YASIEL PUIG SIGNS WITH VERACRUZ AGUILAS

Yasiel Puig comes to Veracruz

     One-time major league All-Star outfielder Yasiel Puig has signed a one-year contract with the Veracruz Aguilas of the Mexican League for the 2021 season. Puig verified the signing via Twitter last week and has already reported to the Aguilas' spring training camp. Terms were not disclosed, although it's believed the Cuban product had been seeking $25,000 per month in talks with LMB teams in Veracruz, Guadalajara, Tijuana and Monclova. The maximum salary for Liga players is said to be $10,000 per month.

    On his Twitter account, Puig's translated statement read, “Thank you Mexico for being here once more in my life. Thank you Aguilas of Veracruz for this opportunity and for opening your arms to me. This wild horse is grateful and happy to play the field once again!” Puig was nicknamed Wild Horse by longtime Dodgers radio announcer Vin Scully during his time with the Los Angeles team.

    Puig did not play in 2020 but had a productive MLB season in 2019, when he swatted 24 homers and drove in 84 runs while batting a combined .267 for Cincinnati and Cleveland (where he landed in a midseason three-way trade that netted the Reds future Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer). He was ready to sign a free agent deal with Atlanta last year, but a positive test for the Wuhan virus scuttled his 2020 season.

    The 6'2” 240-pounder from Cienfuegos has hit 132 homers and hit .277 over 861 MLB games in a career dating to his 2013 debut with the Dodgers. He finished second to the late Jose Fernandez of the Marlins in Rookie of the Year balloting that season and appeared in the All-Star game in 2014. 

    Puig burst on the baseball scene as a 17-year-old member of Cuba's bronze medal team at the 2008 World Junior Championships. After a couple winters playing with his hometown Elefantes in the Cuban National Series, he attempted to defect in the Netherlands while playing in the 2011 World Port Tournament. Instead, he was caught and forced to sit out the 2011-12 CNS season.

"Tastes great!"..."Less filling!"

    According to Wikipedia, Puig attempted to defect to Mexico no fewer than 13 times between 2009 and 2012 in order to become a legal resident and sign with an MLB organization. That journey included an arrest at a Cuban safe house, interception by a U.S. Coast Guard cutter near Haiti and one “successful” defection to Mexico that resulted in his detention there by the Zetas drug cartel. Puig was finally able to stay in Mexico long enough to be signed by the Dodgers as a free agent for seven years and $42 million in 2012.

    The volatile 30-year-old has been as controversial as he is talented since his arrival in the big leagues. While most involve actions on the playing field, his latest controversy is of the off-field variety. He's been accused of sexually assaulting a woman during a 2018 Lakers basketball game in a Staples Center bathroom in Los Angeles. Although the alleged incident (after which the Dodgers traded Puig to the Reds) has been investigated by MLB, no police report was ever filed. The woman in question has subsequently filed a lawsuit against him in civil court but Puig is seeking to have the case thrown out. His attorneys claim she'd sent him text messages with heart emojis days after the encounter occurred, in which Puig says the two had a consensual sexual encounter.

    Puig's legal issues have made him radioactive among MLB teams and apparently no offer was made by any team in Asia, so now he's set to play with Veracruz as the latest in a number of relatively high-profile signings of former big leaguers by Mexican League teams. Prior to Puig, Monclova inked infielder Addison Russell and pitcher Bartolo Colon (for a second time), Tijuana agreed to terms with reliever Fernando Rodney and Guadalajara made a deal with first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. 

    El Rincon Beisbolero's Jose Carlos Campos notes that only a handful of the LMB's wealthier clubs are bringing in big names, highlighting the gap between rich teams and underfinanced ones, and speculated that they're able to do so by using money not spent on salaries during last year's canceled season during the abbreviated, 66-game schedule to be used this summer.

LMB TO USE “LUCKY LOSER” SYSTEM IN PLAYOFFS

Xorge Carrillo takes BP in Toros' camp

    The Mexican League announced its playoff format for 2021 last week and it'll be one very familiar to past winterball fans of the Mexican Pacific League. The LMP's old “Lucky Loser” system, which was discarded when the Mex Pac postseason field was expanded from six to eight teams in 2019-20, will be used for the first time in the summer circuit.

    With the LMB expanding to 18 teams due to the additions of Guadalajara and Veracruz to the Liga lineup, the number of playoff qualifiers has been likewise increased from four to six teams per division. Rather than giving the top two regular season finishers a first-round bye while the next four teams played for advancement to their division semifinals, all six clubs will take part in the opening stage. All three series winners will move on, as usual, and be joined by the team that won the most games in losing their opening-round series.

