Panama -- the country that's brought us inner-circle Hall of Famers like Mariano Rivera and Rod Carew -- has struggled on the international baseball stage. Especially in the early part of this century.
It finished 14th in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and 15th in the 2009 version, not winning one game. The Central American nation failed to even qualify for the 2013 and 2017 iterations.
But recently, Panama seems to be on the verge of breaking out.
In 2022, Panama dominated the WBC qualifier in front of its baseball-hungry fans. It knocked off Italy and Chinese Taipei in the 2023 Classic, but didn't advance on account of an unprecedented five-way tie in Round 1. Still, Panama took that momentum into its debut at the Premier12 in 2024, finishing in 5th place.
Panama is ranked 8th in the world, up from 12 just three years ago. That's ahead of powerhouses like the Netherlands, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Now, with a roster of veterans with big league experience, some top MLB prospects and that same young manager from the Premier12 success, a trip to the quarterfinals -- something that's never happened in Panama's history at the World Baseball Classic -- feels achievable.
2023 WBC Performance
As mentioned in the opening paragraph, Panama played very well in an extremely tough Pool A during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The team just got unlucky -- falling into a never-before-seen, five-way tie that was ultimately decided by the very specific fewest runs allowed per defensive out recorded. Panama blew out host team Chinese Taipei, 12-5, in front of one of the loudest crowds you'll ever hear and then blanked Italy, 2-0, in a must-win game. It lost to the veteran-heavy Cuba, 13-5, and the big leaguer-heavy Netherlands, 3-1. Overall, though, Panama's pitching, timely hitting and spectacular defense -- including by former Mets legend Rubén Tejada -- were all on point.
2026 WBC schedule
The 2026 World Baseball Classic will take place March 5-17, with games played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Daikin Park in Houston; the Tokyo Dome; and loanDepot park in Miami.
Panama will compete in Pool A in Puerto Rico, facing Colombia, Canada, Cuba and, of course, Puerto Rico. It's maybe the most evenly-matched pool of the four. Pool A games run March 6-11, and Panama opens play against Cuba, one of the historically great powerhouses in international baseball history, on March 6.
Best Classic performance
Panama's best Classic performance had to be its very first win in tournament history in 2023. Facing a difficult Chinese Taipei team in front of a raucous Chinese Taipei crowd, manager Luis Ortiz's group nearly run-ruled the home team, 12-5. The team put together a five-run fourth inning and six-run sixth ... and Luis Castillo made one of the great catches in WBC history.
Biggest games in country history
Panama shocked the Caribbean baseball world with a Caribbean Series win in 2019 -- a tournament it wasn't even supposed to be in -- knocking off Cuba, Puerto Rico and the D.R. But for a huge win in a wider international world, you have to go back to 2003 when Panama finished with the Silver medal in the Baseball World Cup (the tournament that would later become the Premier12). Panama upset Japan in the semis before losing to undefeated Cuba.
Notable MLB players on the team
Panama has a slew of players who are part of MLB organizations -- about 15 as of this writing. It also has many former MLB names like Rubén Tejada, Christian Bethancourt and Jonathan Araúz. But as far as current MLBers, the top star has to be Yankees infielder José Caballero.
Caballero is a fantastic defender and an expert basestealer -- leading the AL in stolen bags the last two seasons. He should bring a spark and leadership to the top of Panama's lineup.
Edmundo Sosa, another plus-defender who can play multiple infield (oh, and definitely outfield) positions, will also suit up for his home country. He hit 11 homers for the Phillies last year in just 243 at-bats.
On the pitching side, the Guardians' Logan Allen -- whose mother is Panamanian -- will likely be the ace of the staff. He was 8-11 with a 4.25 ERA in 156 2/3 innings last year for Cleveland.
Minor League prospects on the team
Center fielder Enrique Bradfield -- the Orioles' No. 4 prospect -- will bring elite speed to his native Panama. He recently stole 17 bases in 18 attempts in the Arizona Fall League and should, along with Caballero, drive opposing catchers crazy if he can consistently get on base. There's also catcher Leonardo Bernal. Bernal is the Cardinals' No. 5 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 98 prospect in all of baseball. Bernal hit 13 homers with 13 steals in 107 games at Double-A last season, but his defense is where he's rated best: The 22-year-old threw out 39.1 percent of all runners in 2025 en route to winning an MiLB Gold Glove.
Story to watch
There are not many people who have played in the original World Baseball Classic way back in 2006 and are on a roster this year. Panama has one of them: Paolo Espino. The 39-year-old pitcher, who's also played six years in the Majors -- most recently with the Blue Jays in 2024 -- pitched a scoreless inning in '06 and will suit up once again 20 years later. He also pitched in the 2009 tournament, but wasn't on the roster in 2023. It would be pretty cool for him to get some big outs and be one of the reasons why his squad gets to its first quarterfinal in Classic history.
Questions ahead of upcoming tournament
Does the team have enough pitching? Panama has just one pitcher, Allen, who is currently on a big league starting staff. Can it put together enough outings with its other relievers/former MLB pitchers to stay in enough games? If not, can superb defense at nearly every position save Panama?