YUCATAN CLINCHES FIRST IN LMB SOUTH, 3 GAMES LEFT

LMB batting leader Daniel Mayora of Durango

          Just three games remain in the Mexican League's 2019 regular season and the field for September's playoffs has mostly been determined, although the pairings have yet to be determined. Yucatan (38-19) had their five-game win streak snapped in Leon, 5-4, Sunday afternoon as the Bravos tagged Leones starter Yoanner Negrin for all five of their runs in the bottom of the third inning, but the Spring 2018 pennant winners had already locked up first place in the LMB's South Division and the eight playoff points that go with it. The 13 points Yucatan will have accrued are more than enough to clinch a postseason berth and perhaps enough for the top seed in the division.

          Quintana Roo (33-22) fell to second after losing four of six games last week, although the Tigres did beat rival Mexico City, 4-2 in Cancun Sunday to salvage that series after losing the first two games to the Diablos Rojos.  The Tigres also dropped two of three against Oaxaca last week en route to a 2-4 week, but they'll likely outpoint fast-fading Puebla for the fourth and final playoff berth in the LMB South.  The Diablos (33-24) will finish the half in no worse than third place, which would mean 13 playoff points for the season and a tie with the Leones for top seed. First-half champ Oaxaca (28-28) has played better of late after a slow start to the second half and could end up tying Yucatan and perhaps Mexico City with 13 accrued points if they hold off Campeche for fourth.  At any rate, the four playoff teams in the South have largely been determined.

          Saltillo (36-20) is 1.5 games ahead of second-place Monclova (35-22) in the LMB North and will clinch the division title if they take two of three against Dos Laredos at home this week.  That would give the Saraperos 12 total playoff points and while they'll finish behind both Tijuana (33-24) and Monterrey (29-26) in the overall points race, they'd have enough points to reach the postseason.  The third-place Toros and fourth-place Sultanes both received 7.5 points after tying for the first-half title and neither will end the regular season with fewer than 12.5 points while Monclova will earn top seed with 14 points if they maintain their second-place status after their final three contests.

          Dos Laredos (26-31) had an outside shot at the fourth playoff berth before struggled the past couple weeks while Aguascalientes (26-30) has won eight of their last ten to pass the Tecos into fifth place.  Dos Laredos owner fired Alfonso "Houston" Jimenez as manager last Friday after the Tecos had dropped eight of nine games.  Third base coach Rafael Rijo becomes the third manager of the border team this year.  Much of Aguascalientes' recent surge can be credited to closer Anthony Carter, who has won two games and saved four the past two weeks.  While he's not likely to beat out Dos Laredo's Roman Mendez or Wirfin Obispo of Monterrey for LMB Reliever of the Year, Carter has had a nice season with a 12-6 record and 14 saves out of the bullpen to lead the team in wins and saves along with a 3.43 ERA that ranks well below any Aguascalientes starter.

          Daniel Mayora of Durango has taken control of the batting race as Felix Pie's slide continues.  The Leon outfielder was batting well over .400 with a healthy lead in the tables until August arrived.  Pie is batting .294 for the month (with a .200 mark with two RBIs over his last ten games) to drop to third in the LMB at .382, trailing Mayora's .389 and the .384 average of Monclova's Francisco Peguero.  The 34-year-old Mayora played in five Class A ar AA All-Star Games between 2007 and 2012 before coming to Durango in 2017.  He hit .370 that season and fashioned a 35-game hitting streak for the Generales (one shy of the LMB single-season record), but was released in July during a salary dispute and quickly picked up by Monterrey, for whom the Venezuelan hit .386 over ten games. He has since bounced to Dos Laredos and finally back to Durango, where presumably the paychecks are clearing now under new owner Alfredo Aramburo.

Aguascalientes P Anthony Carter

          Monclova's Chris Carter homered in three straight games last week to bring his season total to 48, most in organized ball this year. The ex-NL home run champ hit just .258 over his last ten games and while pitchers aren't giving him much to hit (10 walks), he still belted four roundtrippers and drove in 12 runs in that span.  Carter also tops Liga batters in RBIs (118), slugging percentage (.719) and both walks (114) and strikeouts (152).  Oaxaca's Johnny Davis has 48 stolen bases and the steals title is his to lose, but teammate Alonzo Harris is second with 44 swipes and belted his 38th homer Saturday in Campeche in his quest to become the Mexican League's first 40/40 man ever.  Harris has three home games against the Piratas this week to hit two more homers.  Harris is also batting .344 and considered a favorite for Most Valuable Player honors along with Carter and perhaps Yucatan pitcher Cesar Valdez.