    The shortened regular season will open on May 20 when the defending champion Monclova Acereros host the Monterrey Sultanes in a single game, followed by a full slate of action on May 21. The 66-game schedule will conclude on August 6 with the post season commencing one night later. The playoff date parameters are as follows:

First Round: August 7-15
Division Semifinals: August 17-25
Division Championships: August 27-September 4
League Championship (Serie del Rey): September 6-14

    Playoff teams will be seeded according to their regular season won-lost percentage. In the case of a tie in the standings, records involving games between the teams involved will be the first tiebreaker, followed by runs differentials from their head-to-head matchups. The first round “Lucky Loser” will be determined by a similar criterion, with regular season records and run differentials used as tiebreakers.

Tigres player being tested for virus

    The LMB office has also announced pandemic-related health protocols to be used throughout the season by its 18 clubs. The so-called Diamond Plan will involve the usual edicts of constant handwashing, use of alcohol gels and safe distancing but also add a few wrinkles.

    Each franchise will be required to assign a “Covid-19 Officer” to ensure that the Diamond Plan is carried out. Players must have undergone related testing 48 hours prior to reporting to their respective teams, followed by isolation lasting 48-72 hours, after which they will undero another test.

    In addition, the Diamond Plan established three levels of ballpark access: Level 1 is for essential tasks on the field, Level 2 allows limited access to the playing field for managers and coaches while Level 3 allows media and staff members access to ballparks but not the playing surface.

    Players may not use showers, saunas or whirlpools without social distancing, two buses will be used on road trips instead of one and players will not be allowed to interact directly with fans, who will be required to wear masks at all times except while eating or drinking. At those times, fans will be asked not to speak, sing or shout (breathing is optional under those circumstances, with inhaling the preferred choice).

MEX PAC TO OPEN 2021-22 SEASON ON OCTOBER 5

 

Culiacan title defense begins October 5

   The Mexican Pacific League held a virtual Assembly of Presidents meeting last week and confirmed some dates for their upcoming 2021-22 schedule as well as the order of selection for July's drafts of non-reserved Mexican and import players.

    The regular season is slated to open on October 5 with the return of the popular reciprocal two-game series in which rival teams host each other on consecutive nights before the usual three-game series formats for the rest of the regular season, which will conclude on December 23.

    The eight-team playoffs will open for the first time on Christmas Day and be played in three stages until no later than January 22, 2022. The LMP's heavily-reinforced championship team will then head to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic for the 2022 Caribbean Series.

    This summer's draft of players not on reserve lists of the LMP's ten teams will be held on July 8 in Hermosillo. The draft will be held in two parts: One for Mexican players and one for foreign players. Here is the order of both stages as verified last week by league president Omar Canizalez:

MEXICAN PLAYER DRAFT
1-Los Mochis Caneros
2-Obregon Yaquis
3-Hermosillo Naranjeros
4-Monterrey Sultanes
5-Jalisco Charros
6-Guasave Algodoneros
7-Culiacan Tomateros
8-Navojoa Mayos
9-Mazatlan Venados
10-Mexicali Aguilas

FOREIGN PLAYER DRAFT
1-Mexicali Aguilas
2-Los Mochis Caneros
3-Monterrey Sultanes
4-Obregon Yaquis
5-Navojoa Mayos
6-Jalisco Charros
7-Hermosillo Naranjeros
8-Culiacan Tomateros
9-Mazatlan Venados
10-Guasave Algodoneros

    Mexicali will have a new face overseeing their draft picks this summer. The Aguilas last week announced the return of David “Chile” Cardenas to the franchise as “sports advisor” to owner Dio Alberto Murillo. “It is with pride to have David back home,” Murillo is quoted as saying, “a connoisseur of baseball on and off the field...we are sure that he will support us at all times to seek that fifth championship for our fans.”

    Cardenas spent six winters as sports manager in Mexicali between 2010-16 after retiring as a pitcher in 2020 and will presumably assume duties previously held by Luis Alfonso Garcia, who was “separated from the position of Sports Manager” in February after two seasons (and two first-round playoff exits). Cardenas oversaw an Aguilas team that reached the second round of the playoffs all six seasons he worked for them while playing in two championship series.

ESPN TO STREAM MEXICAN LEAGUE GAMES IN 2021

Mexican League president Horacio de la Vega

    According to The Economist, ESPN is among the networks that will broadcast Mexican League games this summer. The LMB hopes to increase their audience spectrum and improve the economic conditions of all 18 teams. The announcement was made during a virtual league press conference last week, but no specific dates were given for ESPN live coverage. Other channels involved in 2021 will be TV Azteca, Multimedios and Canal 1.

