MLB Moves Venezuelan Showcase To Panama

Every year, Major League Baseball holds a Venezuelan national showcase, which features many of the top Venezuelan amateur prospects who are eligible to sign the following year on July 2.

This year’s showcase will have one major difference: it won’t be in Venezuela. Instead, MLB’s annual Venezuelan national showcase will be in Panama on Nov. 16-17, a change that appears to be due to the increasing safety concerns in Venezuela, both for American scouts and local scouts living in Venezuela.

The problems in Venezuela are complex, but over the last few years, the country has been hit by a deep economic recession and soaring inflation. Controls on foreign imports have led to shortages of basic goods and food, leading to long lines for groceries where available. Venezuela has one of the world’s highest homicide rates, with Venezuelan major leaguers, prospects and their families having become victims of kidnappings and murders. American scouts have reduced their travel to Venezuela—some have stopped going altogether—and most take precautions not to travel at night or drive through remote areas when they do go.

“We have been monitoring the situation in Venezuela closely, and at this point in time, felt that the most prudent course of action was to hold the showcase elsewhere,” said Kim Ng, who oversees MLB’s international operations as the league’s vice president of baseball operations.

MLB’s Venezuelan national showcase is an important event for scouts and players, some of whom typically reach oral agreements with clubs after the event. Padres righthander Anderson Espinoza, Mets shortstop Andres Gimenez and Braves shortstop Kevin Maitan are three prominent players who participated in MLB’s Venezuelan national showcase but didn’t travel to the Dominican Republic for the league’s annual international showcase, typically held a few months later.