LMB WEIGHS SCHEDULE OPTIONS, LMP FACING SQUEEZE

Mexican League season held up at least 5 weeks

In the wake of their season openers being delayed at least five weeks due to the coronavirus panic, the Mexican League is considering options for their 2020 schedule moving forward and the Mexican Pacific League's own 2020-21 season could potentially be affected.

The LMB had planned to begin their season next Monday with defending champion Monclova hosting Monterrey, followed by a full slate of games the next evening. Instead, league president Horacio de la Vega ordered all 16 training camps closed earlier this month while pushing Opening Day back five weeks until Monday, May 11, a date not etched in stone given the uncertainty regarding efforts to combat the virus or the government's willingness to allow the LMB to have final say in their scheduling.

With that in mind, de la Vega has been trying to cobble together an alternate schedule that would save the Liga's original 102-game regular season format, something he's said he wants to do. However, that adjusted calendar could mean the Serie del Rey possibly concluding immediately prior to the beginning of the Mex Pac's regular season. In an interview with ESPN, the new league leader said, "In the scenario in which we start on May 11, we'll plan to be playing 102 games per team and finishing at the start of the Pacific season, that is, around October 12 or 14..that is the current scenario."

As noted in a Septima Entrada story, the LMB concluded their 2019 calendar on October 2, when Monclova concluded the Serie del Rey with a fourth win over Yucatan for their first pennant since entering the Liga in 1974. The LMP season opened nine days later on October 11. De la Vega says he's been maintaining contact with Mex Pac president Omar Canizales and hopes to affect the winterball circuit as little as possible, since so many players perform in both loops.

Another area of concern is the Mexican League's All-Star Weekend, originally scheduled for June 5-7 in Monclova. The event, which includes the Home Run Derby, Double Play Derby and All-Star Game, will have to have new dates assigned to reflect the late start in the overall schedule. "Let's hope that by May 11, things have improved," de la Vega told ESPN. "That's part of the conversations we've had with the different federal health authorities and we have many possible scenarios with the intention of moving forward with the 2020 season."

Mexican Pacific League president Omar Canizales

Meanwhile, Canizales is having to deal with similar uncertainties. A press release issued by the Mexican Pacific League league office in Guadalajara says, in part, "In these difficult times, the LMP is confident that with the efforts of the authorities and the community, this emergency can be overcome. Once this is achieved, our fans can return to enjoy baseball, for which we'll be prepared to do what the authorities dictate." The Mex Pac held an Assembly of Presidents meeting earlier in March, where the gathered leaders decided to wait to see what the Mexican league determines regarding an adjusted schedule before moving forward on their own 2020-21 calendar.

The LMP faces a possible squeeze for playing dates if the LMB season bumps up against their own, especially given the desire of both Major League Baseball and the Confederation of Pan American Baseball to have the Caribbean Series played in late January after decades of taking place the first week of February so the tournament doesn't bump against MLB's own training camps. The Mex Pac was already looking into revamping their playoff schedule before the coronavirus scare hit and may now be faced with an abbreviated regular season and/or postseason if they have to start later AND finish sooner.

Although Mexico's baseball writers have been sympathetic with the Mexican League's scheduling worries, some are calling for the summer circuit to scale back their regular season rather than push ahead with their original 102-game schedule. Puro Beisbol editor Fernando Ballesteros says "a 60 to 80-game schedule would be, from our point of view, the most sensible for the LMB. In fact, 80 is the optimal number of games that several club owners are looking for and to leave it permanently in a long-term project, but this year they did not want to be so drastic and developed the 102 games, subtracting 18 from the 2019 season."

Ballesteros added that the potential economic chaos in the wake of the coronavirus could make it more difficult for the average Mexican fan to afford to go to the ballpark often enough to make a 102-game schedule financially viable for LMB teams.

TOKYO OLYMPICS, INCLUDING BASEBALL, POSTPONED TO 2021

Mexican National Team celebrates win

After weeks of speculation over whether the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan would begin in July as scheduled, whether they'd take place in front of empty venues or be delayed to a later start due to the coronavirus pandemic, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe announced last week that the event will be postponed until next year. 

"Due to current conditions and by all athletes, we have proposed to postpone the event for about a year so that they can be safe," Abe said during a telephone news conference last Tuesday. The International Olympic Committee and the Organizing Committee of the 2020 Olympic Games also released a statement that given information made available by the World Health Organization, a United Nations agency, IOC president Thomas Bach agreed with Abe that the Olympics should called called off for the rest of this year and instead be staged in 2021.

Baseball was on the Olympic calendar this summer as a demonstration sport after last being played at the Olympic level during the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, where eight nations competed for the Gold medal won by South Korea.  Cuba took the Silver medal while the Bronze went to the United States.  This year's Olympics field was to be comprised of six nations, including first-time participants Mexico.

The Mexicans qualified for the Summer Olympics on the basis of their performance at last year's Premier12 tournament, sponsored by the World Baseball Softball Confederation.  Mexico won the Group A first round of the competition in Guadalajara by going 3-0 against the United States, Dominican Republic and The Netherlands, averaging eight runs per game while allowing a total of five tallies over the three contests.  

