba.
The Caribbean Series was dissipated from 1961 to 1969 because of the 1960 United States trade embargo fought by Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, which took away professional baseball in Cuba.
Serie Interamericana was a club league tournament from 1961 to 1965. The 1965 Serie Interamericana was the only time the series didn’t conclude, which resulted in Aguilas Cibaenas winning that tournament due to their overall record. Nicaragua participated in the Latin American Series in 1963 and 1964.
In the 1962 Serie Interamericana, the Marlboro team was split by Nicaragua and Panama from both of their winter professional leagues.
Nicaragua won in 1964 as the Tigres del Cinco Estrellas and Oriental was another representative of Nicaragua in 1964 that participated in the same year.
The 1963 Nicaragua team that participated in Serie Interamericana was Indios del Boer and lost in the championship game to Chiriqui-Bocas of Panama.
Nicaragua is entering the seven-team field as one of the three invitees of the 2024 Caribbean Series with Panama and Curacao. The 2024 ProBeis league champion Federales de Chiriqui in Panama will be representing the nation during the 2024 Caribbean Series. Curacao will have the Curacao Suns as their club team from the 2023 Curacao Professional Baseball League in its first year of operation this past December to represent the island during the 2024 Caribbean Series. The Federashon Di Beisbol Di Korsou operates the Curacao Professional Baseball League.
Criollos de Caguas of Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in Puerto Rico will represent the island at the 2024 Caribbean Series. The Naranjeros de Hermosillo will represent Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico for the event in Miami.
All of the 2024 Caribbean Series games will be televised on ESPN Deportes.
Nicaragua will have the day off on February 3 during the seven-team tournament.
Notebook: The 66th Caribbean Series will be played under the new rules for Major League Baseball that started last season, including larger bases, restrictions on defensive shift formations, a pitch clock, a runner on second base to start extra innings, and a limit on the number of pickoff throws and disengagements by the pitcher during each at-bat.
2024 Nicaragua Caribbean Series Schedule
All games are at loanDepot Park
Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024
10:30 a.m. EST – Nicaragua vs. Puerto Rico
Friday, Feb. 2, 2024
3:30 p.m. EST – Dominican Republic vs. Nicaragua
Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024
10:30 a.m. EST – Panama vs. Nicaragua
Monday, Feb. 5, 2024
10:30 a.m. EST – Nicaragua vs. Curacao
Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024
10:30 a.m. EST – Mexico vs. Nicaragua
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
8:30 p.m. EST – Nicaragua vs. Venezuela
Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024
3 p.m. EST – Semifinal No. 1
8 p.m. EST – Semifinal No. 2
Friday, Feb. 9, 2024
3 p.m. EST – Third-place Game
8 p.m. EST – Championship Game
Nicaragua 2024 Caribbean Series Official Roster
Pitchers
Carlos Teller
Euclides Leyer
Fidencio Flores
Jesus Linarez
Joaquin Acuna
Yeris Gonzalez
Junior Tellez
Leonardo Crawford
Luis Ramirez
Osman Gutierrez
Pedro Torres
Ronald Medrano
Samuel Adames
Yoanner Negrin
Catcher
Melvin Novoa
Raudy Read
Infielders
Benjamin Alegria
Brandon Leyton
Cheslor Cuthbert
Elian Miranda
Jesus Lopez
Jose Orozco
Outfielders
Francisco Peguero
Jairus Richards
Juan Diego Montes
Norlando Valle
Omar Mendoza
2024 Caribbean Series Nicaragua Coaching Staff
Manager – Marvin Benard
Bench Coach – Juan Lopez
Pitching Coach – Lenin Picota
Bullpen Coach – Oswaldo Mairena
Hitting Coach – Luis Alen
First Base Coach – Anibal Vega
Third Base Coach – Sandor Guido