CRIMINAL COMPLAINT AGAINST LMB PREZ RATIFIED

LMB president Horacio de la Vega

    Puro Beisbol editor Fernando Ballesteros reports that the Mayor's Office in a Mexico City borough has confirmed the filing of a criminal complaint against Mexican League president Horacio de la Vega for his alleged "fraudulent administration" in the Magdalena Mixihuca Sports City of the nation's capital, when he was Director of the Sports Institute during the period between 2013-2018.

    Puro Beisbol obtained the copy of the original document with the complaint filed on July 30 with the Territorial Investigation Prosecutor's Office in Iztacalco against de la Vega and two other former officials, in addition to confirming its ratification on February 10 with new elements contributed by the affected party.

    The complaint was presented by Enrique Escamilla Salinas, Executive Director of Legal Affairs and legal representative of the Iztacalco mayor's office. De la Vega, who assumed the presidency of the LMB on November 26, 2019, has not declared anything about the criminal complaint against him.

    As part of the alleged "fraudulent administration," the current head of the LMB has been accused of awarding all contracts directly in the Sports City with millions of pesos that do not coincide with the works that were carried out. The documents point to one of these direct award contracts dating to 2017 with the minor maintenance of the baseball fields, whose company Pastos y Juegos Deportivos invoiced the amount of 15,037,906 pesos.

    On the other hand, the Mayor of Iztacalco considers the construction of a lake within the Sports City as one of the biggest frauds, which led to the destruction of five soccer fields and four basketball fields. The lake has been inoperative and is considered one of the most "fraudulent" works in Horacio de la Vega's administration at Indeporte.

    Another act that has aggravated Iztacalco authorities who now administer the Ciudad Deportiva is that the Mexico City Diablos Rojos built their new Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú ballpark within the complex but they have yet to pay a single peso since it opened on March 23, 2019. De la Vega awarded the team room for the stadium as administrator of the Sports City, and Ballesteros notes that it was the Red Devils who promoted him for the LMB presidency of the LMB with the support of the Monterrey Sultanes after his term as leader of Indeporte ended in 2018.

    Sources have informed Puro Beisbol that the Diablos have sought to negotiate these irregularities with Iztacalco mayor Armando Quintero Martínez. It's unknown if they have already reached an agreement with the team but in the case of de la Vega, what the Mayor's Office did was ratify the criminal complaint against him. "We are going to go to the end of the day," said an official for Quintero, who will seek re-election for another term as mayor.

SAN LUIS POTOSI TO HOST LMB PRESEASON EVENT

Estadio 20 de Noviembre

    The central Mexico city of San Luis Potosi is returning to the Mexican League (sort of) with a four-week series of weekend exhibition games between late April and mid-May. At this point, five LMB teams have signed on for at least one three-game series to be played at the 6,500-seat Estadio 20 de Noviembre. Organizers are hoping the San Luis Potosi Cup serves as a launching pad for future use of San Luis Potosi as a spring training site.

    The tournament, which will include Mexican League umpires officiating 12 single games, will be held to an as-yet-determined capacity in the stands. Game times will be at 7PM on Fridays, 6PM on Saturdays and 5PM on Sundays. “It is going to be a great, unprecedented event,” said SLP Cup organizing committee director Patricio Perez. “For a month, we want San Luis Potosi to be one of the main focuses of the LMB preseason, with a quality show on and off the field of play.”

    Perez envisions the competition leading to his city becoming a magnet for multiple Liga teams to conduct their training camps and exhibition games: “The idea is ambitious. We want to turn San Luis Potosí into something similar to what Arizona or Florida is for Major League clubs; that is, the base of training camps for clubs that wish to join in the future.”

    San Luis Potosi is a city of more than 2.8 million residents (19th-largest in Mexico) that serves as capital of the similarly-named state north of Mexico City and south Monterrey. The region was once of the country's most prominent mining areas and it remains a leading industry there, although agriculture employs a large percentage of people and the service sector is growing.

    SLP has had five previous runs in the Mexican League. After fielding a team from late 1925 until early 1927 (during which the name Tuneros was first adopted) and again in 1934, when the team finished second, a third version of the Tuneros inaugurated Estadio 20 de Noviembre in 1946 and played there until moving to Mexico City early during the 1952 season. Another Tuneros squad played in the Class A Mexican Center League from 1960 through 1962 and again in 1971 before the LMB returned in 1986 to provide six more seasons in AAA ball (they were known as the Reales in 1991, the final season of SLP's second Liga stint). One more Tuneros squad played between 2004 and 2006 before the Liga and baseball left the city for good.

    Among the more prominent players to represent San Luis Potosi over the years have been Hall of Famer Martin Dihigo, Hector Espino, Leon Durham and Luis Tiant, Sr. Depite the array of talent, the Tuneros turned in just three winning records and one playoff appearance in 15 full LMB seasons .

    After the last incarnation of the Tuneros moved to Chihuahua for the 2007 campaign, conditions at Estadio 20 de Noviembre deteriorated to the point where only occasional concerts were being held there. The ballpark was remodeled in 2018 and hosted a preseason series between Mexico City and Oaxaca one year later. The SLP Cup will open on Friday, April 23 with a game between Monterrey and an undetermined opponent and wrap up Sunday, May 16 when Aguascalientes meets Guadalajara. Durango and Leon are the other teams scheduled to play.

SAN LUIS POTOSI CUP 2021 Schedule
April 23-24-25: Monterrey Sultanes vs. TBD
April 30-May 1-2: Durango Generales vs. Aguascalientes Rieleros
May 7-8-9: Monterrey Sultanes vs. Leon Bravos
May 14-15-16: Aguascalientes Rieleros vs. Guadalajara Mariachis

CASTRO ACCUSES CONADE OF BLOCKING OLYMPIC FUNDS

Olympic team manager Juan Castro

    After defeating the United States along the way and qualifying via the 2019-20 WBSC Premier12 tournament to play in the Olympic Games for the first time, Mexico's national team is standing still and without funding towards the Summer Games scheduled to be held this July and August in Tokyo. In an interview with Mexico City's Proceso, Mexican manager Juan Gabriel Castro and GM Kundy Gutiérrez launched a call for help and publicly denounced that CONADE, led by Ana Guevara, has kept the resources that the federal government had already assigned them.

    Guevara and CONADE (an acronym for National Commission on Physical Culture and Sports) have come under withering criticism in the past several months for their handling of various sports at the national level. According to Proceso writer Beatriz Pereyra, five months prior to the start of the Tokyo Olympic Games, the Mexican Baseball National Team was “ruined” after President Andrés Manuel López Obrador left the project in the hands of Guevara, CONADE's General Director. She has since been accused of corruption, poor monetary practices, involvement with bribes and other irregularities during her first year in that office in a recently released162-page audit.

    In Mexico's first Olympic baseball commitment in history, the national representative must arrive in the capital of Japan no later than the end of June to comply with the 14 days of isolation required by the protocol for the covid-19 pandemic, allowing the players and coaches to get used to the time change and play a series of preliminary games. Pereyra says that means the baseball team has only four months to be ready, but so far there isn't even a working shortlist of an itinerary.

    In an interview with Proceso, Castro and Gutiérrez called for assistance so CONADE will begin to disperse the budget assigned by the federal government and they can start hiring and working with a team of scouts, statistical analysts, physical therapists, nutritionists, specialists in doping and psychology.