Mexico's Olympic baseball dreams put on hold

The six nations that advanced from Group play then converged in Japan for the Super Round, a round-robin stage in which Mexico won their first three games before losing a pair of two-run tilts to host Japan and South Korea at the Tokyo Dome.  Mexico's 3-2 win in ten innings over the United States on Efren Navarro's walk-off RBI single in the Bronze medal game on November 17 was enough to punch their ticket to the Olympics.  Japan and South Korea, who played in the Gold medal game (won by Japan, 5-3), also qualified for the Olympics.  Interestingly, only one Mexican player, outfielder Jonathan Jones, was named to the 11-man All-World Team at the conclusion of the Premier12 while the United States placed four despite finishing out of the money.

Israel also qualified for their first Olympics appearance in baseball after pulling off a surprise win in the Africa/Europe event in Italy last September.  Two more qualifying tournaments, an Americas group in Arizona consisting of nations that fell short in the Premier12 (with the winner advancing to Tokyo) and a Final qualifier in Taiwan for the sixth and final berth, have been postponed.

OBREGON, LOS MOCHIS TO CO-HOST U23 BASEBALL WORLD CUP

The World Baseball Softball Confederation has announced the sites of their 2020 Under-23 Baseball World Cup tournament.  Obregon and Los Mochis have been tabbed to co-host the event, which will be held between Wednesday, September 30 and Friday, October 9.  The selection was somewhat surprising in that while located in the middle of Mexico's prime baseball hotbed, the two agricultural centers are among the smallest markets in the ten-team Mexican Pacific League (only Navojoa and Guasave have fewer residents) and lack the kind of amenities offered in other Mex Pac cities like Guadalajara or Monterrey, where tournaments of this caliber typically end up when Mexico is the host country.

Even so, there is little doubt that the U23 Baseball World Cup will be embraced in both cities, partly because they rarely (if ever) see global events on this scale but mostly because fans in Obregon and Los Mochis have proven over time that they love a good ballgame.  While a schedule has not been released, it's expected that Group stage games in the 12-nation tournament will be shared between the two cities while Obregon will host later contests all the way through the October 9 final game. 

Estadio Emilio Ibarra Almada, Los Mochis

Los Mochis, a city of over 250,000 not far from the Copper Canyon in northern Sinaloa, is home to the Mex Pac's Caneros, who christened the recently renovated 12,000-seat Estadio Emilio Ibarra Almada last October. The ballpark's 400 million peso facelift included a total redo of the main grandstand, which now includes three levels: lower and upper box seats plus luxury boxes. Along with Guasave's Estadio Francisco Carranza Limon, the facility is the "newest" in the LMP as the league seeks to modernize all of its playing fields and leaves Navojoa's Estadio Manuel "Ciclon" Echeverria, which opened in 1970, as the last remaining non-modern facility in the league.

Home to over 400,000 residents, Ciudad Obregon (named after Revolution leader Alvaro Obregon, who later became preident of Mexico) is near the southern tip of the state of Sonora. Like Los Mochis, Obregon is an agricultural hub and is served by an international airport (Los Mochis' is for domestic flights only). The LMP Obregon Yaquis play in the 16,500-seat Estadio Yaquis, which was completed in 2016 and is considered one of the country's nicest ballparks.

Estadio Yaquis, Ciudad Obregon

Both stadiums to be used for the U23 Baseball World Cup are symmetrical: Estadio Emilio Ibarra Almada in Los Mochis has 320-foot foul lines with a straightaway center field fence of 400 feet while Obregon's Estadio Yaquis is 325 feet down each foul line and 400 feet to center field. Players and coaches will have Class AAA-level clubhouse facilities in both venues as well.

Among the 12 nations represented at the U23 Baseball World Cup, four are in Latin America: Besides host Mexico, teams from Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela will compete. Asia will also send four national teams from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China while Germany, South Africa, New Zealand and the Czech Republic will round out the field. New Zealand replaced Australia as Oceania's delegate squad after the Aussies pulled out of their qualifying series. Professional players are allowed to represent teams at the tournament and several Mexican Leaguers are expected to fill out much of the Mexican National Team's roster, along with minor leaguers from MLB affiliates.

Mexico won the 2018 U23 Baseball World Cup in Barranquilla, Colombia under manager Jose Enrique Reyes, the first time the country had won a world championship in the sport above the Little League level. One of Mexico's three All-World Team members that year, catcher Orlando Pina, hit .294 and belted 16 homers in 90 games for Oaxaca last summer.

MLB CANCELS APRIL PADRES-D'BACKS MEXICO SERIES

The outbreak of the coronavirus and the resulting panic that led to the delay of the Major League Baseball regular season has unsurprisingly meant the cancellation of a planned two-game series between the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks in Mexico City next month. The so-called Mexico Series would've pitted the two National League West rivals against each other on the weekend of April 18-19 at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu in Mexico City.

Instead, the two contests will be rescheduled later in the season in Phoenix, as the Diamondbacks had relinquished two home dates to make room for the Mexico Series. "It breaks our heart we won't be playing in front of the incredible fans in Mexico," a statement from the Arizona front office reads, "but health and safety come first." A tweet from the Padres states, "Our series in Mexico City has been cancelled do to the delayed start of the 2020 season. We look forward to the next time we are playing in front of our beloved fans in Mexico." MLB also cancelled a planned three-game series between the New York Mets and Miami Marlins between April 28-30 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. No decision has been made yet regarding the fate of this June's London Series in England between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.

