B a s e b a l l
M e x i c o
DECEMBER
14, 2 0 1 5
After
sweeping a Sunday doubleheader over the Jalisco Charros in Guadalajara,
the
Navojoa Mayos ended the weekend with a 15-6 record and a three-game
lead in the
Mexican Pacific League's second-half standings. Obregon is second
at 12-9
and Los Mochis is third with an 11-10 mark. Let's take a look at
how all
eight LMP teams are faring with two weeks left in the regular season
schedule:
NAVOJOA
(15-6) has
livened considerably under new manager Enrique "Che" Reyes.
Orioles farmhand OF Quincy Latimore, an Eastern League All-Star
last
summer, leads Mayos starters in all Triple Crown categories (.307/8/38)
and 3B
Jesus Castillo is hitting .292 with 7 homers, but 18-year minor league
veteran
1B John Lindsey is only batting .143 with one homer and 4 RBI's after
swatting
a dozen roundtrippers for the Mayos last winter. Pitcher Eddie
Gamboa is
4-1 and third in the league with a 2.76 ERA and both Hector Velazquez
and Jose
Oyervides each have 5 wins. Velazquez has a 3.11 ERA.
OBREGON
(12-9) is
getting a standout winter from 3B Christian Villanueva, who is third on
the LMP
table with a .337 average, tied for fourth with 9 homers, trails only
Mazatlan's Jeremias Pineads with 35 runs scored and is tied for ninth
with 31
RBI's. His on-base percentage of .444 tops the loop. OF
Reynaldo
Rodriguez is second in the LMP with 10 homers (tied with Mexicali's
Yuniesky
Betancourt). Rolando Valdez is having a good winter for the
Yaquis, with
a 5-4 record and a 3.03 ERA that stands third in the LMP. David Reyes
(5-2/4.40)
has had his moments and middleman Victor Arano (4-0/0.75) has been
superlative
in 23 appearances.
LOS
MOCHIS (11-10) has
been steady if unspectacular. Caneros 3B Emmanuel Avila is
fifth in
the MexPac batting race with a .321 average while OF D'Arby Myers' .338
average
would rank higher with more plate appearances. Mexican League All-Star
Saul
Soto is only batting .232, but the 37-year-old 1B leads the Caneros
with 9 HRs
and is tied for fourth in the LMP with 35 RBI's. Ageless 1B Ramon
Orantes is
batting .321 as a part-timer. P Derrick Miramontes is 5-4 and
leads the
MexPac with a 2.31 ERA but the real story has been closer Andres Avila,
whose
21 saves is two away from the LMP record set by Obregon's Mark Zappelli
in
1990-91.
HERMOSILLO
(10-10) needs
just one more win to match their first-half total with 14 games to play
as
Lorenzo Bundy has steadied the ship since replacing Juan Pablo Sandoval
three
weeks ago. Former White Sox OF Jerry Owens lead Naranjeros
batters with a
.318 average over 38 games and 3B Jose Amador is having a solid
all-around
season with .296/9/36 numbers. Hermosillo isn't breaking even by
virtue
of batting, as their .238 team average is a distant last. An
LMP-best
3.41 ERA is more responsible, led by Nate Reed (3-3/2.52), 2009 LMB
Rookie of
the Year Juan Pablo Oramos (3-3/3.39) and ex-MLBer Edgar Gonzalez
(2-4/3.88).
MEXICALI
(9-11) has
been so-so after winning the first half title but the Aguilas probably
have a
lot of people nervous as the playoffs loom. OF Welington Dotel is
batting
.333, fourth in the LMP but nothing like the .379 average he had going
into
December. 2B Ramon Urias has raised his own average to .351, which
would lead
the league if he had more at-bats. SS Walter Ibarra (.321), 3B
C.J.
Retherford (.309/8/33) and vet OF Chris Roberson (.304) have all helped
Mexicali to a team .297 BA. P Javier Solano (7-2/3.57) still
leads the
circuit in wins, but pitching coach Jose Silva's bullpen has fared much
better
overall than his starting rotation.
JALISCO
(9-12) has
the only offense to rival Mexicali's, as the Charros hot .288 as a team
and
plates 4.79 runs per game. 2B Amadeo Zazueta went 14-for-35 for
his past
ten games to take over the LMP batting leadership at .348 while OF
Jesus Valdez
is now second at .339. 3B Alex Liddi continues to rake with
.314/6/32
numbers and 1B Japhet Amador has raised his BA to .289 and still leads
the
MexPac with 14 homers and 46 RBI's. Jalisco's pitching has been
mostly
adequate, although (like Mexicali) the starters are not as good as the
bullpen,
where ex-Cards P Brian Broderick (1-2/2.33) has saved 14 games,
third-best in
the LMP.
CULIACAN
(9-12) has
been packing the stands at their new ballpark, with an average crowd of
16,815
over 28 home games, but the picture is less rosy on the playing field.
The Tomateros ARE third in the league with a .267 batting average
(3B
Oscar Robles leads regulars with a .316 average), but with little
power, and
manager Benji Gil still hasn't settled on a starting lineup. And
Culiacan's mound staff has been a "pitch-and-duck" proposition all
winter, with an LMP-worst 4.97 ERA. Hector Daniel Rodriquez
(4-3/3.45) is
eighth in ERA among MexPac hurlers and 2015 PCL All-Star Ryan Buchter
(3-0/0.72) has 10 saves, but that's pretty much it.
MAZATLAN
(8-13) has
even less power than Culiacan but at least they've got pitching.
Alejandro Soto (3-4/2.79) is fourth in ERA in the LMP and Amilcar
Gaxiola
(4-3/2.70) has been as good, closer Steven Hensley (1-1/2.05) is second
with 16
saves and Walter Silva (5-4/4.31), who turns 39 next months, just keeps
rolling
along like Old Man River. SS Esteban Quiroz lead Mazatlan hitters
with a
.316 average (seventh in the league), OF Jeremias Pinedas has a .300
average
and 22 steals and 1B Cyle Hankard, a former D-Backs minor leaguer, is
hitting
.298 with 6 homers. The Venados should reach the postseason, but
will not
be favorites going in.