    In an Assembly of Presidents meeting held in San Diego more than a year ago, it was determined that in 2021 the LMB will for the first time control the broadcasting rights of all member teams that comprise it to commercialize them collectively. One of the plans in the management of league president Horacio de la Vega is to increase its reach to spectators and promote teams beyond their local market.

    "Leagues like the NFL have managed to improve a lot in production issues to create a more competitive league," de la Vega says, "so that the teams can have better conditions when making a global negotiation. For that reason, this agreement has been made. "

    The Mexico City Diablos Rojos and Monterrey Sultanes were among the most affected franchises, since they already had lucrative contracts with SKY Sports, an ESPN competitor. The Proceso website detailed that the economic blow for the Diablos will exceed five million pesos (about US $ 250,000) with this decision.

Diablos executive president Othon Diaz

    According to information provided at a press conference by the Diablos' executive president, Othon Díaz, the process consists of packaging the games to sell them at three levels (A, AA and AAA). Each television station is assigned a certain number of games, depending on the amount that has paid, so that in the end all teams are on different channels

    In addition, Diaz pointed out that in conjunction with the league, it will allow local television stations to carry important games.

    “In the case of local television stations, especially at the state level,” says Diaz, “they have normally broadcast the teams' games. There is a matter of negotiation where through the sale of the rights for those cities, the local television station only has the possibility of broadcasting in the city or state where it has been negotiated with the league.”

PURO BEISBOL: PACHO FIRED AFTER BACKING MAZATLAN MAYOR

Ex-Venados manager Juan Jose Pacho

    Juan Jose Pacho has apparently been given an object lesson in the perils of bringing politics into the workplace. According to Puro Beisbol editor Fernando Ballesteros, Pacho was fired by the Mexican Pacific League's Mazatlan Venados organization after appearing in a photograph standing next to current Mazatlan mayor Luis "El Quimico" Benitez Torres at a recent campaign event. Benitez stepped down as mayor in March to take a three-month leave until June 7 to focus on his re-election campaign.

    Benitez and the City have been at loggerheads with Venados owners Jose Antonio Toledo and his family ever since Estadio Teodoro Mariscal reopened in time for the 2018-19 LMP season after undergoing US$18 million worth of renovations. The first dispute involved three clandestine water lines discovered by the City at the facility early that season. 

    After the state-owned Jumapam water utility determined that the Venados owed them 12.9 million pesos, water to the ballpark was shut off in late November and city staffers closed the ballpark to fans in the stands until the bill was paid. The imbroglio lasted into December before an uneasy settlement was arrived at and the stadium opened back up to ticketbuyers.

    Differences between the City and the team flared up again last year when employees of the municipality evicted the Venados staff from their ballpark offices and padlocked the 16,000-seat facility in April after violations of the signed lease were cited. The Toledo family also had their concessions contract at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal terminated. That was a particularly hard pill to swallow for the Toledos, who had managed concessions there since 1980 and were able to build up enough wealth to purchase the team from the Mazatlan-based Pacifico brewery in 2005.

    The team was forced to operate out of temporary offices away from the ballpark and while Mazatlan had been awarded last winter's Caribbean Series by the Pan American Baseball Conferation (COPABE), the standoff carried into June and COPABE head Juan Francisco Puello was threatening to move the tournament elsewhere if his organization was not given access to the stadium during the event. Eventually, Benitez relented and the Venados were allowed to occupy Estadio Teodoro Mariscal for the 2020-21 season and the Serie del Caribe, but the dispute concerning the ballpark lease has still not been resolved.

    With that as back story, it had to come as a shock to the Toledos when the picture of Pacho and Benitez at a rally surfaced in early April. The former shortstop was relieved of his managerial duties during last season (the third time he's managed the club) but had remained on the payroll as a consultant while supervising a children's baseball school.

Mazatlan mayor Luis Benitez Torres

    A Salon de la Fama member as a player, Pacho first became the Venados skipper after replacing Dan Firova amid the 2004-05 season and led the squad to the LMP pennant and a Caribbean Series title, Mazatlan's first, that season. The Deer also copped the 2005-06 Mex Pac flag but Pacho was eventually let go with thanks, as all managers in Mexico experience. He replaced Miguel Olivo at the helm during the 2015-16 campaign and once again led them to the pennant and CS crown that winter but was eventually let go again. This time around, he was brought in to replace Joe Alvarez after the latter left with the team in first place during the 2018-19 season and held the post until he was sent back to the front office last winter.

    Now, however, the 59-year-old Pacho (who was fired shortly after his birthday) has apparently crossed a bridge too far by appearing to support a mayor that has been anathema to his team owners for the past two years. He will likely hop on the Mexican managerial merry-go-round and find a new job as dugout boss elsewhere because nobody seems to be out of work for long as long as they've had past success, and there may have been a lesson learned in what can happen when you back a politician who has been the bane of your employers' existence.