Mexico City's Estadio Harp Helu

The Mexico Series would've marked the first MLB regular season games ever played in Mexico City, where the Diablos Rojos' 20,576-seat ballpark (named after their billionaire owner) opened a year ago this Monday when the Diablos hosted a team of Padres minor leaguers in front of a full house. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador became the first Mexico president to throw out a ceremonial first pitch since 1947 and Mexico City's Jesus Fabela scored the first run in the new facility, but the rest of the contest belonged to the Padres, who won 11-2 in a game that was overshadowed by the festivities surrounding it. The Diablos went on to draw 389,641 fans over 54 regular season games last year (an average of 7,216 per opening) to finish fourth in the LMB in attendance, trailing only Tijuana (11,291), Monterrey (9,770) and Yucatan (8,673). The Toros and Sultanes led all of Minor League Baseball in average attendance while the Leones finished fifth. Mexico City was 18th overall.

The cancellation of the Mexico City will cause a financial hit to the host Diablos Rojos. Ticket prices for the two games started at 450 pesos (US$18.41) for outfield seats and rose to 3,200 pesos (US$130.95) for VIP seats and 2,500 pesos (US$102.30) to sit behind home plate. Ticket refunds are being offered to those who already purchased their ducats.

MLB has previously held eleven regular season games in Mexico, all at Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey, home of the Sultanes.  The first was a Padres-Colorado Rockies game on April 4, 1999, which brought in a ballpark record 27,104 spectators. A pair of two-game series last year (Cardinals-Red and Angels-Astros) drew in the 16,000-18,000 range per opening. 

MEX PAC NAMES 2019-20 GOLD GOVE AWARD WINNERS

Jalisco catcher Gabriel Gutierrez

The Mexican Pacific League has announced the winners of its 2019-20 season Rawlings Gold Glove awards, given annually to players considered the best fielder at their respective positions. Four of then ten players receiving honors were members of the LMP champion Culiacan Tomateros.

Pitcher of the Year Yoanys Quiala of Los Mochis aided his own cause by handling 18 chances in the field without a miscue in 87.2 innings over 14 starts without to earn the Gold Glove for hurlers, his second in a row with the Caneros. As a Culiacan postseason addition, Quiala was perfect on four chances during his lone start in the Caribbean Series.

Two catchers also played errorless ball in 2019-20 to share the Gold Glove. Jalisco's Gabriel Gutierrez, already known as a top-notch receiver, burnished his reputation by not committing an error on 458 chances behind the plate. He also nailed 25 of 49 base-stealers for a 51% mark in that category. Another stalwart defensive backstop, Mexicali's Xorge Carrillo, was awarded after fielding 376 chances cleanly in 51 games. Carrillo threw out 17 of 46 base-stealers, a 37 percent rate.

Culiacan anchored the right side of the LMP's defensive dream team. First baseman Joey Meneses committed two errors on 454 opportunities to finish with a .996 fielding percentage. Meneses, who hit .332 during the regular season, was flawless in 35 chances in four games at the initial hassock during the Caribbean Series and hit .417 before signing with Boston after the tournament.

Tomateros second baseman Ramiro Pena, a favorite of manager Benji Gil, earned top honors at the keystone position by turning in a .988 fielding percentage after committing just three blunders over 256 chances. The former Yankees infielder, who also had MLB stints with Atlanta and San Francisco, handled 24 chances without error in the Caribbean Series and turned three double plays.

Culiacan second baseman Ramiro Pena

Jalisco veteran Agustin Murillo is not a newcomer when it comes to winning Gold Gloves at third base in the Mex Pac, and 2019-20 was no exception. Murillo turns 38 in May but showed no sign of slowing after augmenting his .314 batting average with a .993 fielding percentage, committing just one gaffe in 139 chances and taking part in nine twin-killings.

Daniel Castro's glovework is what led to MLB opportunities with both Atlanta and Colorado between 2015 and 2018, thus it's no surprise that his work at shortstop for Mexicali has been rewarded. Castro, who also plays second and third, was 261-for-266 in fielding chances for the Aguilas to finish with a .981 average after splitting the 2019 season between the Mariners and Dodgers systems.

Culiacan players also anchored two of three positions on the LMP's Gold Glove team. Speedy Rico Noel, who led the league in steals (30) and runs scored (47), earned the nod in centerfield with a .986 fielding percentage, committing five errors in 138 chances during the regular season. He handled 18 chances without sin during the Caribbean and started a double play from the outfield.

Tomateros teammate Sebastian Elizalde was named the Gold Glove rightfielder after recording a .983 fielding average, committing two errors in 115 chances over 54 regular season contests. A former Reds farmhand who played for Mexico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Elizalde played three games in the Serie del Caribe, fielding eight fly balls cleanly before signing with the New York Mets.

Navojoa's Alonzo Harris, the 2019 Mexican League MVP, was given a Gold Glove for his play in left field for the Mayos. Harris was 133-for-135 in chances for a .985 fielding percentage and threw out six baserunners. The Mississippi native broke into pro ball in 2008 as a second baseman before being converted into an outfielder as a Mets minor leaguer during the 2011 season.

