Baseball Bridges How US MLB Influences Panamas Talent Development

MLB’s Influence on Panama’s Talent Development

The influence of baseball on Panamanians can be traced back to the 1840s as well as during the construction of the Panama Canal. Some of the most prominent players in the history of baseball came from the country. Great examples are Frankie „Pee-Wee“ Austin and Pat Scantlebury.

Planting the Seeds of Baseball in Panama

Panama is a country with a rich history and culture. Its baseball roots can be found as early as the 1840s. American traders and railroad workers played this game in their spare time, influencing Panamanians. Another notable historical point that can be considered crucial to sparking the country’s interest in the sport was in the early 1900s.

More specifically, it was between 1903 and 1914 when the Panama Canal was being built. During that time, locals were influenced by American workers and their passion for baseball. Later in the 1940s, military teams and even MLB teams would train around the US-owned zone of the Canal, even further spreading the sport’s popularity.

This resulted in a big interest in a professional form of the sport. Unfortunately, at that time, Panamanians faced hardships due to their racial heritage. Fortunately, some of the more talented players went to the U.S. to hone their skills and participate in the Negro Leagues.

A few of the most notable talents from those leagues were Frankie „Pee-Wee“ Austin, Clyde Parris, Archie Braithwaite, and Leon Kellman. The most popular player is Pat Scantlebury, who had a long pitching career for the New York Cubans.

Rapidly, baseball became Panama’s national sport. Nowadays, nearly all of its citizens are interested in baseball to some degree, and it is by far the most popular sport in the country. Major League Baseball is so beloved that people would wager on the outcome of events. You can say that Panama is full of surprises as it also has a well-developed gambling scene.

With the new 2022 legislation, all forms of online gambling in Panama are legalized. This means that any Panamanian over the age of 18 who would like to place a wager on their favorite team can do it through a legal online/mobile platform, such as the ones found in the betting.us MLB betting rankings.

Founding of The Panamanian Professional Baseball League (PPBL)

The Panamanian Professional Baseball League was founded in 1946, and it attracted players from the Negro Leagues for its winter season. In 1948, the PPBL joined organized baseball, which is an outdated term for Major League Baseball, and it operated continuously until 1972.

Due to economic and political instability in the country in the 1960s, the PPBL suffered. Due to lack of local support, it merged with the Nicaraguan League for the 1961-62 season. In the coming years, the league decided to play only with Panamanian players to cut costs, which unfortunately lowered the overall quality of the sport. In 1972, the PPBL collapsed.

In 2001, a new professional baseball league, known as Probeis (Liga Profesional de Béisbol de Panamá), lasted only for one season. Later, in 2010, executives from the Los Angeles Dodgers and the MLB decided to re-launch the Panamanian baseball league, which lasted for only one season. Fortunately, the popularity and passion for the sport were re-ignited in the country, and in 2011, the league returned for good under the name Probeis and is still active.

Most Notable Baseball Players from Panama

It’s no secret that Panama is home to some of the most prominent players in baseball history. Nowadays, the country is considered to have one of the most promising pools of future talent just waiting to be discovered. Here are some of the most popular Panamanian baseball players in history:

  • Rod Carew – second baseman, first baseman, and designated hitter from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels.
  • Mariano Rivera – relief and closer pitcher for the New York Yankees from 1995 to 2013.
  • Manny Sanguillen – catcher in 1967 and then from 1969 through 1980. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, and Oakland Athletics.
  • Carlos Noriel Lee „El Caballo“ – left fielder and first baseman. Played in MLB from 1999 up to 2012 with five teams: Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, and Miami Marlins.
  • Ben Oglivie – left fielder in the MLB with the Boston Red Sox (1971-1973), Detroit Tigers (1974-1977), and Milwaukee Brewers (1976-1986).

Events and Talent Scouting

Thanks to the MLB’s large influence and crucial part in shaping Panama’s sports landscape, baseball evolved into the country’s national sport. With the rise of some of the most notable league players coming from Panama, more and more talent is being scouted there.

Both representatives of the Probeis and MLB are actively looking for young talent, both children and young adults. A great example is MLB’s Play Ball event, where everyone gets to play and enjoy the love of the sport and have the opportunity to be discovered as a potential rising athlete. Young adults have the opportunity to play for a scholarship.

Panama, like Costa Rico and Nicaragua, is a Central American country full of contrasts and surprises

This country of the Panama Canal is located between two oceans and borders on Colombia and Costa Rica.

A few dates
Panama is almost twice the size of Switzerland with a little less than 80,000 m2 and has 3.8 million inhabitants. Its narrowest point is just 51 kilometres. The highest mountain in the country is the volcano Barú with 3475 meters.
Particularly attractive is the fact that the numerous bays off the coast are lined with hundreds of islands.

The climate in Panama


Let’s go to Panama – but when? When is the best time to travel to this tempting destination? That depends on where exactly you want to go. The climate in the lowlands is warm and humid, with annual temperatures between 23 and 31°C. In the west, on the other hand, which is crossed by mountains, the drushcnitt 5 to 10 ° C is cooler and less humid.
The dry season in the country lasts from about December to April, the rainy season dominates the rest of the year. Nevertheless, it does not rain continuously during the rainy season, even here there can be sunny days and phases from time to time. But when it rains, then it really does.
Thus, Panama is basically a worthwhile destination all year round.

The capital
Panama City is the capital, for travellers the old town is particularly worth seeing. The houses in Latin American style have a very special charm.

A few travel highlights
Those who are guests in Panama should not miss a trip through the so-called eighth wonder of the world, the Panama Canal. The trip is an extremely impressive holiday experience.
Also a historical train ride from Panama City to Colon promises a wonderful holiday memory. The railways are still in their original condition and the trip takes one hour through jungle and along Lake Gatun.


If you want, you can also visit Embera Indians during a Panama trip. With small boats one is taken along the jungle to the village of the natives. An authentic and highly interesting holiday experience. The great ones are also for example the casinos, Bitcoin Roulette is a way to switch something off.
Panama is also a country of natural highlights: numerous national parks are real visitor magnets – for example the Bocas del Toro archipelago. It comprises more than 250 islands, many of them with fabulous coral reefs. The Pearl Archipelago is also always worth a visit and is particularly popular with divers.
The Darien Park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is located in the southeast of the country. It is the most species-rich and fascinating biosphere reserve in Panama, where mountain and rainforest alternate.

In our ever growing Picture Gallery on Panama we will show you pictures from all over Panama

Embera: A great community of Indians at Chagres River
Panama City:   Highlights different areas of the City, including Amador and Casco Viejo.
El Valle:  Rural mountain town, favorite of Panamanians and tourists, located just under two hours drive from Panama City.
Bocas del Toro: This is probably Paradise.  Natural, unspoiled, dolphins in their natural environment, great scuba and snorkeling. 
Boquete:  a favorite of the highlands of Panama, and the new Retirement epicenter.
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Welcome to Panama Canal

Cruise Ship through the Panama Canal

We bring you in these pages information and recommendations on Panama to make your future visit a memorable one. 

Pictures, sites, itineraries, locations and, specially, our Recommended Panama Hotels, have been carefully selected to participate in this site. 

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