Thousands of articles!
B a s e b a l l
M e x i c o
Monday,
November 30, 2020
OBREGON
WINS MEX PAC FIRST HALF BY 4.5 GAMES
Despite a 16-10 loss at home to
Culiacan last Thursday in the final game of an abbreviated first half,
the
Obregon Yaquis were able to capitalize on their hot start to finish
first in
the Mexican Pacific League's opening stanza with a 21-8 record,
four-and-a-half
games ahead of 15-11 Hermosillo and good enough to capture ten playoff
points.
The Yaquis were just 4-5 after the LMP's unscheduled eleven-day layoff
due to
the Wuhan virus, but their 17-3 mark before play was halted provided
enough
padding to make for a soft landing from their fall back to earth.
Obregon then
opened the second half with a pair of losses to Guasave in Estadio
Yaquis, so
the road appears to be harder traveling for Sergio Gastelum's squad
through the
end of the regular season.
Puro Beisbol editor Fernando
Ballesteros provided his readers an analysis of the Mex Pac's first
round for
each team, of which we present a lightly edited version here:
OBREGÓN YAQUIS (21-8, 10.0
POINTS): They only lost two of their ten series, one against
Hermosillo and
the other against Mexicali. OF Alonzo Harris was the offensive spark
plug with
a .337 average (ninth in the LMP) and 20 stolen bases in 22 attempts,
leading
the circuit. Sebastián Valle arrived to bring order to the pitching
staff as
their catcher (LMP leaders in ERA at 3.97), even when they traded their
best
starter, Octavio Acosta.
HERMOSILLO NARANJEROS (15-11, 9.0
POINTS): Unimpressive like last year, the multi-champions did
enough to
take over the runner-up and 9 points. Special mention of OF Norberto
Obeso (LMP
batting sub-leader at .371), OF Yadiel Hernandez (.341) and 3B Luis
Alfonso
Cruz (4HR, 19 RBI) as well as starting pitcher Juan Pablo Oramas (4-2
and 3.38)
and closer Fernando Salas (7 saves, 0.93 ERA).
MONTERREY SULTANES (14-12, 8.0
POINTS): With 2B-OF Alejo López as the only one in the league's top
ten
batting (sixth at .348), the Sultanes surprised in the first half.
Dustin
Peterson contributed 6 homers and 21 RBIs in his first 23 games while
in
pitching, Édgar González stands out with a 3-2 record and 4.32 of ERA,
ninth in
the Mex Pac.
CULIACAN TOMATEROS (15-13, 7.0
POINTS): If it weren't for OF Sebastián Elizalde, they could've
possibly
finished in the bottom three. Elizalde has 9 homers and 32 RBIs,
leading the
LMP in both departments, although he slumped in recent games. 3B Joey
Meneses
is hitting .275 with 4 HR and 15 RBIs. Without OF Rico Noel and C Alí
Solís,
Culiacan's goal was one of the first four positions and they succeeded.
GUASAVE ALGODONEROS (14-13, 6.0
POINTS): They closed the first half with seven wins in their last
eight
games to reach 6 points. Cuban P Yoenis Yera (3-0, 2.37) arrived to
reinforce
the starting rotation. Closer Gene Encina has 8 saves while on offense,
OF
Yadir Drake (.343/6HR/20RBI) and SS Arisbel Arruebarruena
(.373/7HR/12RBI)
stand out, despite the latter missing 14 games.
JALISCO CHARROS(15-14, 5.5
POINTS): They have again had serious problems with their pitching,
not only
releasing Cuban P Elián Leyva (a former Triple Crown winner) but
allowing 25
runs in their last three games against Navojoa. 1B Henry Urrutia has
stood out
for the defending champions with .355/5HR/21RBI numbers while DH Japhet
Amador
has turned in .342/6/28 numbers over 29 games.
MAZATLÁN VENADOS (14-14, 5.0
POINTS): The arrival of Pablo Ortega at the helm rescued them from
falling
into the basement. The Venados closed with seven consecutive wins and
are going
to improve a lot in the second half with the arrival of P Mitch Lively
and
other players. Detroit Tigers IF Isaac Paredes has responded with a
.390
average, one home run and 12 RBIs in 12 games.