CONADE director Ana Guevara

    “We wanted to keep quiet because we were waiting for what was going to happen,” said Castro. “We can no longer be silent and we have to be honest with people. I don't want to lie. The project had already been in place for a year, the Olympic Games were postponed and everything stopped. Last October, they told us that we were going to start and four months have passed and everything is still stopped.”

    Gutierrez adds that the allocated money amounts to 28 million peso to be used to form a pre-selection of 150 players which will be refined until there are 28 players: 24 for the active roster and four reserve players. Then there the services of the coaching body and the salaries of the aforementioned personnel, as well as the costs of accommodation, food, logistics in Japan and requirements related to the Wuhan virus. From Gutierrez' point of view, it is urgent to be certain when the resources will begin to flow, since the people they have contacted to work with the Verdes Grande are already being hired by other teams.

    Six nations are slated to compete in Olympic baseball this summer. In addition to Mexico, host Japan, South Korea and Israel occupy four of the berths, while two more qualifying tournaments are due to determine occupants of the final two slots.

GUASAVE ALGODONEROS TO PLAY IN SPAIN TOURNEY

    The Guasave Algodoneros are planning to make a trip across the Atlantic Ocean this fall to play in a tournament involving European teams and perhaps an Asian squad as well. The Cottoneers announced last week that they'll be taking part in the Barcelona Baseball Cup between September 26 and October 3, thus making them the first professional team from Mexico to play on the European continent.

    Taking part in the virtual press conference were three event organizers (Catalan Federation of Baseball and Softball president Jordi Valles Mestres, Barcelona Baseball Cup CEO Rafaael Llames Cabrera and Base Internacional SA managing director Miguel Pazcabrales) along with Guasave general director Luis Fernando Garcia and team sports manager Alejandro Ahumada. According to a press release from the Algodoneros, Valles explained that the inclusion of a Mexican team in the tournament will cause a huge impact, since there is “a large Latino population that likes baseball.”

    The Barcelona Baseball Cup will be played in two venues: The first is Estadio Carlos Perez de Rozas (home of the Division of Honor's BC Barcelona), while other games will take place at the C.B. Viladecans' ballpark, which was used for baseball during the 1992 Summer Olympics. Training will take place in Sant Boi, site of another Spanish League team.

    Besides the Algodoneros, teams from Italy, The Netherlands and host Spain will take part in the tournament, while efforts are being made to include at least one team from Asia. Depending on which (if any) team comes over from Asia, Guasave may be the tournament favorite going in due to both Mexico's fifth-ranked status in the latest World Baseball Softball Confederation ratings as well as the comparatively higher level of play in the Mexican Pacific League.

    The Netherlands (#9) and Italy (#17) are long established as Europe's premier baseball-playing nations (although the #16 Czech Republic has passed Italy in the rankings) and both have played in multiple World Baseball Classics, but neither the Dutch Major League nor Italian Serie A1 are regarded as competitive as the LMP. Spain (#20) is among the second tier of European baseball countries along with Germany (#19), France (#25) and Belgium (#26). The Division of Honor is one of the top leagues in Europe but professional players are in the minority and the only advantage any chosen host team will have in the Barcelona Baseball Cup is home-field advantage.

BORDER BOUNCE: GARCIA OUT IN MEXICALI, ROMERO FIRED IN TJ

Luis Alfonso Garcia at work in Mexicali

    For years, Baseball Mexico has chronicled the so-called “Mexican managerial merry-go-round,” in which field managers are hired, fired and recycled at a rate unseen in professional baseball north of the border. Case in point: The Quintana Roo Tigres last week parted ways with helmsman Adan Munoz and replaced him with another ex-catcher, Hector Paez. Munoz was hired to replace Jesus Sommers as skipper of the Cancun team on May 9, 2019 and led the Tigres to a 62-57 regular season record and a playoff berth. Paez had served as Munoz' bench coach.

    While the revolving door may not spin quite as fast in the front offices, being a general manager of a Mexican baseball franchise is still not the most stable way to warn a living. Two of the most difficult teams to work sit less that 100 miles from each other on the border with the United States in Baja California Norte and both are seeking to replace their respective GMs after departures of two respected former players last week.

    Luis Alfonso Garcia's “separation from the position of Sports Manager” was announced by the Mexicali Aguilas of the Mexican Pacific League. Garcia took over as GM in Mexicali in February 2019 and while the team did reach the playoffs each of the past two seasons, the Aguilas failed to make it past the first round both times and that was enough for owner Dio Alberto Murillo to make a change.

    Garcia, a 42-year-old Guadalajara native who spent a couple seasons as a first baseman in Japan during a 21-year career that saw him belt a combined 395 homers on both sides of the Pacific, released a statement thanking the Aguilas “for the opportunity they gave me to perform this role. It was a great experience where I was able to develop in a different and new facet for me, applying my knowledge within baseball.”

    In a press release, the team said they “appreciate the dedication and professionalism shown by Luis Alfonso García during the time he was in charge of this important position, wishing much success in his professional career and personal projects.” The Aguilas earlier announced that field manager Bronswell Patrick will be back for the 2021-22 season, or at least the start of it.

Ex-Toros' sports manager Oscar Romero

    Meanwhile, the Mexican League's Tijuana Toros announced last week “that as of this date, Óscar Romero will leave the position of sports manager in the organization,” adding that the move “is generated by mutual agreement.” Romero was hired by the Toros in September 2016, shortly after their loss to Puebla in the Serie del Rey championships, 4 games to 2. Replacing former MLB pitcher Jorge Campillo, Romero served as Tijuana's sports manager for the next four-plus years, during which the team has had a quartet of managers (Pedro Mere, Lino Rivera, Oscar Robles and now Omar Vizquel) while winning the 2017 LMB pennant under Mere.

    However, in the “What-have-you-done-for-me-lately?” environment under the Uribe family (who are every bit as expectant of titles as Murillo in Mexicali), the Toros have since failed to reach the Serie del Rey in either of two truncated 2018 seasons or in 2019, which could not have made the job easier for Romero, who spent 13 years in the Liga as an infielder for eight teams before retiring as a player in 2003. His son, Oscar Junior, is a 19-year-old third baseman in the Toros organization who led the National League of Prospects (LNP) in 2019 with a .434 batting average.

    The team released a standard statement about Romero similar to the one above regarding Garcia: “The board of the Club de Beisbol Toros de Tijuana appreciates the effort, work and professionalism of Óscar Romero Tirado throughout more than four years and wishes him the best of success in future projects.”

    Before he left, Romero did sign outfielder Johnny Davis as an import player for 2021. The 30-year-old speedster from California spent six years in the Brewers system before coming to the Mexican League for the Fall 2018 schedule. In two seasons, the Compton Comet hit over .300 and led the LMB in stolen bases both campaigns before he was signed by Tampa Bay and made his MLB debut later that year.

    It's not known what effect the ouster will have on current manager Vizquel, a Hall of Fame candidate who Romero brought in prior to the abandoned 2020 season but has since been charged with domestic violence by his second wife, which led to a drop in votes among baseball writers for enshrinement in Cooperstown this winter.

