The MLB holds a 162-game season that could enhance to over 180 games if your team makes it into the World Series.
But sometimes, that’s just not enough for some of the younger players trying to make a name for themselves.
The Caribbean leagues help minor leaguers and other up-and-coming players with valuable experiences to showcase themselves. However, it’s also good for aging veteran players who are looking for another opportunity before retirement.
These leagues won’t ever have the top players in the MLB. It’s always the young players who need experience and money or veteran players who are just looking for another chance in the MLB.
While for some, it works out, for others, it’s a nightmare.
Take Ronny Mauricio of the New York Mets as an example.
The rising prospect of the Mets was going to be counted on for a major role in 2024. However, the Mets now need to revisit their depth in the infield because he tore his ACL playing in the Caribbean leagues.
It was first thought reported that he played in the league without permission from the Mets because he needed extra income. The report from the New York Post added that he was scammed as a kid coming into the league and didn’t have most of the money he had already made.
He disputed these claims on Instagram, but the story made a lot of sense and came from good sources at the Post.
Early Scams
Let’s piggyback off of Maurcio’s case.
The New York Mets tried to persuade Mauricio not to play winter ball this off-season. They wanted him to at least wait until January to play so that he’d be ready for Spring Training.
However, the report suggested that he was going through economic difficulties and needed the income.
According to Mike Puma Ronny Mauricio played in winter ball this offseason even after the Mets tried convincing him not to because he needed the money after he was scammed early in his career pic.twitter.com/mvGkDmtoTI
— Sam (@TreIindor20) January 12, 2024
It’s crazy to think that Mauricio went broke after a 2.1 million dollar bonus at age 16. But the report at the New York Post suggested he never saw much of it, if any. An “unscrupulous” agent and relative who controlled his finances saw most of it.
Whether this is something that truly happened or not, it’s something that happens very often with international players trying to get into America.
Does the Caribbean League Impact Futures Betting?
The futures market is often based on the base players on each team. Other factors include potential prospects that could get the call, but ultimately, the all-stars of each team matter the most.
There are countless opportunities for MLB players to play internationally to earn more income and get more eyes on their game.
I wouldn’t suggest that these leagues matter a ton for MLB futures betting. However, if a young prospect dominates and looks like a star, you could find some value on the MLB squad that has his rights.
For example. Jackson Chourio is one of the most highly regarded players in the minor leagues. He began last year’s season as the youngest player in the Double-A level and is a 19-year-old with Triple-A experience with the Milwaukee Brewers.
He slugged 22 home runs and stole 44 bases in the two levels during last year’s season and has played winter ball from 2021 to 2023.
Ultimately, the Brewers will call him up shortly. You can catch some MLB betting sites off guard with a bet on the Brewers if you believe Chourio is the next-best MLB star.
Many times, we’ll watch rookies drag their teams into the postseason. The Texas Rangers got some incredible hitting from Evan Carter throughout the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Arizona Diamondbacks enjoyed dominating performances from their rookies in the postseason.
You can use some of these performances to help with your futures betting. But it can also go either way.
Maybe a player is struggling in the Winter League and doesn’t look like he’s improving. A highly regarded player might not get the call-up into the Majors if he’s struggling in a Caribbean League. These are all things you have to keep in mind when betting on the futures market.
Either way, no player in these leagues will impact the market at a ridiculous pace. Still, it’s fun to watch some of the young international stars that will have an impact on the game in a couple of years. Some will make it, and some won’t. We can use the Caribbean Leagues to better prepare us for what’s to come in the MLB from these prospects.
