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B a s e b a l l
M e x i c o
Monday,
December 28, 2020
MAYOS
ELIMINATED, LMP PLAYOFF TEAMS DETERMINED
When Navojoa dropped a 3-2 decision
to Obregon on Tuesday, the Mayos were mathematically eliminated from
the
Mexican Pacific League playoff picture for next month, ensuring that
Caribbean
Series host Mazatlan has secured a post season berth. With Los Mochis
already
long out of the picture, that left eight teams to open the LMP
Quarterfinals on
Saturday, January 2.
After games on Monday, December 28,
the Hermosillo Naranjeros were in line for the top overall seed with a
two-half
total of 19 playoff points with two games remaining in the regular
season,
followed by Obregon (17 points), Guasave (14) and Monterrey (also 14).
Those
would be the four teams with home-field advantage during the first
round. The
next four seeds are projected to be Mexicali (13.5 points), Jalisco
(11),
defending champion Culiacan (11) and Mazatlan (10).
Things are close enough in the
second-half standings that seeding placements could change after the
regular
season closes Wednesday, but both Navojoa (8.5) and Los Mochis (7.0)
will be
done no matter what happens, although players like infielders Esteban
“El Pony”
Quiroz and Isaac Rodriguez are almost certain to be added as
reinforcements for
teams moving on to the postseason
Hermosillo (17-11) has benefited
from the strong pitching of veteran Juan Pablo Oramas all season and
last
Sunday was no exception. Oramas won his eighth game of the year by
taking a 5-3
triumph over Guasave. Oramas tossed six innings and allowed three runs
(all in
the top of the first) while scattering nine hits and striking out four
before
leaving the contest with a two-run lead. Reliever Raul Barron hurled
scoreless
ball over the final three frames to save the win for the Naranjeros.
Oramas is
now tied the Mex Pac lead in wins with Guasave's Fernando Miranada.
Both have
identical 8-2 records, although Oramas' 2.80 ERA is a full run lower
than
Miranda's 3.86.
The Orangemen got some bad news when
they learned that first baseman Roberto Ramos won't be joining them for
the
playoffs after all. The team had been anxiously awaiting the hometown
slugger
to report after his strong 2020 debut in the Korea Baseball
Organization, but
Ramos celebrated his 27th birthday Monday after re-signing
with the
LG Twins for $800,000 plus incentives that could bring his income up to
$1
million in 2021. Ramos received a reported $500,000 this year after
swatting 38
homers for the Twins and received interest from other KBO teams before
agreeing
to return to Busan for a second year.
Mexicali (16-11) was a half-game
behind Hermosillo in second place and Guasave continued their strong
second LMP
season one game out of the lead at 16-12. It's been quite a busy week
for the
Algodoneros, who said goodbye to shortstop Erisbel Arruebarrena on what
a team
press release (which repeatedly misspelled his last name as
Arruebarruena) was
“common agreement between both parties.” The Cottoneers cited both a
shin
injury suffered in a recent game with Mexicali and Arruebarrena's
ongoing bout
with diabetes for his declining on-field performance (.333 average with
10
homers in 29 games), although they did thank the Cuban for his
“dedication and
professionalism, blah blah blah.”
Guasave also placed starting pitcher
Thomas Dorminy (3-4, 3.44) on the disabled list with back pain. In
turn, the
Algodoneros picked up Cuban pitcher Yoenni Yeri and veteran third
baseman C.J.
“Rabbit” Retherford to join Cuban oufielder Yadier Drake as the team's
three
foreigners allowed on the active roster. Sports manager Alejandro
Ahumada said,
“We need to strengthen the middle part of the batting order and we
believe
Retherford is the man for that task.” Retherford broke into pro ball in
2007 in
the White Sox system and has gone on to play several years in both the
LMP and
Mexican League, representing Mexicali in the 2017 Caribbean Series.
First half champion Obregon (15-13)
has rebounded from a slow second-half start to pull into a fourth-place
tie
with Monterrey (15-13). Jalisco (14-14) and Mazatlan (13-15) are sixth
and
seventh, respectively, while Culiacan and Navojoa are knotted in a tie
for
eighth at 12-16 each. While the champion Tomateros have had a hangover
season
following their LMP title last winter, a couple of their pitchers
recently
overcame their team's lukewarm 2020-21 performance. Edgar Arrendondo
has signed
a contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the 2021 season. The
23-year-old
spent seven season in the Texas system, reaching AA Frisco in 2019 and winning seven games, but the Rangers
let him go earlier this year and he didn't pitch last summer.
Arredondo, who
was 15 when he debuted with the Quintana Roo Tigres by tossing two
scoreless
innings in a 2013 game, is 4-1 with a 2.74 ERA in seven starts for the
Tomateros
this winter.
Another Culiacan hurler, J.C.
