By Matthew Tallarini
World Baseball Network
The Federación Panameña de Béisbol announced their official roster for the 2023 Pan American Games on Monday.
The Panama national team practiced at Estadio Rod Carew from October 10 before leaving for Santiago, Chile for the Pan American Games.
Ranked No. 12 in the world, Panama qualified for the Pan American Qualifiers in June in Buenos Aires, Argentina, when they beat host nation Argentina in the final qualifier game 9-3.
Panama decided to not participate in the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, El Salvador, as the team was playing in the Pan American Qualifiers. They opted out of the Central American and Caribbean Games Qualifiers back in February at Estadio Nacional Soberanía in Managua, Nicaragua, as well.
The Pan American Games will have a total of eight nations in the baseball event, including No. 3 Mexico, No. 6 Venezuela, No. 8 Cuba, No. 9 Dominican Republic, No. 15 Colombia, No. 24 Brazil, and host nation Chile, which is not ranked in the World Baseball Rankings. Chile has not been ranked in two consecutive World Baseball Ranking cycles, including the rankings released on December 31, 2022 and March 28, 2023, after the World Baseball Classic.
The Pan American Games baseball tournament will be held from October 18 to October 28 at the Baseball and Softball Center in Cerrillos, Chile.
Following the group stage will be the Super Round, which will be played October 25-27. The bronze medal game and gold medal game of the 2023 Pan American Games will be played on October 28.
Group A will have Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Panama, and host nation Chile. Group B will have Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, and Brazil.
Venezuela has the highest World Baseball Ranking in Group B after winning the bronze medal at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games.
Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Cuba all qualified for the 2023 Pan American Games by their performance at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games this past summer in San Salvador, El Salvador.
Brazil qualified in July 2022 for the 2023 Pan American Games, beating Argentina 2-0 in the 2022 South American Baseball Championship in Lima, Peru.
Colombia qualified for the 2023 Pan American Games in December 2021 at the Junior Pan American Games in Barranquilla, Colombia, beating the Dominican Republic in the gold medal game 6-3.
The last Pan American Games was held in 2019 in Lima, Peru when Puerto Rico beat Canada in the gold medal game 6-1.
The 2023 World Baseball Classic was only the second time that Panama has ever appeared in the tournament, after qualifying in October 2022 by beating Brazil 4-0 at Rod Carew Stadium on home soil.
Panama went up against the Netherlands, Italy, Cuba, and host nation Chinese Taipei in the World Baseball Classic in March. Panama went 2-2 in Pool A at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taiwan and did not qualify to the quarterfinals due to the Team Quality Balance run differential for runs for and runs against implication rules.
Panama has not medaled at the Pan American Games and has not appeared in the event since 2011 at Pan American Baseball Stadium in Lagos de Moreno, Mexico, where they went 0-3, losing to Mexico, the United States, and the Dominican Republic.
Panama has only medaled at an international senior event at the 1945 Baseball World Cup winning the bronze, the 2003 Baseball World Cup winning the silver losing to Cuba in the gold medal game, the 2005 Baseball World Cup, winning the bronze at the 1930 Central American and Caribbean Games, sharing the silver medal with Nicaragua at the 1935 Central American and Caribbean Games, winning the bronze at the 1959 Central American and Caribbean Games, winning the bronze at the 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games, and won silver at the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games.
Panama has two gold medals at the Central American Games from the 1997 and 2010 tournament which is the second most behind Nicarauga’s seven gold medals at that event. Panama has also won silver three times at the Central American Games in 1977, 2013, and 2017.
The Central American Games is the only tournament in which Panama and Nicaragua have won gold at an international senior event.
Nicaragua finished in sixth place with a 2-4 record at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games, which resulted in not qualifying for the 2023 Pan American Games.
Panama’s roster for the 2023 Pan American Games will have most of their players returning from the Pan American Qualifiers.
Panama’s roster for the 2023 Pan American Games will have players that are listed from their Campeonato Nacional de Béisbol Mayor and ProBeis winter league alongside players with Major League Baseball experience and played in independent leagues in the United States who are now professional free agents.
Jhadiel Santamaria, Edgar Munoz, Erasamo Caballero, Harold Arauz, Davis Romero, Severino Gonzalez, and Luis Castillo are among the returning players for Panama that played in the World Baseball Classic and the Pan American Qualifiers.
Panama manager Hipolito Ortiz will be the manager in his third straight international senior event this year from the World Baseball Classic and the Pan American Qualifier. Panama will have certain coaching adjustments from the Pan American Qualifiers.
Roger Deago will replace Cristobal Lopez as their pitching coach for the 2023 Pan American Games.
Panama will have to medal or place high in the top four during the 2023 Pan American Games in order to earn world ranking points by December 31, 2023 in order to qualify for the Premier 12 tournament for the first time in its nation’s history in 2024.
The 2023 Pan American Games will be the last senior event of the international baseball calendar year from the WBSC Americas sector prior to the rankings being released on December 31, 2023.
The 2024 Premier 12 tournament will be held from November 10-24 after the regular seasons in Major League Baseball, Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, Chinese Professional Baseball League, Nippon Professional Baseball, and the Korean Baseball Organization.
All listed streaming updates of the 2023 Pan American Games will be provided on the World Baseball Softball Confederation Americas social media pages and website.
2023 Panama National Team Pan American Games Official Roster
Catchers (Team)
Erasmo Caballero (Chiriquí)
Adolfo Reina (Los Santos)
Carlos Sánchez (Bocas del Toro)
Infielders (Team)
Jorge Bishop (Colón)
Edgar Muñoz (Colón)
Jason Patterson (Colón)
Jhadiel Santamaría (Colón)
Gertrudis Tello (Herrera)
Eduardo Thomas (Panama Metro)
Enoc Watt (Colón)
Outfielders (Team)
José Murdock (Veraguas)
Abraham Rodríguez (Panama Metro)
Jhony Santos (Occidente)
Luis Castillo (Coclé)
Pitchers (Team)
Harold Araúz (Occidente)
Manuel Campos (Los Santos)
Julio Denis (Bocas del Toro)
Steven Fuentes (Chiriquí)
Severino González (Bocas del Toro)
Luis Machuca (Bocas del Toro)
Luis Ramos (Darién)
Carlos Rodríguez (Colón)
Davis Romero (Coclé)
Abdiel Saldaña (Chiriquí)
2023 Pan American Games Panama Coaching Staff
Hipolito Ortiz – Manager
Carlos Munoz – First Base Coach/Bench Coach
Manuel Rodriguez – Third Base Coach/Hitting Coach
Roger Deago – Pitching Coach
2023 Pan American Games Pool Round Schedule
All times are listed Eastern Daylight Time
Thursday October 19, 2023
8:30 a.m. EDT – Panama vs. Dominican Republic
Saturday October 21, 2023
2 p.m. EDT – Chile vs. Panama
Monday October 23, 2023
8:30 a.m. EDT – Panama vs. Mexico