SALON DE LA FAMA MEMBER JORGE FITCH DIES AT 87

Jorge Fitch as Puebla shortstop

    Sinaloa native Jorge Fitch, one of the best shortstops in Mexican baseball history, died last Thursday due to health problems. His son of the same name reported in a statement on social networks that the senior Fitch had passed away after turning 87 on March 30.

    The former player and manager had battled serious problems for a long time after suffering a stroke. One of Fitch's last public appearances was two years ago in Reynosa at the reunion of the 1969 Mexican League champion Broncos.

    A member of the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame since 2001 (when he was inducted along with catcher Rudy Sandoval, first baseman Jack Pierce and utilityman/pitcher Pedro Ramirez), Fitch was considered the Mexican League's best shortstop during a playing career that lasted from the late 1950's into the mid-1970's, especially with Puebla and Reynosa. Playing winterball in the Mexican Pacific League, he also stood out in the middle infield with Hermosillo, Obregon and Navojoa.

    Born in Novalato, Sonora on March 30, 1934, Fitch broke into pro baseball at age 22 with the Fresnillo Mineros of the Class C Mexican Center League in 1956. Despite only batting .203 with five homers and 39 RBIs over 87 games while committing 25 errors at shortstop, he was acquired by the Mexico City Tigres for 1957 and spent three seasons with the team, socking 10 homers and stealing 25 bases under manager George Genovese in 1958. However, it wasn't until after Fitch was dealt to Puebla in 1960 that he hit his stride.

    Fitch topped the .300 batting mark in each of his first two years with the Pericos, for whom he spent eight summers and won one pennant (1963) while finishing second twice (1964, 1965). In the timespan, Puebla put together one of the strongest infields in LMB history with 1B Ronnie Camacho, 2B Moises Camacho, SS Fitch and 3B Jose “Zacatillo” Guerrero. Fitch and Moi Camacho (no relation to (Ronnie) formed an airtight keystone combo and all four are members of the Salon de la Fama.

Fitch passed away at 87 last week

    By 1969, Fitch was member of the Reynosa Broncos, who won the Liga pennant despite batting just .259 and hitting 44 homers as a team (pitcher Salvador Sanchez' 22-12 record and 1.84 ERA might have had something to do with their first-place finish). Fitch played one more year with the Broncos and spent 1971 in Tampico, where he was teammates with the legendary Hector Espino and a 22-year-old pitcher named Adan Munoz, whose yet-to-be-born son Adan caught 21 years in the LMB and is now manager in Quintana Roo. After that season, Fitch retired as a player at age 37, although he came out of the dugout to play 21 more games for Reynosa in 1974 and 1975 when he was managing the Broncos.

    Fitch played 1,670 games in his LMB career, collecting 1,676 hits for a .272 average. He spent nine winters playing in the Mexican Pacific League with Hermosillo, Obregon and Navojoa, batting .250 on 469 hits to give him a total of 2,145 safeties in both leagues. In addition to his managerial experience in the Mexican League, where he went an overall 525-518 with two flags over seven seasons, Fitch managed the Mex Pac's Tijuana Potros for several winters during the 1980's and won the LMP pennant in 1987-88.

MARIACHIS ADD 2-TIME MVP CASTILLO TO ROSTER

Jesse Castillo batting for Guasave

    The brand-new Guadalajara Mariachis are looking to make a splash in their inaugural Mexican League season. However, while adding prominent players to their roster, they've created a logjam for themselves at one position. According to Roberto Espinosa of Beisbol Puro, the Mariachis have picked up veteran first baseman Jesse Castillo after already signing longtime LMBer Saul Soto and former major league All-Star Adrian Gonzalez, who also play the initial hassock.

    While the threesome would have the potential to belt a combined 75+ homers in a full season for the Jalisco squad (if each was healthy and played every day), even if they split time between first base and designated hitter, someone would be sitting because the 42-year-old Soto hasn't caught a game since 2016, the 38-year-old Castillo has played three games at third base since 2015 and Gonzalez (who turns 39 next month) last played the outfield in 2012. It might make the most sense to rotate the three between first and DH over the upcoming 66-game season, meaning each would play 44 times, but it remains to be seen whether any would be willing to sit every third day.