BEISBOL PURO INTERVIEWS MARIACHIS' TEAM PRESIDENT

Mariachis team president Rafael Tejeda

    They have a shortlist of possible managers but have never included names such as Benjamin Gil or Sergio Gastélum; Adrián “El Titán” González is someone they'd like to add as a player; they're looking for stellar players who enhance the arrival of the franchise to the Mexican League...these are some of the plans of the Mariachis de Guadalajara.

    In a telephone conversation with Beisbol Puro editor Roberto Espinosa, Mariachis president Rafael “Fayo” Tejeda points out that the management is on the right track to make the Pan American Stadium (aka Estadio Charros) their home, and reveals that the Mariachis already have a roster of more than 30 players. On the other hand, Tejeda says that neither he nor his partner Carlos "Calo" Valenzuela had in mind to have a baseball franchise in the summer, but was something that the LMB office offered them and that they did not hesitate to to accept.

    Here is Beisbol Puro's translated interview with Tejada:

Why has so little officially been known about the Mariachis?

    “It's that just last month we participated in the Assembly of Presidents with owners of the Mexican League. There we were officially accepted and from then on, we are already an expansion franchise in the league.

    “We have not done many official things for the same reason. We are very respectful of the times and had not wanted to give so many statements until we were authorized. It was one thing that the president of the republic (who loves baseball) had announced us, and another that the LMB would authorize us to enter, and that just happened last week in the Assembly.”

Pablo Lemus, mayor of Zapopan, where the Pan American Baseball Stadium is located, declared in early December that the Guadalajara Mariachis should look for a stadium to play in Guadalajara and made it clear that the Mariachis would not be able to play there in the summer. what do you think of that?

    “We are in a process so the Mariachis have everything legal so that we can use the Pan American Stadium. That is an issue that our legal team is already addressing...we are young businessmen who somehow did not know the whole process to be able to use the stadium, so we have already been talking with them and everything is on the right track. We are trying to do everything necessary to legally comply and be able to use the stadium.”

    How ambitious is the Mariachis project?

    “We have an important project not only for the city, but for the entire metropolitan area of Guadalajara, and this project will benefit the entire state because there will be jobs and everything that generates a show.

    “We come from an atypical year like 2020, and for young entrepreneurs to come to invest in this beautiful sport, I think it should be valued, and the government people have already told us that we have all their support, and they only asked us to do what pertinent on the legal issue so that everything works. We have really received a very kind treatment from all of them, always looking for a way to make everything possible.”

What can your fans expect?

    “We want Guadalajara to continue with the quality it deserves in all aspects, so we seek to have an office, a technical body and a team that is in accordance with what the city deserves.

    “We seek to have an experienced team, although we will also give young people the opportunity, but we want people who come to capitalize, to give us quality and experience.

    “We are thinking that any type of name can come to the Mariachis. We want great players, whatever their names are. We have foreign players on the table who have played in the Major Leagues and who want to play in the summer in Mexico, which we can probably hire. We are looking for a 'Ronaldinho' of baseball ”.

    Adrián 'El Titán' González has been mentioned as a probable contract to play with Mariachis. How likely can it be that this is achieved, especially considering that the Veracruz Aguilas have announced him as a partner?

    “What I can tell you is that in the part that we learned about, Adrián was not coming with Veracruz as a partner. We would all love to have a figure with the stature of Adrián. I looked for Adrián to tell him that we have not announced anything about him and that we were not misusing his image. He told me that the only thing he could tell me was that he had prepared to play the 2020 Olympic Games but now with this issue of the pandemic, he no longer knows what is going to happen.”

We learned that you already have people working in the front office like Francisco Minjárez and Luis Alonso Mendoza...

    “Yes, in the office the sports director is Francisco Minjárez and we have Luis Alonso Mendoza as sports manager, who is already retiring as a player and is now undertaking a new role with us. It was not easy to offer him the position and ask him to retire, but he discussed it with his family and decided that it was a good option to stop playing and start another facet.

    “As a hitting coach we will have Wilie Romero, who is a very well-known person in Mexican baseball. For now, they are the people we have defined.”

What about the manager? Much has been said about Benjamín Gil and Sergio Omar Gastélum as options to direct the Mariachis...

    “We haven't talked to Benji Gil at all. Sergio is not an option. He has to digest this moment first (his departure from Diablos Rojos del México), and later he will be able to see his work options, but with us for now he is not contemplated.

    "At the table we have Mexican and foreign managers, but neither Benji nor Sergio Omar is there."

Do you already have players contemplated for your roster?

    “We already have a base of more or less 30 players, but it will be announced when the moment is right.”

Has it been difficult to negotiate to get players from the other teams?

    “No, I would say that it is something normal in the market of purchases, sale and trades. It was just knocking on the doors of the other teams and talking to them. The owners have been very accessible and inclusive.”

By the way, how did the idea of having a baseball franchise in the LMB come up?

    “We did not seek the franchise, we did not see this panorama. This opportunity opened up for us and we did not think twice about it, but this was in early December when we knew we were going to enter it.

    “Neither I nor my partner (Carlos Valenzuela) had asked for a summer baseball franchise but when the opportunity arose, we entered it for the taste of baseball. The Liga looked for us. They told us that Guadalajara could not stay without summer baseball and, knowing that we are baseball people, they offered it to us and we joined them.”

LIGA RATIFIES 66-GAME SEASON, PLAYOFFS FOR 2021

    The Mexican League recently held an Assembly of Presidents meeting during which a shortened 66-game season schedule was ratified while two new franchises were accepted as the LMB's first expansion teams in 30 years. There are now 18 teams in two divisions.

    Regular season hostilities in the Liga will commence Thursday, May 20 when the Monterrey Sultanes travel to Monclova for a game against the defending champion Acereros, who won their first pennant in 2019. A full slate of nine games is scheduled one night later. The regular season will be played through Thursday, August 5, followed by a 12-team postseason with berths determined by won-lost percentages. There will be four stages of playoffs (all best-of-seven series), with the Serie del Rey to run Monday, September 6 through Tuesday, September 14 if needed.

    There will be no All-Star Game this season. Teams will be allowed to carry seven foreigners on their respective active rosters in 2021 with another three on the Reserve List (which will be expanded from 38 to 60 per team to allow enough depth to avoid game cancellations due to the Wuhan virus. Talks are continuing with Major League Baseball regarding the transfer of player contracts. The current agreement expires in March.

    One of the expansion clubs, the Guadalajara Mariachis, will join the North Division while the Veracruz Aguilas will serve as the LMB South's ninth team. The Assembly of Presidents approved both franchises even though neither has paid their respective entry fees. Veracruz has named a player from their 2012 championship team, Leo Rodriguez III, as manager. The grandson of Salon de la Fama member Leo Rodriguez Senior, the younger Rodriguez spent 15 years (seven in Veracruz) in the LMB as a catcher before retiring after the 2017 season. This will be his first season as a dugout boss. Guadalajara reportedly settled upon their first manager as well, but has not yet released his name due to a confidentiality agreement.

Homar Rojas to manage in Monterrey

    Monterrey will also open the season with a new manager, as former Yankees outfielder Roberto Kelly (who led the Sultanes to the Fall 2018 title and was named Manager of the Year) has decided to sit 2021 out, giving concerns over the pandemic and a desire to work with one of his sons, reportedly a prospect for the upcoming June draft.