Ramirez, has reached an agreement to pitch next year in Taiwan's
Chinese
Professional Baseball League. The 32-year-old Nicaraguan, who pitched
in eight
MLB seasons (most recently with the Angels in 2019), will join Mexican
Manny
Banuelos on the Fubon Guardians staff in 2021.
He has a 4-2 record for the Tomateros with a 1.74 ERA in six
starts this
season. It's unknown whether he'll stay with Culiacan for the playoffs.
CAPACITY
SET AT 45 PERCENT FOR CARIBBEAN SERIES
The Caribbean Professional Baseball
Confederation, the Mexican Pacific League and the host Mazatlán Venados
have
confirmed details of the 2021 Caribbean Series to be played from
January 31 to
February 6, 2021 at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal in the port city.
CBPC commissioner Francisco Puello
Herrera, Mazatlán mayor Guillermo Benítez, LMP president Omar Canizales
Soto
and Serie del Caribe Organizing Committee president Ismael Barros all
confirmed
plans for the 63rd edition of the Crown Jewel of Latin Baseball.
"We are supervising with the
Mexican Pacific League so that the conditions of the Caribbean Series
in terms
of players are the best in terms of health," said Herrera, who also
presented the trophies for the upcoming CS champion plus Dream Team
members.
“Mazatlán is a
safe destination in terms of the virus,” commented mayor Benitez,
inviting
everyone to attend the Caribbean Series. “We are in the third
consecutive day
in which there is no active case. That gives us great confidence that
we have
all the tools to control the pandemic. That is why Mazatlán is the
first
tourist destination in the country to get out of the pandemic and we
will
continue to strictly comply with the protocols.
“We are
a bio-safe city.”
In addition, in the virtual conference
that brought together media of different nationalities, it was
confirmed that
between the governments of the state of Sinaloa and the municipality of
Mazatlán, the host ballpark will have all the security measures and
protocols
to hold up to 45 percent of Estadio Teodoro Mariscal's 16,000-seat
capacity (or
7,200 spectators). According to an LMP press release, “this will allow
baseball
to continue as a recreational tool for Mazatlan fans, as it has done in
the
2020-2021 Season of the ARCO Mexican Pacific League, with an excellent
management supported by the modernity of the stadium.”
The Caribbean Series is scheduled to
bring together the winterball champions of Mexico, Venezuela, the
Dominican
Republic and Puerto Rico as full CBPC members of the Confederation, as
well as
Colombia and Panama and as guest countries for the second and third
times,
respectively. Cuba will not be represented in Mazatlan after pulling
out of
last winter's Serie del Caribe in San Juan Puerto Rico on short notice,
citing
visa concerns.
Herrera also gave thanks for all the
support the CBPC, the Organizing Committee, the LMP and state
government
authorities have received from Sinaloa governor Quirino Ordaz.
FANS
CAN CHOOSE MEX PAC AWARD WINNERS
The Mexican Pacific League has
announced on its Twitter account how fans can choose the loop's Most
Valuable
Players in separate offensive, defensive and pitching categories for
the
2020-2021 campaign. This is the first time in which the LMP has
involved fans
in such selections while “not leaving this to a certain sector of the
press,” a
league office press release states.
On its Twitter account, the Mex Pac
invites fans to sign up and, with two simple steps, vote for their
favorite
players in the different departments. Fans must register with personal
data
before the can begin voting on candidates in five separate categories:
ROOKIE
OF
THE YEAR
Baldomero
“Melo” Almada Trophy
Jonathan
Aranda, Obregon
Faustino
Carrera, Obregon
Luis
Miranda,
Guasave
Missael
Rivera, Jalisco
Oscar
Rojas,
Guasave
MANAGER
OF
THE YEAR
Benjamin
“Cananea” Reyes Trophy
Gerardo
Alvarez, Monterrey
Sergio
Gastelum, Obregon
Juan
Navarrete, Hermosillo
Bronswell
Patrick, Mexicali
Oscar
Robles,
Guasave
Roberto
Vizacarra, Jalisco
PITCHER
OF
THE YEAR
Vicente
“Huevo' Romo Trophy
Dallas
Martinez, Obregon
Luis
Miranda,
Guasave
Luis
Ivan
Rodriguez, Jalisco
Juan
Pablo
Oramas, Hermosillo
Miguel
Pena,
Mexicali
Javier
Solano, Mexicali
RELIEVER
OF THE YEAR*
Alberto
Baldonado, Culiacan
Roberto
Espinosa, Mazatlan
Jesus
Pirela,
Mazatlan
Fernando
Salas, Hermosillo
MOST
VALUABLE PLAYER*
Dariel
Alvarez, Jalisco
Japhet
Amador, Jalisco
Sebastian
Elizalde, Culiacan
Isaac
Paredes, Mazatlan
*Partial list of candidates available at post time.