MEXICO HOLDS FIFTH PLACE IN LATEST WBSC BASEBALL RANKINGS

The World Baseball Softball Confederation released its first set of global baseball rankings for 2020 last Friday. There were no changes among the top six teams, which means Mexico maintained its number five ranking from the previous rankings released on December 31, 2019. In all, 86 nations were listed.

Japan held on to the top spot with 6,167 total points, providing the Baseball Samurai a comfortable lead over the second-ranked United States, who came in with 4,676 points. South Korea is breathing down the USA's neck with 4,648 points while Taiwan held on to fourth place at 4,385. Mexico's 3,375 points was good enough to keep the fifth slot but Australia is not far behind in sixth at 3,249. Cuba and Venezuela leap-frogged past The Netherlands into seventh and eighth place, respectively, while the Dutchmen slipped from seventh to ninth. The Dominican Republic rounded out the Top Ten with Puerto Rico hanging on to its #11 ranking while Panama slipped past Canada into twelfth on the list as Latin American countries make up half of the dozen leading nations on the listing. At the other end of the spectrum, Bahrain, Haiti and Iraq were tied for 84th and last with five points apiece.

In other categories, Japan also led in the women's baseball rankings, ahead of Canada, Taiwan and Venezuela, who bypassed the USA into fourth place while the Americans dropped to fifth. Mexico moved past the Philippines into 14th place in women's baseball. In men's softball, Japan holds the top slot in those rankings as well after slipping past former #1 Argentina in the latest listing. New Zealand, Canada, Australia and the United States round out the top six while Mexico moved up one berth to eighth, trailing the seventh-place Czech Republic. In the WBSC women's softball rankings, the USA preventing Japan from sweeping all the top spots by holding the number one position on that table while Japan stayed in second. Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico complete the first five.

Mexico's 2018 U-23 World Cup champions

Global rankings from the WBSC are compiled on a points system based on how well respective national teams perform at various levels of competition. Baseball rankings are drawn from the World Baseball Classic and Premier12 events as well as Baseball World Cup tournaments at the U-23, U-18, U-15 and U-12 age groups. Continental events such as Europe's CEB Championships or the Pan-American Games are also included, albeit for fewer points in the ranking system, while co-called friendlies between national teams in non-tournament settings (such as last winter's Samurai Series between Japan and Mexico) round out the points system. Rankings are released on an irregular basis, although the WBSC usually compiles them at least once a year.

CORONAVIRUS PANIC DELAYS LMB SEASON FIVE WEEKS

Mexican League openers moved to May 11

When fears over the coronavirus grounded every other professional baseball league around the world to a halt, the Mexican League still expected to begin their 2020 schedule on April 6 as planned. That changed Saturday morning when the LMB office ordered all preseason camps among its 16 teams closed and delayed its season openers until Monday, May 11, five weeks after the original date. The Class A Northern Mexico League suspended its camps and season one day later.

Virtually every professional and collegiate sports league in the United States had suspended operations by the end last week after the number of COVID-19 cases in the USA rose to nearly 3,000 over the weekend, with 60 deaths reported. Worldwide, the numbers stand at a combined 157,000 active and closed cases and over 5,800 deaths, with coronavirus source nation China accounting for more than half of both figures. Mexico, on the other hand, has thus far remained relatively untouched by what the World Health Organization recently declared a "pandemic." As of Saturday, there were just 26 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (22 active) with one person listed in serious or critical condition, but no deaths thus far.

Mexico's total cases among its population of over 100,000,000 stands at 0.2 per million residents, one of the lowest rates in the world. Conversely, nine countries have over 100 cases per million (with Italy at 349.6), with South Korea leading nations with pro baseball leagues at 159.2 per million with 75 deaths. The United States is down the list at 9.0 per million total cases with 60 deaths, Japan is at 6.4 with 22 fatalities and Taiwan (whose Chinese Professional Baseball League is the most recent play-for-pay circuit to postpone their openers) shows 2.2 cases per million with two deaths. Besides Italy, Europe's other pro loop, Holland's Hoofdklasse, has suspended operations as The Netherlands shows 56 cases per million with 12 deaths.

All LMB teams ordered to close camps

With such relatively low numbers south of the border, the LMB was the last league standing, although some teams had adjusted their training camp venues and/or schedules as a precautionary measure. The Tijuana Toros, for instance abandoned their preseason work at South Mountain Community College in Tempe, Arizona last Friday in response to an alert from the state government ordering (among other things) the closure of all schools. The Toros arrived in Tempe on March 1 and planned to spend the entire month training in the Phoenix suburb. Instead, they broke camp after less than two weeks.

Even so, Mexican League teams were working their way toward their respective openers, with Monclova defeating Leon, 9-5, last Wednesday in the Liga's first exhibition game of the year at the LMB Academy near Monterrey as Jeremy Martinez homered for the defending champions. Ultimately, however, it appears that governmental pressure generated by coronavirus fears led the league office to issue a statement on Saturday morning that opened: The Mexican Baseball League (LMB) reports that the preseason of all the teams that make up our circuit is officially suspended and the start of the 2020 season is postponed to Monday, May 11, 2020; as long as there is no new notice, in accordance with the health authorities of the Federal Government.