    Kelly's bench coach, Homar Rojas, will take the reins of the ten-time champions. Rojas debuted as an 18-year-old catcher for the Sultanes in 1982 to begin a 23-year playing career. The Nuevo Leon native previously managed five LMB teams over 13 years and has been Manager of the Year twice. He's also won two Mexican Pacific League pennants and led Monterrey to a 22-39 record in 2019-20, their first season of winterball in the Mex Pac.

CHARROS ACCUSE QUIRARTE OF MISHANDLING 25 MILLION PESOS

Salvador Quirarte during 2017 WBC

    The divorce between the Mexican Pacific League's Jalisco Charros and former team president Salvador Quirarte has been anything but amicable, but now things are getting ugly, with accusations flying from both sides in dueling press conferences in a dispute that seems destined to end up in a courtroom.

    Quirarte lost his position as president of the Guadalajara-based team in a front office power struggle last November. At the time, Jose Carlos Campos of El Rincon Beisbolbero (and a former LMP media relations director) said Quirarte's dismissal centered on questions of his handling of a pro basketball team he also operates, but statements from both the Charros and Quirarte are exposing a deeper rift that includes alleged financial irregularities involving 25 million pesos (or about US$1.25 million).

    Last week, a group of lawyers representing the Charros board of directors accused Quirarte of making 43 money transfers totaling six million pesos in loans between 2017 and 2020 to a company owned by relatives, Empresa Mexicana de Tabasco, adding that 3.4 million pesos have not been repaid. Another company owned by Quirarte's relatives, Controladora de Kioscos, was paid 3.2 million pesos for market analysis while another 12 million pesos' worth of Charros merchandise was reportedly given to the latter company without record of payment. Another 3.2 million pesos is said to have been transferred to the Jalisco Astros pro basketball team Quirarte managers without board approval.

    Quirarte is also accused of “abusing the trust” of his partners by assigning himself a monthly salary of 100,000 pesos while using a corporate credit for for 5.3 million pesos' worth of personal expenses between 2018 and 2020. The attorneys also claimed Quirarte acted in de facto fashion as the team's sole general administrator despite the presence of partner Armando Navarro, who became a shareholder in exchange for contributing the “Charros” name of the brand (which he owned the rights to when the franchise moved from Guasave to Guadalajara in 2014).

    Unsurprisingly, Quirarte has responded in kind during his own press conferences, saying that accusations against him are “futile” and must be proven before a judge. He accuses Navarro of not having contributed the “Jalisco Charros” trademark and thus is “not even a partner,” and that the origin of the conflict is that Navarro wants more than the 11 percent ownership he was granted in exchange for the team's name. Quirarte added that it is Navarro, not him, who is responsible for any financial mismanagement of the team: “I did not sign the checks. That responsibility was held by Armando Navarro.”

Armando Navarro in his Jalisco office

    In relation to allegations against him, Quirarte said that Navarro gave approval to all transactions on the corporate credit card, that board members' travel and food expenses to the same events Quirarte attended were similarly charged to the card and that all partners are in debt to the team for a combined 30 million pesos (but only Quirarte's debt was publicly disclosed). Quirarte stated that since the team is owned privately and not by the government, it is not a crime to do business with family members, adding that all partners have done the same (with members of Navarro's family on the team payroll). And on it goes.

    The dispute casts a long shadow over what has been one of the great success stories of Mexican baseball. Together or separately, Quirarte and Navarro helped move a moribund Guasave team to Guadalajara, where baseball had failed in prior attempts, and then built one of the strongest franchises in the country. After purchasing and renovating the stadium used for baseball and track & field during the 2011 Pan American Game, the Charros have since hosted the Caribbean Series as well as group stage games for both the World Baseball Classic and Premier12 tournaments while being among the LMP's annual attendance leaders while averaging crowds of 10,000-plus per game.

PUELLO: POLITICAL SOLUTIONS NEEDED FOR CUBA RETURN TO CS

CBPC commissioner Juan Francisco Puello

    After a six-year run as a conditional participant in the Caribbean Series following their 2014 return, Cuba has missed the past two tournaments. The leader of the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation is now saying that absence may extend further if the island nation fails to “solve its political affairs.”

    CBPC commissioner Juan Francisco Puello spoke with ESPN Deportes as the Serie del Caribe in Mazatlan drew to a close earlier this month and addressed conditions in Cuba, one of the original four participating nations when the CS began in 1949 before withdrawing after the 1960 event, precipitating a nine-year hiatus before it was resumed in 1970. “The thing about Cuba is a matter that has to do with politics,” Puello said. “When that country solves its political affairs, then we will see Cuba again. In the meantime the issue will stay quiet.”

    Later in the same interview, Puello opined, “The thing about Cuba is something different. It is a subject which I don't touch on anymore because it is an uncomfortable subject. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't like politics or politicians. I'm about sports.”

    Puello did not address any specific solutions that would bring Cuba back to an event it has won eight times, seven before late dictator Fidel Castro (a noted baseball fan) pulled the country out of the tournament in 1960 after winning it for the fifth consecutive year. When the Caribbean Series returned in 1970, both Cuba and Panama had been replaced by the Dominican Republic and Mexico, who joined holdovers Venezuela and Puerto Rico in the four-team field until Cuba was added back in 2014, winning the event one year later.

    Times have changed since then, when Puello visited Havana in 2015 and speculated that the tournament might return in 2020 to Havana (where it was played three times during the 1950's). Things turned sour last winter when Cuba pulled out of the Caribbean Series in San Juan, Puerto Rico on short notice, attributing visa difficulties for its players and coaching staff. A year after Panama was recruited to host on an emergency basis when problems in Venezuela prevented that nation from serving as the event's site, Colombia was brought in to fill out the six-team field. As with Cuba, both Panama (another original member of 1949) and Colombia have played in the Series on a conditional basis. In the aftermath of the 2020 Caribbean Series, Puello announced Cuba's suspension for this year.

Cuba celebrating 2015 CS title

    Reactions to Puello's statements were not long in coming. The Cuban Baseball Federation released a statement that, “We absolutely reject recent statements by Juan Francisco Puello. No political problem affects the development of Cuban baseball or attendance at the Caribbean Series.” An initial tweet from the federation reads, “It was the CBPC that unjustifiable excluded the country from that fight.” A second tweet came minutes later: “Juan Francisco Puello has exceeded his authority on political issues in Cuba. We will denounce his words and actions before the WBSC (World Baseball Softball Confederation) and the member leagues of the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation.”

    The president of the Cuban Olympic Committee also chimed in. The Qba Deportes website reports that Riberto Leon Richards Aguilar tweeted, “The Cuban Olympic Committee considers it intolerable that the president of the CBPC, Juan Francisco Puello, accuses Cuba of political problems that prevent its presence in the Caribbean Series of baseball.”

    Puello's positions concerning baseball and politics have been a mixed bag. Cuba's communist government headed by Raul Castro since succeeding his brother Fidel in 2011 was in place when the Dominican CBPC commissioner visited Havana in 2015 and has not changed the past six years. Nicaragua, a communist nation under Daniel Ortega whose national league has lobbied for years to take part in the Caribbean Series, was passed over again this winter despite playing a full season with playoffs while Panama was able to send an all-star team without a single game taking place. Meanwhile, Venezuela (a nation roiling in social and economic turmoil for years under Nicolas Maduro) has never had its full CS membership questioned.

