According to a report from Nicaraguan sports journalist Fernando Rayo on X, former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher J.C. Ramirez will play for Nicaragua in the 2025 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers. Ramirez was born in Managua, Nicaragua, and played in the 2013 WBC Qualifiers for his home country.
Nicaragua will play its first game of the 2025 WBC Qualifiers against South Africa on Friday, February 21, at the Taipei Dome in Taipei, Taiwan. The Taipei Qualification Pool will run from Feb. 21 to Tuesday, Feb. 25. Nicaragua went 0-4 in their first World Baseball Classic in 2023, scoring just four runs in four games.
Ramirez, 36, played six seasons in MLB, four with the Los Angeles Angels from 2016 to 19. He owns a career 4.71 ERA in 288.1 innings, mostly out of the bullpen. However, he made 24 starts for the Angels in 2017. Fernando Rayo reports Ramirez is a likely candidate to be in the starting rotation for Nicaragua in the 2025 WBC Qualifiers.
Since playing his last MLB season in 2019, Ramirez has bounced around multiple professional baseball leagues worldwide. He has played in the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico, the Chinese Professional Baseball League, the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol, and the Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional.
As January progresses, there will be more reports of players committing to a team for the 2025 WBC Qualifiers. According to Shawn Spradling on X, Bo Bichette’s older brother, Alphonse Dante Bichette Jr., will play for Brazil in the March Qualifiers in Tucson, Arizona. Bichette, a third baseman, last played professional baseball in 2019 with the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
Nicaragua, South Africa, Spain, and Chinese Taipei will participate in the 2025 WBC qualifiers’ Taipei Qualification Pool. The Tucson Qualification Pool will be held from March 2 to 6 at the Veterans Memorial Stadium at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona. Brazil, China, Colombia, and Germany will also compete in Tucson.