MEXICALI AGUILAS(13-16, 4.5
POINTS): After starting 0-8, the team closed with a 13-8 mark under
the
command of Bronswell Patrick. 1B Balbino Fuenmayor (.273) went home to
Venezuela and it's striking that none of Patrick's players hit .300.
Even Cuban
OF Rusney Castillo has been a disappointment with a .212 average no
homers and
one RBI in 9 games. P Eduardo Vera is the LMP sub-leader with a 2.64
ERA.
NAVOJOA MAYOS (10-19, 4.0 POINTS):
The Mayos have had a season full of ups and downs. The highlight was
their
4-for-1 trade with the Yaquis, although Tirso Ornelas will miss the
rest of the
season with injury. Individually, C Omar Renteria leads the LMP batting
race at
.397 and P Felix Dubrount was 3-2 with a 2.32 ERA before (like
Fuenmayor)
returning to play in his native Venezuela, where the season is just now
getting
underway.
LOS MOCHIS CANEROS (9-20, 3.5
POINTS): Their pitching has been a disaster and they continue to
suffer
from the absence of OF Jonathan Jones, 2B Ramón Urías and, of course,
Cuban
starter Yoanys Quiala, who last winter fought for the Triple Crown of
Pitching.
SS Isaac Rodriguez is batting .366 while OF Leander Castro has 8 HR.
The
panorama in Los Mochis is very difficult, but the postseason is not
impossible.
MANSUR
SAYS TECOS ARE “VERY HAPPY” PLAYING IN LAREDO
A Mexican baseball website reports
rumors the Dos Laredos Tecolotes may be seeking greener pastures,
although
owner Jose Antonio Mansur gave assurances that the Tecos' current
dispute with
the City of Laredo, Texas will not result in the Mexican League team
moving out
of the border region.
Beisbol Puro says the dispute
between the Tecos and City of Laredo centers on control over
concessions at
Laredo Ballpark, a facility completed in 2012 with naming rights paid
for by a
local shipping company.* Presently, the Tecos operate concessions at
Laredo Ballpark
for eight months a year while another company is allowed to organize
events and
handle concessions over the remaining four months. Mansur wants a
year-round
concessions contract, something the City has yet to agree to.
The standoff has led to speculation
that Mansur might move the team (which arrived from Veracruz following
the 2017
LMB season) out of both Laredo and Nuevo Laredo altogether. “We have
some
differences in the way in which the renewal of the concession contract
for the
stadium in Laredo, Texas is being considered,” Mansur told Beisbol
Puro
in a phone interview, “but that is something that we hope can be
resolved. We
are very happy and very comfortable playing both in Laredo and in Nuevo
Laredo,
Tamaulipas.”
The Tecos split their home schedule
between the two cities that are separated by the Rio Grande, with games
south
of the border played at aging Parque la Junta, a 6,000-seater built in
1947
that has housed five LMB pennant-winners since, including a powerhouse
Tecolotes squad that played in six Serie del Reys between 1985
and 1993,
winning two titles. The current Tecos franchise initially played their
Mexican
home games at 12,000-seat Estadio Nuevo Laredo in 2018.
Despite being a newer (opened in
2008) better facility than Parque la Junta and was one of three LMB
ballparks
with artificial turf at the time, Estadio Nuevo Laredo sits outside
Nuevo
Laredo in an area considered unsafe by many fans, leading to poor
attendance.
The Tecos moved their Mexican home games to the older ballpark in 2019
but
while crowds did increase, it is not considered an optimal Mexican
League venue
moving ahead.
Laredo Ballpark, which was built for
$18 million, has 3,940 permanents seats and can accommodate up to 6,000
spectators for baseball when picnic areas and grass berms are factored
in.
While it's one of the smallest ballparks in the LMB, it's also one of
the more
modern ones and affords the Tecos the unique status of being the
world's only
baseball team that considers two nations “home.” Mansur says that while
he
would prefer to keep things where they are, he's prepared play all home
games
in Mexico, if not necessarily in Nuevo Laredo.