DOMINICANS COP CS CROWN, MEXICO REACHES SEMIS

Mexicans celebrate win over Venezuela

    The Dominican Republic scored twice in the bottom of the sixth inning against Puerto Rico and went on to post a 4-1 win in last Saturday's championship game of the 2021 Caribbean Series at Mazatlan. The Dominicans (represented by LiDom champion Cibaenas Aguilas) won all seven games they played to win their second consecutive Serie del Caribe and 21st title in 63 tournaments since it debuted in 1949.

    Hector Hernandez of Puerto Rico and Dominican opener Cesar Valdez, the 2019 Mexican League Pitcher of the Year, carried a scoreless tie through four innings until the Puerto Ricans plated the first run in the top of the fifth when Juan Centeno scored from second on Jarren Duran's single. The Dominicans tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on Johan Tamargo's home run to left off Hernandez, then took the lead for good one inning later when Juan Lagares drove in Ramon Torres from first with a double before scoring himself on Ronald Guzman's single to right. Guzman added an insurance homer in the eighth off reliever Fernando Cruz and it was left to 315-pound closer Jumbo Diaz to close out the tournament and winterball season with a 1-2-3 ninth.

    Mexico, represented by Mexican Pacific League champion Culiacan and a large contingent of reinforcement players, rebounded from a 1-2 first round start to win their final two games in the opening stage to reach the semifinals. Jesus Fabela led batters in the first stage with a .364 average over four games, followed by both Jose Cardona and Julian Leon at .333 in four games. Leon swatted a grand slam against Panama to match Jesse Castillo (whose three-run bomb capped a 10-2 opening night win over Colombia) in homers. Leon and Castillo each had a team-high five RBIs over the first five games.

    Pitchers Anthony Vasquez and Manny Barreda, who pitched for Culiacan during the regular season and playoffs, turned in the best starts over Mexico's three win. Vasquez allowed one earned run over seven innings in Wednesday's important 6-3 win against Panama and Barreda likewise let in one earned tally in six frames, striking out five during Mexico's win over Colombia on January 31. Hector Velazquez pitched credibly one night later (one earned run in 4.2 entradas) against the Dominican Republic but took the 4-2 loss as all three hurlers turned in sub-2.00 ERA for manager Benji Gil's squad.

    During the tournament, the host Mexicans offered help to Panama's handpicked all-star team of domestic and foreign talent when the latter found themselves down two pitchers who were sidelined by positive tests for the Wuhan virus. Veteran hurlers Jose Samayoa and Walter Silva were loaned to the Panamanians with one caveat: Neither could pitch against Mexico in Wednesday's game between the two nations.

    That condition was eventually relaxed and the 44-year-old Silva came out from the bullpen against his countrymen, giving up Leon's fourth-inning grand slam that put Mexico ahead in Panama's 6-3 loss Wednesday. He then tossed three innings of relief in Friday's semifinal game against the Dominican Republic, doing well until he allowed Carlos Paulino's two-run walkoff single with two out in the ninth to give the Dominicans a 3-2 victory, sending them to Saturday's title game. Samayoa did not pitch for his adoptive team.

    Slugger Jesse Castillo was the only member of the Mexican team to be named to the Caribbean Series All-Star Team for 2021. The 37-year-old Castillo, who hit .293 with a homer and five RBIs to tie Julian Leon for the team leadership in the latter two categories, was selected by media as the designated hitter. 

    The All-Star Team was dominated by the Dominican Republic, who took up six of the eleven player slots while Felix Fermin was chosen as manager. Two Dominicans, second baseman Robinson Cano and outfielder Melky Cabrera, are past Major League all-stars with 31 years of MLB experience between them while Puerto Rican catcher Yadier Molina has been a nine-time all-star during his 17 big league seasons with St. Louis. Another Dominican, outfielder Juan Lagares, was named the CS Most Valuable Player after batting .316 with two homers and eight RBIs.

    Organizers held their collective breaths regarding attendance, with the pandemic still gripping all participating countries and the host Mazatlan Venados only allowed to fill 45 percent of Estadio Teodoro Mariscal's 16,000 seats for social distancing purposes, reducing capacity to 7,000 per game. Given the conditions, turnout was probably better than some observers expected, as 54,854 fans attended 17 games over the seven-day event, an average of 3,227 per game. A total of 40,465 fans attended 14 first round games between Sunday and Thursday (attendance at Wednesday's tripleheader opener between Venezuela and the Dominican Republic was not available) for an average of 2,840 per opening. Another 10,385 clicked the turnstiles for Friday's semifinal twinbill and Saturday's final between the Dominicans and Puerto Rico brought in another 4,003 aficionados.

Mexico's 2021 Caribbean Series team

    As expected, host Mexico's games (all nightcaps) drew the biggest crowds, as 32,714 attended five first round games plus one Final Four contest involving Mexico for an average of 5,452. The semi contest against Puerto Rico drew 6,509 fans, the most for a single game while attendance at two of the available morning tripleheader openers was 400 and 403. Crowds grew as the days went on during the opening round: Four recorded morning games averaged 555 spectators, followed by 2,407 at five afternoon games and 5,241 for a quintet of evening games.

    Finally, the Dominican Republic has been awarded the 2022 Caribbean Series. The last time the Dominicans hosted the Serie del Caribe was in 2016, when Mexico's Mazatlan Venados won the seven-day tournament held at Santo Domingo's Estadio Quisiqueya. Dominican League president Vitelio Mejia Ortiz said, “It will be a pleasure to host all of you and we assure you of our best effort so that the Caribbean Series event maintains all its splendor in our hands. We hope that with God's grace we will have a less complicated scenario in relation to the limitations of Covid-19.”

    Venezuela is scheduled to host the 2023 Serie del Caribe, Puerto Rico will be the site of the 2024 event and the Caribbean Series will return to Mexico in 2025.

CARIBBEAN SERIES GAME RESULTS AND HIGHLIGHTS
DAY 1: Sunday, 31 January 2021 (First Round)
Panama 6, Venezuela 3 (Mayckol Guaipe allowed 3 runs in 6th to take loss in relief)
Dominican Republic 5, Puerto Rico 1 (Juan Lageres' 3-run HR, 2-run single led Dominicans)
MEXICO 10, Colombia 2 (Jesse Castillo 3-run homer capped dominant Mexico win)
DAY 2: Monday, 1 February 2021 (First Round)
Panama 9, Colombia 5 (Jordan Diaz went 3-4 with 2B and 2 RBIs in loss for Colombia)
Puerto Rico 3, Venezuela 0 (Hector Hernandez and four relievers combined on 2-hitter)
Dominican Republic 4, MEXICO 2 (DR's Juan Lagares hit second HR in two games)
DAY 3: Tuesday, 2 February 2021 (First Round)
Venezuela 1, Colombia 0 (Herlis Rodriguez' game-winning RBI 2B was Venezuelans' lone hit)
Dominican Republic 11, Panama 6 (Melky Cabrera hit 1B and 2B for 3 RBIs for Dominicans)
Puerto Rico 6, MEXICO 4 (Puerto Rico's Edwin Diaz socked 2-run HR, scored 3 runs)
DAY 4: Wednesday, 3 February 2021 (First Round)
Dominican Republic 2, Venezuela 0 (Robel Garcia's 2-run 1B in B7 broke scoreless tie)
Puerto Rico 2, Colombia 1 (Bases-loaded walk in B9 scored Johneswhy Fargas with winner)
MEXICO 6, Panama 3 (Julian Leon's grand slam in T4 put Mexicans ahead for good)
DAY 5: Thursday, 4 February 2021 (First Round)
Puerto Rico 9, Panama 8 (Jarren Duran hit solo HR, 2B, scored 3 runs for Puerto Ricans)
Dominican Republic 3, Colombia 2 (Rangel Ravelo's walkoff 1B plated Ramon Torres)
MEXICO 4, Venezuela 3 [10] (Juan Carlos Gamboa's bases-loaded 1B gave Mexico victory)