The postponement comes at a difficult time for the Mexican League, which had already shortened its regular season schedule to 102 games and are facing the potential loss of 30 games during their five-week dark period. As outlined in last week's BBM post of Proceso's Beatriz Pereyra's interview with new LMB president Horacio de la Vega, the league office is already cash-strapped (as are many, if not most, of its teams), and the loss of up to 240 games' worth of revenue will not help matters. However, public safety concerns are taking precedence as Mexicans brace themselves for their country's first fatality from COVID-19.

LMB PLAYER UNREST BUBBLING DUE TO SALARY CAP, DQ LIST

OF Leo German is out of work for 2020

Labor relations between the Mexican League and its players has historically been tenuous at best, with a 1980 midseason strike leading to the creation of a six-team splinter league that finished out the year with an abbreviated schedule among the more obvious examples of tensions bubbling over. While things have been quieter over recent seasons, a pair of issues irritating the players have surfaced and led to renewed calls for a players union.

One such issue is the imposition of an LMB team salary cap of five million pesos per month, equal to approximately US$250,000. On the surface, that doesn't appear to be an unreasonable limit in a league with teams carrying 35 men (30 of them active) on their rosters, which would work out to an average of US$7,143 per player. That's competitive with Class AAA salaries north of the border, where first-year players earn a minimum of US$2,140 per month, and enough to live quite well south of it. However, as is often the case with Mexican baseball, it's not that simple.

In the first place, even though there's a monthly salary cap of 5,000,000 pesos in place, not all teams can afford to pay that much. Wealthier franchises like Mexico City, Monterrey, Tijuana and Monclova have no problem coming up with that kind of money for payroll, but less prosperous teams like Tabasco, Aguascalientes and Union Laguna simply don't generate enough revenue to pay their players as well as their richer Liga counterparts. The Durango Generales, for example, generated stories during their first LMB season in 2017 when they sometimes went weeks without paying players, leading some to force trades by either sitting out games or making similar threats; it's how Daniel Mayora ended up in Monterrey (winning the batting title) and MVP candidate Yadier Drake landed in Japan.

Secondly, not every player is going to be paid the same. While some players, especially extraneros with major league experience, can command salaries higher than US$10,000 per month (does anyone think Monclova is paying Bartolo Colon less?), many others will earn half that amount or less, particularly Mexican-born players with less experience and no option of signing with an MLB organization because their rights are owned by their LMB team. The divide between the haves and have-nots is creating friction among the latter, many of whom may be earning about 50,000 pesos (US$2,500) per month.

Another point of contention has been the existence of a list of Restricted Players who are disqualified for the 2020 season because they did not sign a contract with their LMB by a specified date. Here is the list of eight Restricted players (each of whom has at least three years of experience), released by the Mexican League last week:

Hector Ambriz, P, Saltillo Saraperos

Leo German, OF, Dos Laredos Tecolotes

Demetrio Gutierrez, P, Campeche Piratas

Carlos Mendivil, C, Saltillo Saraperos

Jorge Quinones, P, Aguascalientes Rieleros

Alex Sanabia, P, Aguascalientes Rieleros

Zack Segovia, P, Leon Bravos

Kenneth Sigman, P, Dos Laredos Tecolotes

C Carlos Mendivil wants a players union

None of the above are considered stars, although Ambriz, Sanabia and Segovia have pitched in the majors while German emerged with a .322 average and 10 homers for the Tecos in 2019 after several years as a substitute with Monterrey. However, baseball IS how they earn a living, they're now in effect blacklisted by the Mexican League for missing a signing deadline and some aren't taking it silently.

On Twitter, German called the Restricted List a "disgrace," adding that "Mexicans are the ones who get the worst treatment." Mendivil, a reserve catcher for the past seven years, decried the lack of a players union in Mexico, saying "there is no organization of players who fight for what is fair for each one as a professional baseball player." 

Outrage was not limited to the affected players.  Pitcher Hector Velazquez, an Obregon native recently picked up on waivers by Baltimore after going 11-7 over parts of three years with Boston, sent out three tweets blasting the listings, saying it was "outrageous and that it can't be possible that they (LMB) have left the Mexican players out of work."

Leon first baseman Jesse Castillo, a two-time Liga MVP, added his voice to Mendivil's in advocating for a players union and calling upon Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the nation's highest-ranking baseball fan, to step in. "If you want to set a precedent, Senor Presidente, the moment has arrived," said Castillo. "The players need to be protected by a union so this does not happen in our baseball."

FELIX PIE, EX-ROY ROMARIO GIL SIGN WITH CAMPECHE

Felix Pie poses for another Pirates team

Although the Mexican League season will be delayed until at least mid-May, the Campeche Piratas have made a couple of roster moves that figure to make the Walled City nine more competitive. The Buccaneers recently signed former Major League outfielder Felix Pie and 2018 Rookie of the Year Romario Gil as free agents under new manager Francisco Campos.

