Team Panama's makeup for Classic: Play fast, play hard
This browser does not support the video element.
TAMPA, Fla. – Watch José Caballero for a few innings and it’s easy to see what makes him so valuable. After leading the Major Leagues with 49 stolen bases last season, he has turned aggression into a signature, hunting an edge and daring opponents to do something about it.
That’s the mindset Caballero believes Team Panama must carry into the World Baseball Classic: fast and fearless.
“That’s what we’re all about,” Caballero said. “It’s about giving 100% every time we step across those lines. I think that represents Panama’s baseball: sliding hard, running hard to first base, making a diving catch, max effort for our pitchers. It’s 100% every time we do anything.”
Caballero has backed that up, swiping 93 bases in 120 attempts over the past two seasons with the Rays and Yankees.
He’s joined in Panama's lineup by Enrique Bradfield Jr., the No. 10 prospect in the Orioles' system according to MLB Pipeline, who has stolen 135 bags in the Minors since 2023.
Bradfield, whose parents were born in Panama, said the team has an opportunity to showcase that unapologetic style for the world.
“It’s got to be scrappy,” Bradfield said. “We’ve got to play fast. We’ve got to play hard. It’s not probably always going to be pretty. We’ve just got to find ways to win. That’s going to be the identity of this team.
“I feel like this team has a good makeup to do those things. We have some older veteran guys. We have some younger guys like myself. To be able to be part of this team means the world to me.”
Managed by Jose Mayorga, Team Panama is seeking its first trip to the quarterfinals. The country picked up its first two WBC victories in 2023 before an unprecedented five-way tiebreaker sent it to a heartbreaking exit.
Panama will compete in Pool A at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, opening on Friday against Cuba.
Though Panama is the homeland of inner-circle Hall of Famers like Rod Carew and Mariano Rivera, Caballero said that he believes the nation is not receiving enough credit for the quality of its present-day players.
“We don’t have the same baseball facilities in our country, and there’s a lot of talent out there that it’s hard to get to see,” Caballero said. “That’s why we take so much enthusiasm in this tournament. We can open some eyes and let the world know that we have so much more talent out there.”
Catching is a strength, featuring the Cubs’ Miguel Amaya and the Cardinals’ Leonardo Bernal, MLB Pipeline’s No. 98 prospect who threw out 39.1% of runners last season en route to winning a Minor League Gold Glove Award.
This browser does not support the video element.
Edmundo Sosa, a plus defender who can play multiple infield positions, hit 11 homers for the Phillies last season in 243 at-bats.
Panama’s chances might largely come down to pitching, as it rosters just one hurler currently in a big league rotation. Likely to open the season as the Guardians’ No. 4 starter, Logan Allen was an easy choice to take the ball when pool play begins.
The left-hander, whose mother is Panamanian, is coming off a season in which he registered career highs in starts (29), innings (156 2/3) and strikeouts (122).
“I feel like now that I’m a little bit more established, it’s a little bit of a better time to take this opportunity,” Allen said earlier this spring. “I should have quite a bit of that side of the family showing up, so that’ll be fun. My mom, aunt, my cousins on that side. It should be really cool. I’m excited.”
This browser does not support the video element.
Ariel Jurado, a right-hander who has spent the past three seasons pitching in Korea, is scheduled to start Panama’s second game against Puerto Rico. He last appeared in the Majors with the Mets in 2020.
Panama has struggled on the international stage, especially over the past quarter-century. That’s why Caballero believes a strong showing in the WBC would shift the narrative.
“It would be great for baseball in Panama. It can open up some eyes,” Caballero said. “It’s a chance for us to perform and let the world know that we are able to compete against anyone, and go face to face against anything.”