FIRST ROUND STANDINGS
Dominican Republic 5-0, Puerto Rico 4-1, MEXICO 3-2, Panama 2-3, Colombia 0-6

DAY 6: Friday, 5 February 2021 (Semifinals)
Dominican Republic 3, Panama 2 (Carlos Paulino hit 2-out, walkoff 2-run single in B10)
Puerto Rico 2, MEXICO 1 (Rey Fuentes' 2-run HR in B4 held up to give PR finals berth)

DAY 7: Saturday, 6 February 2021 (Championship Game)
Dominican Republic 4, Puerto Rico 1 (Juan Legares 2B drove in game-winner in B6)

2021 CARIBBEAN SERIES ALL-STAR TEAM
C-Yadier Molina (PR), 1B-Ronald Guzman (DR), 2B-Robinson Cano (DR), 3B-Jordan Diaz (COL), SS-Jonathan Arauz (PAN), OF-Juan Lagares (DR), Melky Cabrera (DR) and Jarren Duran (PR), DH-Jesse Castillo (MX), SP-Carlos Martinez (DR), RP-Jumbo Diaz (DR), MGR-Felix Fermin (DR).

OJEDA BACK FOR THIRD STINT AS DIABLOS MANAGER

Miguel Ojeda: Back in the saddle again

    The Mexico City Diablos Rojos have officially announced the return of Miguel Ojeda as their manager for the 2021 season. This will be the former MLB catcher's third stint as the Red Devils' helmsman. Ojeda will replace Sergio Gastelum, who was dismissed last month after never managing a Mexican League game for the 16-time champions.

    In a virtual press conference held at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu, team executive president Dr. Othón Díaz expressed confidence in the new appointment: “He has the instinctive values and principles of the Red Devils organization,” said Diaz. He also has the experience and knowledge to show the face of the 2014 champion team. For all that, we see him as a natural option.”

    Ojeda carries a 258-184 record from his two previous terms as Mexico City's manager, including their most recent LMB title in 2014, into his third time around. “Being on the field and sharing with the players the joys that Diablos Rojos del México offers is a facet that I missed a lot,” he said during he press conference. “I'm anxious for the season to start at once.” His last time managing the team was in 2017, a year before becoming a part-owner and front office executive in Durango before rejoining the Diablos as a vice president.

Adrian Gonzalez and Ojeda at past WBC

    As a player, Ojeda played for the Diablos Rojos during the 1990's, belting four homers in one game at the old Parque Social Seguro as well as playing all nine positions in another game at Foro Sol. He became the first player from his native Guaymas to reach the Major Leagues with the San Diego Padres, also catching for Seattle, Colorado and Texas in addition to suiting up for the Mexican National Team. He hit .224 in 212 MLB games over four seasons, contributing 15 homers and 72 RBIs in 553 plate appearances, and played for Mexico in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics.

    In addition to Ojeda's appointment of the new helmsman, Jorge del Valle was named Sports Manager of the Diablos, replacing the departed Francisco Minjarez (who has joined the new Guadalajara Mariachis in a similar capacity). Del Valle has held the position of Director of Harp's baseball academy in Oaxaca since 2017. Del Valle was also in charge of two champions in the disbanded Mexican Winter League (LIM) and two more titles in the Class A Northern Mexico League with the Ensenada Marineros. He was also in charge of the entire Diablos Rojos scouting team, many of whom were let go during a front office purge earlier this winter.

    “I know that I'm at home and I will take care of it as such,” said Del Valle. “I'm very grateful for the opportunity that the Harp family gives me and we are going to work hand in hand with Miguel Ojeda to bring the championship home.”

SULTANES SEND FELIX PEREZ TO JALISCO IN SIX-PLAYER DEAL

Felix Perez as an NPB player

    There's an adage in sports, at least among some of the more proactive teams, that “next season begins the day after this season ends." That certainly seems to apply to a pair of Mexican Pacific League teams who didn't wait until the conclusion of the Caribbean Series in Mazatlan to swing a blockbuster six-player trade in which two outfielders (one a former NPB performer out of Cuba) and a veteran pitcher were swapped for a trio of similar players.

    Monterrey Sultanes sports manager Jesus Valdez Jr. sent recalcitrant outfielder/first baseman Felix Perez, speedy outfielder Jose Juan Aguilar and longtime reliever Fredy Quintero to Jalisco for outfielders Carlos Figueroa and Henry Urrutia plus reliever Linder Castro in a deal announced by Charros GM Rey Padilla and managing partner Armando Navarro, who is embroiled in a battle with former team president Salvador Quirarte that will likely end up in the courts (more on that next week).

    A 36-year-old Cuban, Perez played three winters for his hometown Isla de Juventud Toronjeros between 2005 and 2008 before defecting and eventually signing with Cincinnati. He spent five years in the Reds system, including three at AAA Louisville, and later played with Monterrey and Aguascalientes in the Mexican League and in NPB with the Rakuten Eagles. Perez has also played winterball in Venezuela and Mexico and was Monterrey's top hitter (.270) during the Sultanes' first season in the Mexican Pacific League. 

    However, the 6'2” lefty swinger failed to come to terms with Monterrey this winter and threatened to go home to play for Isla de Juventud. Instead, the Sultanes loaned him to Obregon and later Mexicali, for whom he hit a combined .219 with 12 homers over 41 games. He'll likely play first base next winter for Jalisco.

    Also moving to Guadalajara is Aguilar, who hit .322 and scored 26 runs in 35 games for the Sultanes this winter, his eighth in the LMP. Career-wise, the 30-year-old has hit .297 over 368 games in the Mex Pac. A member of Mexico's Premier12 team last winter, Aguilar has spent ten years with Reynosa and Yucatan in the Mexican League, where he's hit .307 in 803 games. Aguilar is a leadoff type batter who can get on base, steal a base, is more likely to hit a double than a homer and can also play all three outfield positions.

    Quintero will likely fill a middleman role for Jalisco manager Roberto Vizcarra. He made 29 appearances from the bullpen for the Sultanes and went 3-1 with a 5.61 ERA. After spending two years in the Dodgers organization, the 33-year-old Los Mochis product made his Mexican League debut with Aguascalientes in 2012 and has pitched south of the border ever since. Quintero has worked mostly out of the bullpen in both the LMB and LMP with negligible results: He's a career 26-37 with a 5.95 ERA in the Liga while going 7-10 and 5.21 in the MexPac. He has a 93 MPH fastball, but throwing it for strikes is a sometime thing.