    Castillo comes with some risk after missing all of the 2019 LMB season due to a blown knee suffered when he was rounding first base while batting for Monclova during the Fall 2018 North Division championship series. The Mexicali-born slugger did play winterball in Venezuela during the 2019-20 campaign and with Guasave last season in the Mexican Pacific

League before being named the LMP Finals MVP and belting a homer and driving in five runs for Culiacan as a reinforcement in the Caribbean Series, so it does appear that his bat is back in shape. Castillo was training to play for Leon last spring before the Wuhan Virus-caused pandemic led to the Liga's 2020 season being canceled.

    Prior to his injury, Castillo may have been the most feared hitter in the Mexican League between 2015 and 2018. Over that timespan, the 6'1” lefty swinger never batted below .324 while leading the LMB with an aggregate 557 hits, 315 RBIs and 322 runs scored. He was second with 108 doubles and 293 walks while belting 66 homers to rank sixth in the loop en route to winning consecutive MVP trophies in 2017 and Spring 2018. In other words, he has legitimate bonafides. But so do El Jefe (Soto) and El Titan (Gonzalez).

    With the start of the Mexican League's shortened schedule less than six weeks away, Guadalajara manager Benji Gil will have to determine what kind of balancing act he'll have to use in the regular season over the next two months. If he goes with the three-man, two-position rotation mentioned above, the trio would at worst be fairly well-rested heading into the playoffs in early August.

ACEREROS, TECOS TO PLAY TWO EXHIBITIONS IN SAN ANTONIO

Danny Espinosa at Acereros camp

    Two Mexican League teams will be playing a pair of exhibition games in San Antonio later this month when the defending LMB champion Monclova Acereros take on the Dos Laredos Tecolotes. The games will take place Thursday, April 29 and Friday, April 30 at Nelson Wolff Stadium, home of the Class AA San Antonio Missions, a San Diego Padres affiliate.

    The Acereros will have a major league look on their roster, starting with their manager. The American League's 1992 Rookie of the Year, Pat Listach, took the reins of the team during the 2019 season and led them to the city's first Mexican League pennant 45 years after Monclova's debut season. One of Listach's coaches is former Phillies second baseman Juan Samuel, a three-time National League All-Star. Then there's the Monclova playing roster.

    Former Cubs World Series shortstop Addison Russell signed with the Steelers last month and another big name is reportedly on the way for 2021. Russell will be joined by outfielder Rajai Davis (who played for Cleveland against Russell's Cubs in the 2006 Fall Classic), first baseman Chris Carter (2016 National League home run champion), Erick Aybar (former American League All-Star) and Bartolo Colon, the AL's 2005 Cy Young Award winner. The Acereros have also picked up former Nationals infielder Danny Espinosa, who is slated to play at shortstop while Russell moves over to third base in initials plans for the upcoming season.

    The Tecolotes will not have nearly the same star power as Monclova brings over the Texas border. The biggest name on the Dos Laredos roster may well be their manager, former pitching star Pablo Ortega. A 44-year-old Nuevo Laredo native, Ortega retired in 2019 after 19 seasons in the Liga, finishing with a 156-101 career record and a 4.41 ERA along with 1,119 strikeouts over 2,072 innings pitched. He reached double figures in wins seven times (five times between 2008 and 2012), pitched in six All-Star Games and was the LMB Comeback Player of the Year in 2011. Ortega served as interim manager last winter in Mazatlan, where he led the Venados to a winning record and a Mexican Pacific League playoff berth after replacing Juan Jose Pacho, but will not be back for the 2021-22 season.

Dos Laredos 1B Balbino Fuenmayor

    Ortega's charges will include a pair of former MLBers from Brazil. Outfielder Paulo Orlando was a member of Kansas City's 2015 American League pennant-winning team as a rookie while fellow Andre Rienzo pitched for the White Sox and Marlins between 2013 and 2015. Both spent time in the Mex Pac with the Obregon Yaquis last winter.

    Some familiar names in Mexican baseball dot the Tecos roster. The border team recently dealt for veteran Oaxaca centerfielder Alan Sanchez, a 2017 All-Star and .305 batter since his 2010 Liga debut. Orlando and Sanchez will be joined in the outfield by Roberto Lopez, who was the 2017 Serie del Rey MVP after leading Tijuana to the pennant that year. First baseman Balbino Fuenmayor, who hit .334 with 31 homers for Dos Laredos in 2019, is back in Mexico after finishing the winterball season in his native Venezuela. One notable member of the Owls' roster is pitcher Luke Heimlich, the Pitcher of the Year in 2018 at Oregon State, who went 8-7 with a 4.58 ERA over 21 starts with the team in his 2019 pro debut.

    Game times in San Antonio for the series will be 7:05PM both night. Ticket prices for the exhibition games will range from $10 to $30 each.