“We're not leaving here,” he told
Beisbol Puro. “What could happen if we don't reach an agreement is that
we don't
play in Laredo, Texas but our home would continue to be Nuevo Laredo.”
He added
that farming some games to other cities might be considered. "It really
would be an extreme case, but we could look to play some games in
Reynosa, or
even play in McAllen, Texas to continue with the idea of being a
two-country
team, but for now those are only options that we have as a possibility.”
*Like
all media outlets, Baseball Mexico is not obligated to recognize naming
rights
deals that generate no revenue for BBM.
LOOKING
FORWARD: MENESES, BANUELOS, VILLANUEVA
With the 2020 baseball season in the
rear-view mirror and winterball in full swing, three veteran Mexican
players
are weighing their options for the 2021 campaign. While one of them has
been
invited to a Major League Baseball training camp and another appears
likely to
be returning to Taiwan, one former MLBer among the trio finds himself
at loose
ends.
Culiacan infielder Joey Meneses, who
is playing third base for the first time this winter to allow Tomateros
manager
Benji Gil to put Efren Navarro and his .303 average at first base while
slugger
Japhet Amador is the designated hitter. Meneses has struggled at times
on
defense, but he's hit .292 with four homers and 15 RBIs in 30 games.
The Boston Red Sox, who invited the
2018 International League MVP to their training camp last spring, have
announced they'll bring the 6'3” 220-pounder back for another look-see
as a
free agent in February. The 28-year-old Culiacan native struggled with
Japan's
Orix Buffaloes in 2019, batting just .206 with four homers in 29 games
before
being suspended by NPB after testing positive for steroids, but the
BoSox were
intrigued by his breakout performance with the Phillies' AAA affiliate
in
Lehigh Valley two years and want to see whether his right-handed power
can
translate to success with Fenway Park's Green Monster.
Left-handed pitcher Manny Banuelos
has already endured a sometimes-bizarre 2019 during which he began the
year
pitching for Culiacan in the Mexican Pacific League playoffs in
January,
followed by a start in February as a reinforcement for Jalisco at the
Caribbean
Series in Puerto Rico and a stint in Arizona as a free agent hurler in
the
Seattle Mariners spring camp in March before the Wuhan virus shut down
baseball
north of the border that month. Ranked as high as 13th among all
prospects by
MLB.com as a Yankees farmhand in 2011, Banuelos was subsequently
released by
Seattle but eventually signed with the Fubon Guardians of the Chinese
Professional Baseball League.
Once he reached Taiwan and cleared
quarantine, Banuelos pitched well for the Guardians, going 6-3 with a
2.60 ERA
in nine starts and striking out 62 batters in 52 innings for a team
that went
54-69 for the year. It's almost a given that the 29-year-old Durango
product
will be offered a contract by the Taipei-based team for the 2021 season.
The player looking over his options
(and perhaps licking his wounds after two tough seasons in Japan) is
former San
Diego third baseman Christian Villanueva. The 29-year-old from
Guadalajara made
his MLB debut in September, batting .344 with four homers in 12 games
for the
Padres. He had a hot start for San Diego in 2018, earning National
League
Rookie of the Month honors in April after hitting .321 with eight
roundtrippers
in 23 games. Villanueva hit less than .200 over the next three months
before
rebounding with a .356 average in 12 August games before suffering a
season-ending injury.
Despite finishing with 20 homers to augment his .236 season average, his contract was sold the following offseason to the NPB Yomiuri Giants. Villanueva struggled with injuries both years, hitting .223 with eight homers for the Giants in 2019 while spending time on their farm team before being let go. He was picked up by the Nippon Ham Fighters for 2020 but moving from the Central to Pacific League had no effect as he hit just .220 with four longballs for the Fighters, spent time with THEIR farm team and was released on November 18. Villanueva began playing for the hometown Jalisco Charros last week, homering in one of his first five games, but he's essentially playing for a spring training invitation at this point. His Mexican League rights were acquired by the Monterrey Sultanes from Yucatan late last year.