Carlos Figueroa traded to Jalisco

    In return, the Sultanes picked up Figueroa, a 5'8” centerfielder who's one of the fastest players in Mexico. A 28-year-old from Hermosillo, Figueroa offers no power (he has yet to homer in seven LMP seasons) but, like Aguilar, he's a top-of-the-order hitter who can get on base, drive pitchers batty and score runs for his team. He hit .316 with Monterrey this winter and led the Mex Pac with 72 hits and 43 runs scored over 57 games. Figueroa has done even better in the summer, batting .320 over all or parts of eight seasons in Mexico City and topping 20 steals five times. Figueroa started as a middle infield but strictly plays centerfield now.

    Urrutia will give Monterrey manager Gerardo Alvarez a steady bat with extra-base power and the ability to play first base as well as both corner outfield positions. A Cuban who spent time in MLB with Baltimore in 2013 and 2015, Urrutia starred with Las Tunas in the Cuban National Series for five winters before (like Perez) defecting after the 2009-10 season. He played five years in the Orioles system, was traded to the Red Sox during the 2017 season and made his Mexican debut with the Diablos Rojos one year later. He played for four LMB teams in two years, ending up with Saltillo in 2019, but has hit well above .300 both years. Likewise, he's hit .323 and .303 with a combined 14 homers in 118 games for Jalisco the last two seasons.

    Rounding out the trade for Monterrey is Castro, a middleman from Merida who has struggled during the summer but done well in winterball. Castro, 29, is 32-42 with a 5.47 ERA after nine seasons in the Mexican League, where he was a back-of-the rotation starter until Aguascalientes manager Homar Rojas made him a reliever in 2017. The 5'10 righty has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen over five winters and 114 appearances in the LMP, going 4-7 with five saves and a 3.38 ERA. Castro pitched sparingly for the Charros last season (9 games, no decisions, 3.68 ERA), but should get more work with the Sultanes in 2021-22.

CULIACAN WINS GAME 7, SECOND STRAIGHT LMP TITLE

LMP Finals MVP Jesse Castillo

    It took them a tenth-inning win in Game Seven to do it, but the Culiacan Tomateros were able to overcome their sixth-seed postseason berth to complete their second consecutive Mexican Pacific League championship season. Manager Benji Gil's squad was able to defeat Hermosillo, 7-6, on Saturday to take the series, 4 games to 3, and seal the pennant for the Tomateros. The team then took a charter flight from Hermosillo to Mazatlan after the game to represent Mexico at the Caribbean Series.

    Hermosillo opened the title series on January 22 by beating Culiacan, 2-1, at home as Ryan Verdugo allowed just five hits over seven scoreless innings to take the win. Yadier Hernandez doubled in one Naranjeros run off Tomateros starter J.C. Ramirez and scored their second in the bottom of the first to give Verdugo and his relievers all the support they'd need.

    Culiacan came back one night later for a 6-1 win as Efren Navarro, Sebastian Elizalde and Yoelkis Guibert all homered while Anthony Vasquez allowed the lone Orangemen run on six hits over six innings, striking out seven without walking a single batsman.

    The series shifted to Culiacan for the next three games, beginning last Monday with Hermosillo's 5-4 comeback win. The Tomateros had taken a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the sixth when Navarro plated Elizalde and Joey Meneses with a single and later scored on a Guibert safety. Julian Leon became the hero for the Naranjeros after belting a two-run homer off Sasagi Sanchez with Niko Vazquez on base in the top of the eighth.

    Hermosillo then brought themselves to within one game of winning their first Mex Pac pennant since 2014 last Tuesday with a 1-0 whitewash of the home team. This time it was Jose Samayoa tossing magic from the mound, mesmerising the Tomateros over seven shutout innings by allowing two hits, striking out six and walking none. Manny Barreda pitched a complete game for Culiacan, but gave up the tilt's only run in the seventh when Isaac Paredes doubled home Jose Cardona with what was the eventual game-winner as the Orangemen took a 3-games-to-1 advantage.

    The Tomateros fought back Wednesday with a 4-3 comeback victory after trailing 3-1 in the fifth inning. Jesus Fabela opened the bottom of the entrada with a single and later scored on Ramiro Pena's double to make it a one-run game. Fabela tied the game in the seventh by whacking a leadoff double, chasing Hermosillo starter Verdugo, and later coming in on a two-out Elizalde single to right off reliever Marcelo Martinez in a remarkable duel that lasted 15 pitches. Elizalde, the league MVP, stroked a one-out single off Wilmer Rios in the bottom of the ninth, then stole second, moved to third on a Rios wild pitch and ended the game by scoring on Michael Wing's walkoff single to bring Culiacan to within a game of Hermosillo.

Jose Samayoa pitched strong Game Four

    After Thursday's travel day, the series resumed with Game Six at Estadio Sonora, a 6-2 Culiacan win Friday as Navarro went 3-for-4 with a triple, two runs and two RBIs while Meneses and Jesse Castillo each had two hits and a ribbie. It was a 1-1 game until the top of the sixth, when the Tomateros scored four times and sent LMP Pitcher of the Year Juan Pablo Oramas to the showers. Vasquez turned in his second strong outing of the finals by going six innings and letting in one run while scattering seven hits and striking out five as the title set went to Saturday's seventh and deciding game.

    In Game Seven, Hermosillo took a 1-0 lead in the first inning but the Tomateros scored four times in the top of the second (driving out Orangemen starter Cesar Valdez), with Guibert's two-run single highlighting the outburst, and eventually built a 6-2 lead in the top of the fifth. The Naranjeros fought back with a run in the bottom of the fifth and then tied the game at 6-6 in the seventh when Paredes poleaxed a three-run homer off reliever Carlos Torres. The score held firm until the top of the tenth when vet slugger Jesse Castillo hit his second solo homer of the night (this one off LMP Reliever of the Year Fernando Salas) to give the Tomateros a 7-6 lead, then closer Alberto Baldonado set down the Orangemen 1-2-3 in the bottom of the tenth to seal the win and title, Culiacan's 13^th overall and fourth under manager Gil.

    Castillo, whose career was placed on hold for over a year after the two-time Mexican League MVP suffered a leg injury during the 2018 Serie del Rey, was named the Finals' Most Valuable Player after batting 8-for-20 with two homers and four RBIs. He finished the LMP postseason with a .410 average with a league-leading five homers and 15 RBIs. The MVP award could have gone to Anthony Vasquez just as easily. The Tomateros left-hander won both his starts, allowing two runs and striking out 12 batters with two walks in 12 innings.

SERIE DEL CARIBE OPENS WITH TRIPLEHEADER IN MAZATLAN

Anzoategui's Herlis Rodriguez

   It was out of the frying pan, into the fire for the Culiacan Tomateros, who eschewed a long postgame celebration of their Mexican Pacific League pennant Saturday night to catch a late charter flight to Mazatlan, where they played their first Caribbean Series less than 24 hours later in a tripleheader nightcap against the Barranquilla Caimanes, champions of Colombia's Professional Baseball League (LBP).