SIXTEEN MEXICANS ON MLB OPENING DAY ROSTERS

Oliver Perez in 19th MLB season

    The Mexican contingent that opened the 2021 Major League Baseball season this month consisted of 16 players. While Oliver Pérez is adding a 19th MLB season to his resume, eight other players of Mexican descent had their first experience on a big league Opening Day roster, including brothers Luis and Ramón Urías.

    The Urías brothers are not the first Mexican-born pair of siblings to open the season on a Major League Baseball roster. Adrián and Édgar González, Mexicans born in California, did it playing for the San Diego Padres in 2009. In the case of Oliver Pérez, he will continue to set the record for most seasons by a Mexican in MLB, In 2020, he passed Fernando Valenzuela, Aurelio Rodríguez and Juan Gabriel Castro, who participated in 17 calendars in The Show.

    Eight of the 16 players who opened the season in the Major Leagues experienced an Opening Day at that level for the first time: José Urquidy (Houston), Giovanny Gallegos (St. Louis), Alejandro Kirk (Toronto), Luis Urías (Milwaukee), Ramón Urías (Baltimore), Víctor González (Dodgers), Río Ruiz (Baltimore) and Felipe “Tres” Barrera (Washington). Last year, Urquidy and Gallegos were scheduled to start the campaign with their teams but the pandemic prevented that from happening.

    The number of 16 Mexicans opening the 2021 MLB season is the most since the same number was recorded in 2017, but still far behind the record of 24 Mexican nationals on Opening Day rosters in the 2003 campaign.

MEXICAN NATIONALS ON 2021 OPENING DAY ROSTERS:

Baltimore infielder Ramon Urias

Felipe “Tres” Barrera (Washington Nationals)
Luis Cessa (New York Yankees)
Phillip Evans (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Giovanny Gallegos (St. Louis Cardinals)
Victor Gonzalez (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Alejandro Kirk (Toronto Blue Jays)
Oliver Pérez (Cleveland Indians)
Daniel Ponce de León (San Luis Cardinals)
Sergio Romo (Oakland Athletics)
Rio Ruiz (Baltimore Orioles)
Joakim Soria (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Julio Urías (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Luis Urías (Milwaukee Brewers)
Ramón Urías (Baltimore Orioles)
José Urquidy (Houston Astros)
Alex Verdugo (Boston Red Sox)

MARIACHIS HIRE GIL AS MANAGER, "EL TITAN" SIGNED

New Mariachis bench boss Benji Gil

    After weeks of speculation among Mexican baseball media that Guadalajara's new Mexican League team would hire former MLB infielder Benji Gil as their first manager, the Mariachis finally confirmed last week that Gil would indeed be the expansion team's dugout boss for the 2021 season. He is the last manager named for the upcoming Liga season. One day before that announcement, the team verified the signing of former MLB all-star first baseman Adrian “El Titan” Gonzalez to a playing contract.

    Gil, who was born in Tijuana in 1972, went to high school in Chula Vista, California and was the Rangers' first round draft pick in 1991. After only two years in the minors, Gil was Texas' Opening Day shortstop in 1993, going 0-for-3 with a walk in a 7-4 win at Baltimore on April 5 that year. Though the 20-year-old was sent down to the minors for more seasoning after batting .123 in 22 games, he returned in 1995 and was a Rangers' starter that year, batting .219 with nine homers in 130 games. Gil was eventually traded away and spent time in the White Sox and Marlins systems before landing in Anaheim in 2010. He was a top reserve and part-time starter for the Angels for the next four years, playing for the Halos in their 2002 World Series win over San Francisco (batting 4-for-5 with a double in three games).

    Following his 2003 release from the Angels, Gil spent time with five MLB organizations over the next two years but never appeared in a big league game again. He then played in the Mexican League between 2006 and 2011, suiting up for Monterrey, Chihuahua and Oaxaca (winning the 2007 pennant with the Sultanes and representing the Dorados in the 2008 and 2009 LMB All-Star Games). After going 1-for-3 in one game for independent Fort Worth in 2012, Gil retired as a player at age 39.

    The Mariachis will mark Gil's first shot as an LMB helmsman, but he is no stranger to running a professional team in Guadalajara. The 48-year-old has spent three winterball seasons managing the Mexican Pacific League's Jalisco Charros. Although his teams have won four LMP titles in his six years, the volatile Gil's reign has rarely been quiet and he's had run-ins with the LMP office, the Charros' front office and even his own players, nearly getting into a fistfight with Jalisco centerfielder Rico Noel in the middle of a game. He's come under some criticism for failing to win a Caribbean Series title in his last three tries, but you still have to win your league pennant to get that far and he DID lead Mexico to the 2015 Serie del Caribe crown.