The 35-year-old Pie figures to make an immediate impact in the Campeche lineup once play begins. Once ranked by Baseball America as the top prospect in the Cubs' minor league system, Pie made his MLB debut with Chicago as a 22-year-old in 2007. Although the Dominican-born son of Haitian immigrants went on to play all or part of six MLB seasons with the Cubs, Baltimore and Pittsburgh, Pie never fulfilled his early promise although there were occasional flashes of brilliance along the way. After his final big league appearance in 2013, he spent the next year in South Korea and hit .326 with 17 homers and 92 RBIs for the Hanwha Eagles. He also spent time in Taiwan before coming to Mexico in 2018 with Leon.

Over the past two years as the Bravos' leftfielder, Pie hit a combined .356 with 38 homers and 141 RBIs over 192 games. He's expected to jumpstart a Piratas lineup that finished 15th in the LMB in scoring (5.38 runs per game), 14th in batting (.295) and 11th in homers (130). He'll round out an outfield that includes speedy CF Jay Austin (.329 with 15 homers and 31 steals) and well-traveled veteran RF Olmo Rosario (.321 with 12 homers), whose 18-year career has taken him to five countries, including a couple of .300+ seasons in Italy.

Romario Gil seeks a new start in Campeche

Expectations aren't quite as high for the 25-year-old Gil, a 6'1" lefty from Culiacan who made his Mexican League debut with five appearances for Monclova in 2017. One year later, he was selected as the Liga's top rookie after being loaned to Puebla and going a combined 6-2 in 17 starts over two short seasons, including a 4-0 ledger with a 2.47 ERA in the Fall campaign for the Pericos. Sensing that Gil might be ready to help his Acereros, Monclova owner Gerardo Benavides brought him back to "The Furnace." Although the 221-pounder did go 5-1 for the eventual league champions, his 5.86 ERA was less than impressive and after spending July on the disabled list, Gil was demoted to the bullpen for the rest of the season. Things went no better last winter with Gil's hometown Tomateros even though he pitched for the Mexican Pacific League champs, as he recorded a 1-5 record and a 5.92 ERA in six starts for Benji Gil's team.

The bar will be set far lower in Gil's new surroundings as he goes from pitching for two pennant-winning teams to one that last flew a title flag in 2004. He's presently on the Piratas reserve list and was starting out in the bullpen under pitching coach Isidro Marquez (the LMB's all-time saves leader) when training camp was suspended last weekend, and may be given a shot at a spot in the starting rotation when play resumes. He may be an improvement for a team with a collective 6.26 earned-run average last year, although Campeche pitchers miraculously combined for eight shutouts in 2019.

WILL PROBEIS TAKE OVER ACADEMY FROM LIGA?

A game at El Carmen Baseball Academy

According to Hector Bencomo of the Hitazo website, a proposal has been made to the organization charged by Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador with building baseball interest and participation throughout the country, asking that organization (known by the acronym Probeis) to take the reins of the Mexican League's academy in El Carmen, Nuevo Laredo (near Monterrey) from the LMB.

Bencomo reports that rumors of the academy's "disappearance" have grown stronger since the last LMB Assembly of Presidents Meeting. The facility was the brainchild of Mexico City Tigres owner Alejo Peralta, Mexico City Diablos Rojos team president Roberto Mansur and Mexican League president Petro Treto Cisneros and inaugurated on March 25, 1996. 

Since then literally thousands of homegrown prospects have lived in the dormitories and played on the academy's diamonds, many of whom moved on to long careers in Major League Baseball or the Mexican League, including current Houston Astros closer Roberto Osuna, longtime MLB reliever Joakim Soria, Monterrey infielder Ramiro Pena (who spent time in both MLB and Japan), Diablos Rojos slugger Japhet Amador and shortstop Heber Gomez, who parlayed his academy stint that first year into a 22-year Liga career, mostly with Monterrey.

Prospects eating in Academy dining room

The Mexican League's 16 franchises have traditionally shared the costs of housing and development of academy prospects, typically with eight teams supplied with players from two LMB teams each playing a spring schedule after months of on-site training. Since the fine print in a new agreement between MLB and the Liga agreed to last year all but ended the past practice of big league organizations compensating LMB teams for the rights to young players, the expense of keeping the academy operational has become too burdensome on cash-strapped Liga clubs with little to no prospect of recouping some of those costs through player sales. Annual expenses are between 8 to 12 million pesos (US$400,000-US$600,000) per LMB franchise, bearable for wealthier organizations like Mexico City or Monterrey but a real burden for the likes of Aguascalientes and Campeche.

A team of Tijuana prospects ran away with last year's Academy League title, sporting a 42-16 record to finish 8.5 games ahead of a squad of teenagers owned by Monclova and Saltillo. Unsurprisingly, two top Liga Academia players to emerge were both Toros property: Jared Serna hit .367 with seven homers and 52 RBIs in 52 games while pitcher Victor Sepulveda went 5-1 over seven starts (saving two more games) with a 2.31 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 39 innings pitched).

Near futures talking with distant futures

What happens now is anyone's guess. Bencomo says sources have told him a formal proposal has been made to former MLB and NPB infielder Edgar Gonzalez, now director of Probeis, asking that the AMLO-created agency take over operation of the academy. In return for expenses related to housing, feeding and developing top young Mexican ballplayers, Probeis would have the authority to sell them to MLB organizations and keep the proceeds. Whether the same conditions preventing LMB teams from selling players with less than one year on a Liga roster would apply to Probeis because they were not a party to the agreement is a legal grey area that would have to be addressed.