    After winning the LMP title, it was announced the Tomateros are adding no fewer than seven reinforcements to their active roster: Pitchers Fernando Salas (Hermosillo) and Edgar Gonzalez (Monterrey) and catcher Julian Leon, infielders Isaac Paredes, Juan Carlos Gamboa and Victor Mendoza plus outfielder Jose Cardona (all from Hermosillo). Culiacan is also activating reliever Derrick Loop from their reserve list.

    The 2021 Serie del Caribe opened play Sunday when the Panama Selects, a handpicked All-Star team representing a league that didn't bother with a regular season or playoffs this winter, defeated Venezuelan champions Anzoategui, 6-3. The Caribes qualified for the CS by posting a 24-16 record during the season, then playing another 35 games in the playoffs, capping things off by sweeping the Lara Cardenales in four games for the LVBP title.

    Herlis Rodriguez homered and doubled in the loss while Danry Vasquez, Luis Sardinas and Jesus Sucre each collected a pair of hits for the Caribes, with Sucre swatting a solo homer. First baseman Balbino Fuenmayor, who spent part of his winterball season with Mexicali, went 0-for-4. David Martinez (5 IP, 2 R) had a decent start for Anzoategui but Mayckol Guaipe, who pitched parts of two seasons in Seattle and was 4-5 with five saves over two years with Durango in the Mexican League, gave up three runs in the sixth and was tagged with the loss.

    In Sunday's second game, Dominican title-winners Cibaenas overcame an early 1-0 deficit by scoring three runs in the third inning and two more in the fourth, then cruised to a 5-1 triumph over Puerto Rican pennant-winners Caguas. The winning Aguilas, whose 16-14 regular season gave them a tie for first with Este and Cibao in the LiDom before winning two playoff series that went the full seven games, topped Caguas behind the bat of centerfielder Juan Lagares, who belted a three-run homer and hit a two-run single to account for all five Cibaenas runs. Robinson Cano added a pair of singles for the Aguilas and Melky Cabrera singled twice and scored a run. Aguilas starter Carlos Martinez got the win, pitching 5.2 innings and allowing one run on three hits. Luis Castillo, Wirfin Obispo and Fernando Abad combined to allow one hit after Martinez was pulled in the sixth.

    Caguas won all four games over Mayaguez in the Roberto Clemente League championship series to qualify for the Caribbean Series after going 14-4 in the four-team loop's abbreviated regular season. The Criollos' lone run against Cibaenas came in the top of the the first, when leadoff hitter Jarren Duran singled and eventually scored on a Jose Miranda base hit. Caguas would only pick up two more hits the rest of the way, a Yadier Molina double and a single from Jeremy Rivera. Starter Luis Medina lasted two outs into the fourth inning before being replaced by Jason Garcia after giving up all five Dominican runs (two unearned) on seven hits. Garcia combined with three other relievers to hold the Aguilas hitless the rest of the game, but the Puerto Rican champions' offense never woke up to close the gap.

Culiacan 3B Joey Meneses

    Culiacan then wrapped up Day One by making short work of Barranquilla, 10-2. Jesse Castillo's hot bat carried over from the Mex Pac championship series as the 37-year-old went 2-for-3 on the night, including a three-run homer off Caimanes reliever Jalen Miller in the top of the ninth inning. Joey Meneses singled and doubled, scoring twice and driving in two more runs while Jose Cadona singled twice and added two more RBIs. Starting pitcher Manny Barreda allowed one earned run and six hits over five innings, striking out five and walking one en route to the victory.

    Barranquilla gathered five hits in the game, one of them a Dilson Herrera single up the middle off Barrera that scored Evan Mendoza to tie the contest, 1-1, in the bottom of the first. The Colombian champions actually took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Herrera scored from third on a Carlos Martinez sacrifice fly, but the Tomateros put the game in their hip pocket by scoring six runs in the top of the fifth. Meneses' two-run double was a key hit, as was a Cardona single that brought in two more. Oakland prospect Jordan Diaz had two of the Caribes' seven hits.

    The Caribbean Series this year will involve a first round of tripleheaders between Sunday through Thursday, followed by a Friday semifinal involving the top four finishers in round-robin play and a champioinship game on Saturday. All games are being played at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal, scene of the 2005 Serie del Caribe.

CUALICAN TOMATEROS
2021 Serie del Caribe schedule
FIRST ROUND
SUN, Jan. 31 Culiacan 10, Barranquilla Caimanes (Colombia) 2
MON, Feb. 1 vs. Cibaenas Aguilas (Dominican Republic)
TUE, Feb. 2 vs. Caguas Criollos (Puerto Rico)
WED, Feb. 3 at Panama Selects
THU, Feb. 4 vs. Anzoategui Caribes (Venezuela)
FRI, Feb. 5 SEMIFINALS
SAT, Feb. 6 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
All Tomateros games scheduled for 9PM local time

DIABLOS FIRE GASTELUM BEFORE FIRST GAME

Sergio Gastelum out in Mexico City

    Readers familiar with the “Mexican Managerial Merry-Go-Round,” the never-ending coming and going of managers in Mexican baseball, shouldn't be surprised that another helmsman south of the border has been given the pink slip. However, even in an environment in which managers get the axe within two weeks of their first game, this firing is unusual.

    According to columnist David Braverman, one of the country's most respected baseball scribes, the Mexico City Diablos Rojos have let go skipper Sergio Gastelum before he managed a single game for the Red Devils after coming to the club from their de facto farm team in Oaxaca after the 2019 season.

Gastelum was Manager of the Year in Oaxaca

    A popular second baseman who spent four seasons with the Diablos at the end of his 22-year Mexican League playing career before retiring at the end of the 2017 season with nearly 2,000 hits and over 1,000 runs scored, Gastelum was named Oaxaca manager prior to the 2018 two-season schedule. During the Fall 2018 season, he led the Guerreros to the LMB South title and an appearance in the Serie del Rey before losing to Monterrey, earning Manager of the Year honors. Gastelum returned for another year with Oaxaca in 2019 and brought the team to an overall 68-51 record (second-best in the LMB South) and a second straight playoff appearance.

    That was enough for the Diablos Rojos to pluck Gastelum from their little sisters and name him as manager in Mexico City for 2020, replacing Victor Bojorquez (who'd brought the Diablos to a 67-49 ledger and a berth in the LMB South championship series). Although Gastelum ran the team during training camp last year, the season was postponed and then ultimately canceled due to the pandemic before ever managing the Red Devils in a game that counted in the standings. And now he's been let go less than four months before the LMB season is slated to open in May.

    Puro Beisbol editor Fernando Ballesteros attributes Gastelum's surprising ouster to a battle for power within the Diablos Rojos' front office, saying sports manager Francisco Minjarez left the team weeks ago while a “massive dismissal of scouts” has also taken place. Ballesteros speculates that team president Dr. Othon Diaz (who has apparently won the power struggle) wants ex-MLB catcher Miguel Ojeda to return to the dugout, where he managed Mexico City to the 2014 pennant. However, it remains to be seen whether Ojeda wants to leave his current position of Diablos' vice president.

    Gastelum recently concluded his third season managing Obregon in the Mexican Pacific League, taking the Yaquis to an LMP-best 37-22 regular season record, a first-half title and a first-round playoff win over Jalisco. He was named the Mex Pac Manager of the Year for 2019-20.