Saturday, December 19, 2015

ROJAS REPLACES NAVARRETE IN JALISCO

The Jalisco Charros have fired manager Juan Navarrete and replaced him with Homar Rojas (pictured),
who won Mexican Pacific League pennants with Obregon and Hermosillo, beating Mazatlan in both title series.

Navarrete, a Salon de la Fama second baseman who batted .327 in 16 Mexican League seasons between 1970 and 1990 (mostly with Saltillo), led the Guadalajara squad to an 18-17 record and five points in the first half of the current season (his second with the Charros), tying with Obregon for fourth in the standings.  However, Jalisco fell to 9-15 and dropped behind Mazatlan into last place following a 4-1 loss in Hermosillo Thursday night while the Venados were holding off Mexicali, 2-1.  Navarrete led the Charros to an LMP-best 42-26 record and a top playoff seed in his first winter with the club in 2014-15, losing to Culiacan in five games in the MexPac championship series.

The 51-year-old Rojas broke in as a catcher with Monterrey at age 18 in 1982 and went on to play 23 seasons in the minors, including four years in the Dodgers system between 1987 and 1990.  He played for six different teams in the LMB, gaining a reputation as a solid defensive catcher who could hit for power.  Since retiring in 2004, Rojas has managed in both the Liga and MexPac.  Rojas skippered Obregon to their first LMP pennant in 27 years in 2007-08 and took Hermosillo to the title and a Caribbean Series berth two winters later. The Nuevo Leon product has not enjoyed similar success during the summer, where stints at the helm in Oaxaca, Reynosa, Campeche and Monclova have been pennant-free, although he did take the Acereros to the MLB championship series this year before losing to the Quintana Roo Tigres in five games.

Rojas' first game as Jalisco manager was last (Friday) night at home against Los Mochis.


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