Panamanian baseball doesn’t grab headlines, but make no mistake: on any given day, they can bite. They’ve appeared in multiple WBC events and have a growing reputation in the global baseball world.
The 2026 rotation and bullpen – stacked with big‑league experience arms like Javy Guerra, Jaime Barria, and Humberto Mejía – has enough quality to trouble the toughest opponents. Their hitting might not light up the scoreboard like their more illustrious rivals, but situational hitting and scrappy baserunning are their bread and butter.
World Baseball Classic: Pool A
Panama
- WBC best results: Never made it out of the pool stage
- Current world ranking: 8
- Manager: José Mayorga
What happened at the last WBC?
Panama registered two wins in the 2023 World Baseball Classic but failed to make it out of the pool when all five teams tied the round-robin stage with 2-2 records. They were eliminated on a wild tiebreaker.
Tough break not to progress, you might think, but spare a thought for poor Taiwan, which also tied with a 2-2 record, yet finished the group in fifth. The last-place finish meant Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) lost their automatic qualification to the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Panama: Three to watch
Jose Caballero: Remember when Anthony Volpe was heralded as the new Derek Jeter? Well, Jose Caballero is potentially the new Anthony Volpe. The Yankees infielder has New York’s shortstop position in his sights. Last year, in 40 games for the Yankees, Caballero slashed a decent .266/.372/.456, and between his time in New York and Tampa Bay, the 29-year-old led MLB with 49 stolen bases.
Logan Allen: With over 320 big-league strikeouts, the 27-year-old, whose mother is Panamanian, brings a wealth of experience to the Panama team. Allen made 30 starts for the Guardians in 2025 and will offer a level of reliability to spearhead Panama’s rotation.
Miguel Amaya: 2025 was an injury-impacted season as the Cubs catcher was carted off the field with a sprained left ankle shortly after having returned to the team from an oblique strain. He was limited to just 28 games, but in that short stretch, he slugged .500 – the potential is huge.
Potential X-factor
Ivan Herrera: Watch out for the Cardinals catcher – who will probably be Panama’s DH – after his breakout 2025. He hit 19 home runs in just 388 at-bats, with an impressive 136 OPS+.
STOP PRESS: Despite being named in the official roster, it appears that Herrera has fallen victim to the insurance coverage issues that have dogged Latin American teams. Despite his 2026 contract being only worth $770,000, he has been deemed ineligible to play. Panama is working hard to rectify the situation; they don’t have anyone else who can fill this void.
Verdict
With Puerto Rico depleted, Pool A is now wide open. Panama must fancy its chances of making it through to the knockout stages with the most MLB-experienced roster it has ever produced.
Featured image of Panama celebrating its 2023 WBC win over Italy by Mary DeCicco/Getty Images
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