MEXICAN LEAGUE 2021 MANAGERS
    Northern Division: Aguascalientes-Luis Carlos Rivera, Durango-Felix Fermin, Guadalajara-Benji Gil, Union Laguna-Omar Malaves, Dos Laredos-Pablo Ortega, Monclova-Pat Listach, Monterrey-Homar Rojas, Saltillo-Roberto Vizcarra, Tijuana-Omar Vizquel.
    Southern Division: Campeche-Francisco Campos, Leon-Tim Johnson, Mexico City-Miguel Ojeda, Oaxaca-Erick Rodriguez, Puebla-Carlos Gastelum, Quintana Roo-Adan Munoz, Tabasco-Pedro Mere, Veracruz-Leo Rodriguez III, Yucatan-Geronimo Gil.

Adrian Gonzalez in his new uniform

    One of Gil's main men in Guadalajara will be the aforementioned Gonzalez, a Tijuana-raised player who likewise attended high school in Chula Vista before becoming a first-round draft pick. “El Titan” has played for Mexico in every World Baseball Classic since its 2006 inception and is hoping his time with the Mariachis will be a springboard to a roster spot with the Verdes Grande in this summer's Olympic Games in Tokyo. 

    His resume as a major leaguer (317 homers and 1,220 RBIs over 15 seasons) after being the first pick of the 2001 MLB draft is probably more impressive than any player vying for a berth on manager Juan Gabriel Castro's team. Gonzalez has also spent several Mexican Pacific League seasons playing alongside older brother Edgar with the Mazatlan Venados, though his last foray into winterball was more than a decade ago.

    However, the five-time All-Star will turn 39 next month and has not played in a competitive game since his release from the New York Mets during the 2018 season. Castro himself has opined that he already has plenty of qualified candidates at first base and designated hitter for the six-team baseball Olympiad, and that “El Titan” should not look at a place on the team as a given.

    With a scheduled May 20 opening date for the Mexican League this year and a July 28 first game in Olympic competition, Gonzalez will not have much time to shake off nearly three years of inactivity. Since Guadalajara also signed another veteran first baseman, Saul Soto, last month, Gil will likely alternate the two between duties at DH and the initial hassock because both are expected to bring potent bats with power to the fledgling team's lineup this summer.

MONCLOVA BRINGS IN EX-CUBS SS ADDISON RUSSELL

Addison Russell during his Cubs days

    The defending Mexican League champion Monclova Acereros have strengthened their infield with the signing of former Chicago Cubs all-star shortstop Addison Russell to a one-year contract for the 2021 season. The Steelers are hoping Russell will help fill the void in their batting order created when catcher Bruce Maxwell signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets last year.

    Now 27, Russell was taken out of Pace High School in Floriday by Oakland with the 11th overall pick of the 2012 draft. He was the 2013 Rookie of the Year in the Class A California League and that year's Arizona Fall League All-Prospects team while considered one of the top prospects in the A's system. However, with Oakland fighting for a playoff berth down the stretch of the 2014 campaign, GM Billy Beane included the rights to Russell in a multiplayer trade to the Cubs for pitchers Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija.

    Prior the 2015 season, Baseball America listed Russell as the third-best prospect in MLB. He made his big league debut with Chicago on April 21 of that year and went on to play 142 games at shortstop and second base for the Cubs, batting .242 with 13 homers and 54 RBIs. He also appeared in the postseason, breaking up a no-hitter by St. Louis' John Lackey with a sixth-inning single in Chicago's NLDS series with the Cardinals.

    Russell then stepped up the following season by cracking 21 homers and driving in 95 runs as the Cubs won their first pennant since 1945 and first World Series since 1908. Russell blasted a third-inning grand slam off Cleveland's Dan Otero during Chicago's 9-3 Game Six win on the road after slashing a two-run double in the top of the first. He also started at shortstop for the National League in that year's All-Star Game, going 0-for-2.

    The 2016 season proved to be Russell's highwater mark in the majors. He missed six weeks of the 2017 schedule with a strained right foot and finished with a .239 average, hitting 12 homers and 43 RBIs over 110 games. He had another disappointing year in 2018, turning in a .250 average with five roundtrippers and 38 RBIs before being placed on administrative leave September 19 due to an an investigation into domestic abuse allegations.

    Russell's last season with the Cubs in 2019 got off to a late start due to MLB's determination that he had abused his wife. After completing a 40-game suspension that began the previous season, he played for AAA Iowa before a May 8 callup to Chicago. Switched to second base, he went 0-for-3 against Miami and was mostly booed by the Wrigley Field faithful. He had another three-week stint at Iowa that summer and finished the season with a .237 average, nine homers and 23 ribbies over 82 games. He was non-tendered by the Cubs that December, becoming a free agent.