Bencomo says another suggestion was that Probeis broker a deal in which MLB itself takes over the El Carmen facility, which includes four baseball fields with adjacent batting cages and practice pitcher's mounds, a 79-room dormitory for players and coaches, a kitchen and dining room, separate housing for umpires (who also train for future LMB work), two meeting rooms, an administrative offices and a guardhouse at the entry.

The LMB is hoping for a response from Probeis by no later than the April 6 Liga regular season opener. A later answer would likely mean a delay in reporting to El Carmen by young players for this year's session.

MLB, UNION TO ALLOW SOME 40-MAN ROSTER PLAYERS IN OLYMPICS

The World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC) has reached an agreement with Major League Baseball and its players union allowing players on MLB 40-man rosters to participate in this summer's Olympic Games in Tokyo. Previously, nobody on a 40-man roster was eligible for Olympic baseball but the new deal allows such players to take part as long as they are not on their big league team's 26-man active roster. The change means up to 420 more players belonging to an MLB organization will be eligible to play in Japan this July and August.

After an absence of twelve years from Olympic competition (South Korea beat out seven other national teams to win the 2008 gold medal in Beijing), baseball is returning as a demonstration sport with six teams competing. Japan is an automatic entrant as host nation

Fukushima's Azuma Stadium

and will be joined by Mexico, South Korea, Israel and two undetermined teams in Yokohama Stadium and Azuma Stadium in Fukushima. 

Mexico will make its first-ever Olympic appearance after qualifying as the highest-finishing Americas team in last winter's Premier12 tournament, South Korea was the highest-placed Asian team not named Japan in the same competition and Israel was the surprise winner of last fall's Africa/Europe qualifying tournament. The final two teams will be determined at an Americas qualifier tourney in Arizona later this month and a Final qualifier in Taiwan in June. Both events will feature teams that didn't make it past either the Premier12 or Africa/Aurope tournaments last year.

Of course, the breakout of the coronavirus has put many public events either on hold, in doubt or on the cancellation list because of public health concerns. Since the virus first appeared in Wuhan, China and has begun to spread across borders, NPB exhibition games in Japan have been held virtually behind closed doors. The New York Times reports the

Mexico celebrates Olympics-clinching win

World Health Organization held a discussion with doctors from various sports federations recently about continuing the policy during the Olympics as a precautionary measure.

If Olympic baseball is played with or without fans, the El Fildeo website claims a preliminary 24-man Mexican team roster has been discovered. Without attributing a source, El Fildeo says the following is the so-called "shortlist" of 24 eligible players targeted to play for the Verdes Grande this summer (with two more players allowed for Tokyo):

PITCHERS (11): Manny Barreda (Tijuana), Brennan Bernardino (Tijuana), Jordan Guerrero (Tijuana), Carlos Hernandez (Tijuana), Kyle Lobstein (Tijuana), Vidal Nuno (Tijuana), Juan Pablo Oramas (Tabasco), Jose Samayoa (Tijuana), Gerardo Sanchez (Tijuana), Teddy Stankiewic (Tijuana), Edgar Torres (Durango).

CATCHERS (2): Xorge Carrillo (Tijuana), Gabriel Gutierrez (Tijuana).

INFIELDERS (6): Japhet Amador (Mexico City), Daniel Castro (Tijuana), Luis Alfonso Cruz (Tijuana), Philip Evans (Pittsburgh), David Jack Mayfield (Houston), Isaac Rodriguez (Tijuana).

OUTFIELDERS (5): Carlos Figueroa (Mexico City), Fabricio Macias (Pittsburgh), Efren Navarro (Tijuana), Juan Perez (Saltillo), Nick Torres (Tijuana).

Nothing against any of the players listed above, who are no doubt good ballplayers and fine fellows one and all, but the presence of nine pitchers and seven position players from Tijuana on this 24-man roster makes it dubious at best.

PROCESO'S PEREYRA TALKS WITH LMB PRESIDENT DE LA VEGA

New LMB leader Horacio de la Vega

One of Mexico's best sportswriters, Beatriz Pereyra of Proceso, recently sat down with new Mexican League president Horacio de la Vega and talked about some of the problems he inherited when he was hired by the LMB last November to replace Javier Salinas.

It's a very long read (the original is posted at www.proceso.com.mx) so BBM is posting excerpts with as little editing as possible, but the issues discussed are vital as the Mexican League approaches its 96th season of operation with a myriad of issues that De La Vega and the Liga's 16 owners will face in 2020:

Horacio de la Vega will begin his tenure as president of the Mexican Baseball League (LMB) with empty coffers, which means that the owners of the 16 clubs will once again have to solve - temporarily at least - the operating expenses while signing trade agreements that allow for the consolidation of finances.

In addition to payroll, the owners of the teams will be responsible again for the payment of baseballs with which the 2020 season will be played, the operating expenses of the Academy of El Carmen, and the air tickets, lodging and travel expenses of the umpires.

In a January interview, De la Vega explains that he had no room to operate because his appointment was at the end of the year (last November 26), when there was no time to manage sponsorships.