Russell as a Kiwoom Hero in 2020

   Russell then signed with the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization on June 19 of last year. After a quarantine period, he debuted on July 28 against the Doosan Bears and went on to play 65 games for the Heroes, registering a .254 average with a pair of homers and 31 RBIs. The team decided not to bring Russell back for 2021, leaving him a free agent until last week's signing with Monclova.

    Where Acereros manager Pat Listach puts Russell in the field is a question. Second baseman Noah Perio, a 29-year-old former Marlins prospect, was MVP of the 2019 Serie del Rey and later played that winter for Mexico's Premier12 team that qualified for the Olympics. At shortstop, Erick Aybar is a 12-year MLB veteran who hit .319 and played in the 2019 Mexican League All-Star game, but Aybar is ten years older than Russell and spent time on both the Injured and Reserve lists for the Acereros in 2019. Then there's middle infielder Oscar Sanay, a 5'7” former Cal State-Bakersfield star who topped .300 four times between 2016 and 2018 and hit .395 in 16 games for the Steelers in 2019 after coming over from Union Laguna that July.

DIABLOS INK 2020-21 CUBAN MVP LISBAN CORREA

1B Lisban Correa is coming to Mexico

    The Mexico City Diablos Rojos are bringing in the current Cuban National Series Most Valuable Player for the 2021 Mexican League season. First baseman Lisban Correa has agree to terms with the capital city club and will play for manager Miguel Ojeda this summer.

    Reportedly 32 years of age, Correa had a breakout year for the Havana Industriales in 2020-21, batting .320 and leading the CNS with 28 homers, 82 RBIs and a .692 slugging percentage. He struck out just 34 times while drawing 63 walks. Correa finished nine homers ahead of Las Tunas' Rafael Vinales in setting a CNS longball record for a 75-game season.

    According to Diablos sports manager Jorge del Valle, Correa's profile fits perfectly with what was being sought to reinforce a team built around the Mexican talent forged in the Red Devils' organization. “We were looking for a bat of power and experience, and that is Lisbán Correa,” said del Valle. “He comes from a strong baseball league that is played at sea level and that interests us, considering that we are going to play in the South Zone. Today, Lisbán Correa is a benchmark in Cuban baseball and we see him with a great opportunity to mark a great story in the ranks of the Red Devils."

    Correa's journey to Mexico is an interesting one, to say the least. The 6'2” 192-pounder debuted in the CNS as a 16-year-old catcher with the Havana Metropolitanos in 2005-06, batting .281 in 55 games. He went on to spend ten years in the league, topping the .300 mark three times and reaching double figures in homers three times as well.

    Correa was caught up in controversy during the 2009-10 season by chasing Sancti Spiritus pitcher Yanier Sosa into center field after Sosa had intentionally thrown at him during a game. The chase precipitated a bench-clearing brawl that eventually involved police in what a writer for Cubalite.com terms “as one of the three most violent of Cuban baseball.” While Sosa was suspended for three games, Correa was handed a six-month sanction and had to watch his teammates win the pennant that season from a distance.

    Then, in 2015, Correa (whose father Ivan had been a slugger in the CNS years before) had defected from Cuba for Haiti, where he hoped to make contact and sign with an MLB organization. Before leaving his homeland, he was told by smugglers that a big league team was ready to sign him, which proved a lie after he spoke to a lawyer at the Dominican consulate in Port-au-Prince.

Correa is Cuba's MVP for 2020-21

    Correa then made a rugged trip across the island into the Dominican Republic, where an alleged “investor” asked him to sign a contract in which the player would have to pay for his own rent, food and gym privileges. Correa refused to sign and as an undocumented alien without money or a place to live, he was in a tough spot. He was able to cobble together the equivalent of US$100, which he used to travel much of the Dominican Republic over two weeks searching for someone who would help him sign a playing contract, but failed.

    Correa didn't want to return to Cuba and be seen as a failure, the Cubalite writer says, but he did go back as a “visitor” for the 2019-20 season in the fading hope that returning to the Industralies team he played for since 2009-10 after a trade with the Metropolitanos would earn him notice from an MLB organization or another foreign team.

    Now, after a banner season that earned him an MVP award, Correa will be crossing the Caribbean again, this time to Mexico. While it's highly unlikely he'll be able to make the jump to MLB from Mexico City, he'll be earning a far higher salary with the well-playing Diablos Rojos than he would ever make in Cuba, where the best players in the CNS might make US$300 a month during the season. As an import, Correa might make at least ten times that amount in the LMB.

    More to the point, Lisban Correa has a new lease on life in Mexico, something that can't always be quantified in dollars or pesos.