“We have guaranteed the operation of the LMB the first three months of the year. We have no risk of stopping but we definitely have to look for trade agreements soon. I trust that we will not stop operating because I have other types of agreements that are not sponsorships to get resources and free the teams from those expenses,” he says. “Javier Salinas did a great job in the commercial end because the LMB for years generated nothing. He started very well, had ups and downs, but failed to make commercial projects that integrated with those of the teams. That did not allow for growth.”

De la Vega says that in the desire for clubs to stop making economic contributions and the LMB to become self-sustaining, former president Salinas took away the commercial assets from the teams and was in charge of selling them to raise that money. This means that, for example, in a baseball stadium there are spaces that can be marketed, such as the mound. Before Salinas was president, each team sold those spaces.

“When you take away the commercial assets, you harm them,” said de la Vega. “On the other hand, if you do not do so, then the LMB does not have to sell and they have to contribute the money to operate the league.

New sponsorship opportunities are sought

“The question is how do we make it so that the clubs do not continue financing the LMB, it is strengthened, collects more money and can be self-sufficient. Right now there are few commercial assets. If the LMB had five spaces per team, the dugout or the mound in the fences, I would have more to sell. Right now I can't do it.”

One of the most urgent issues to address is the famous clause of the agreement for the sale of Mexican baseball players that the MLB office signed in March 2019, with the LMB teams receiving an additional bonus equivalent at 35% of the amount each player will receive. The objective of that percentage was to financially compensate the clubs that invested in the development of the prospects, but Clause III.C contravenes the nature of the agreement and, because of its deceptive wording, refuses to hand over compensation to Mexican teams. The signing of this agreement, among other factors, triggered the departure of Salinas as president.

“I do not rule out making a renegotiation specifically of that clause so as not to have to give away to our players,” states de la Vega. “The agreement is in force for this year and we must comply with it, but I don't see it as a one hundred percent loss. I will travel to New York (headquarters of the MLB office) to make a proposal. The position of club owners is that you have to unlock this,” he says.

Horacio de la Vega details that he wants to improve that agreement because there is a legitimate interest to continue exporting players to the majors. However, that cannot undermine the finances of the teams. He says he intends to reach a broader agreement that allows more regular season games to be held in Mexico and for the fan base to grow.

The president of the LMB was asked whether in this scheme the only winner is the Big Leagues, a business that generates around 10 billion dollars annually, and that has no interest in helping the development of Mexican baseball or in growing the LMB, but it is obvious that there can be no distancing or conflict with such a powerful entity?

"I agree,” de la Vega replied. “The autonomy of the Mexican League must be protected. You're right: Here there are no options of where to sell players, the most viable is the MLB. It is monopolistic. The strategy cannot be such a negotiation. You have to understand that they are a business and have their interests. The LMB wants more Mexicans in the majors.”

It is abusive that there is a clause that goes against the payment of a percentage for the clubs that develop the players. Should we make MLB see what they are doing?

“Totally. You have to face it like this. It is not a subject of interpretation of the clause. The international players' signature is a business for them. Period.

“We cannot fight with a giant of that size. That is why the negotiation will be interesting. We aim to sell, not to give players away. We are in a position of openness and understanding.”

If you fail to cancel that current agreement, and MLB offers to pay less than 35%, as they did at the beginning, would you accept it?

“When you have nothing, to rescue something is a breakthrough. That contract has a direct impact on the teams and that cannot happen again.”

De la Vega seeks more fans in the stands

The most important project that de la Vega says he will promote will be to standardize the production of baseball games, in order to sell them to all those interested in transmitting them, insisting that it is essential to improve the lighting in the stadiums. All parks must have the same light intensity. In addition, he will generate a production notebook that clubs must agree on together, such as how many cameras there should be, where they should be placed and what angles or shots they should cover.

“I am very clear that it is urgent to achieve the standardization of production,” de la Vega insists. “If we don't have a homogeneous product, I can't sell it.”

How can it be achieved if not all teams have money to invest in that facet?

“It is part of my job to see how to get public resources.  Most of the stadiums are owned by state or private governments with local or foreign entities. I have to generate that system.

“I am not convinced to sell it to a single television station. I am skeptical of that. I prefer a model with many outputs for content distribution. You will remember that last year Facebook had a contract (the social network paid 500 thousand dollars and not the 2 million dollars that were announced), made its selection of games and stayed with the best. That type of system must be changed. I don't know, give Facebook one day and that day only they broadcast. ”

Can you confirm that 2020 will see continued transmissions on Facebook?

“The contract is not signed yet, but we are very advanced. This year will be trial and error. There are also Twitter, Twitch and other social networks. We are going to analyze what suits the league in economic terms, scope and penetration.

“We must also insist that people go to the stadiums and have the best experience. We have to turn out children and young people, because we are interested in them being fans of the LMB clubs. We have to provoke that. How do we do it? By massing baseball with the children in the schools. One strategy is the world championships that we will have in Mexico this year, one of them is Baseball 5, and baseball being promoted in schools.”

The president of the league sets out the example of skateboarding as an Olympic sport: “I would never have imagined seeing skateboarding as an official sport in the Olympic Games, but I understand that it is a youth sport, which is very attractive for television coverage and there are a lot of people who consume that product.

“You have to turn into that or you die.”