          Although hurlers rarely win the MVP trophy, Valdez is making a pretty good case for himself.  He went to 15-2 last Thursday with a 5-3 win at Leon, allowing one earned run on five hits with seven strikeouts over seven innings to beat Bravos hurler Yasumoto Kubo (8-14), who leads the LMB with 154 strikeouts.  That's one of the few major categories Valdez isn't leading the Liga in, as the Venezuelan tops the loop in wins (15), ERA (2.26) and WHIP (1.06).  His ERA is nearly a full run lower than moundmate Negrin's 3.22 mark.  The 13-6 Negrin was the 2016 Pitcher of the Year and Valdez will undoubtedly earn that award this season.  Dos Laredos' Roman Mendez has only earned one save this month for the Tecos, but his closeout of last Wednesday's 2-1 win over Monclova gives him an even 30 for the season, two more than Monterrey's Wirfin Obispo.  Tijuana All-Star (and former Phils farmhand) Jesus Pirela has been the LMB's premier setup man this year and his 29 holds are eight better than Oaxaca's Juan Sandoval at 21. Ironically, Pirela is 0-for-3 in save situations for the Toros.

          With the playoff field pretty much set (if not the first round matchups), there's not a lot of drama in the final regular season series of 2019 starting Tuesday.  One notable exception will be in Saltillo, where the Saraperos try to stave off Dos Laredos' desperate attempt for a sweep to force at least a wild card game for the fourth and final LMB North playoff berth.  Likewise, Campeche desperately needs midweek wins in Oaxaca to keep their slight postseason hopes alive.


RUMOR MILL: COULD TIGRES RETURN TO MEXICO CITY?

Tigres founder Alejo Peralta (1916-96)

           The warm reception fans accorded the Quintana Roo Tigres when they played a recent Mexican League series in Mexico City has only fueled speculation that the flagship franchise might move back to the city they called "home" from their 1955 formation through the 2002 season.  Although the Tigres dropped two of three games to the Diablos Rojos in the August 16-18 set, a large percentage of the 37,745 fans who attended the three games at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu were in vocal support of the visiting team, perhaps remembering when the Diablos-Tigres rivalry was the hottest in Mexican baseball, a distinction that likely goes to the Tijuana Toros and Monterrey Sultanes for reasons that go far beyond the won-lost column.

          Although the Tigres have won four pennants since leaving the nation's capital, the team's glory years were spent in Mexico City when they shared Parque de Seguro Social with the Diablos for 35 years before spending 2000 and 2001 in the Foro Sol, beating their bitter rivals in the Serie del Rey both years.  The Tigres won a pennant in their first season after they were formed by entrepreneur Alejo Peralta in the wake of the LMB's disastrous 1954 campaign in which the Liga suffered such serious financial losses that the loop's existence was threatened.

          Instead, new owners like Peralta were found and the Mexican League became a Class AA member of Minor League Baseball after years of operating outside the aegis of organized baseball.  The moves saved the Mexican League (which became a AAA circuit in 1967) and the Tigres became one of the LMB's model operations while winning eight flags in Mexico City under Peralta and his son Carlos, who inherited the team after the elder Peralta died at age 80 in 1997.  The Tigres won the flag that summer and two more before Carlos Peralta decided to move the team to Puebla prior to the 2003 campaign.

          While they won a pennant in 2005 (with an All-Mexican roster to commemorate the team's 50th anniversary), the Tigres never really clicked in Puebla over four years as they shared both the colonial city and Estadio Hermanos Serdan with the Pericos so the younger Peralta moved them to Cancun in 2007, marking the first time in team history that they had a city all to themselves.  That shift has never really worked out as well despite three more pennants to bring the franchise's overall total to twelve title, second only to the Diablos' 16. Unlike his father, Carlos Peralta was never a baseball fan and his team was heavily subsidized by the Quintana Roo state government up until he sold the Tigres to Fernando and Linda Valenzuela in February 2017.

Will Estadio Fray Nano host an LMB team again?

          The Valenzuelas have struggled to operate in the resort city while attendance has never been better than middle of the pack and their easternmost location adds cost to road trips.  The enthusiasm for the team in Mexico City did not go unnoticed and a possible franchise shift will be discussed at the conclusion of the current season.  An anonymous Tigres board member told Puro Beisbol editor Fernando Ballesteros "moving is a real possibility...they are very attracted to Mexico City."

          Recently-vacated Estadio Fray Nano, which served the Diablos for five summers before their current ballpark was completed, is being mentioned as a possible site for future Tigres home games. However, the 5,000-seat venue would be the smallest in the league and fans rarely bothered the ticket sellers when the Red Devils played at home as the team regularly finished near the bottom of the attendance tables.


MAZATLAN CHOSEN TO HOST 2021 CARIBBEAN SERIES

Estadio Teodoro Mariscal in Mazatlan

          The Mexican Pacific League Mazatlan Venados have been selected to host the Caribbean Series in February 2021 at the renovated Estadio Teodoro Mariscal. Typically, the Serie del Caribe rotates between Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic during a four-year cycle and 2021 will be Mexico's next turn to host it.  That rotation has been scuttled the past two years as political and socioeconomic turmoil in Venezuela led to the CS being moved from Barquisimeto in that country the past two winters, with Guadalajara taking over the event in 2018 a year after it was played in Culiacan while Panama City was the surprise last-minute emergency host this year.  Panamanian champion Herrera was a surprise winner in that nation's first time playing for the Crown Jewel of Latin Baseball since 1960.

          This will mark the first time Mazatlan has hosted the Caribbean Series since 2005, when the LMP champion Venados won five of six games under manager Juan Jose Pacho while fielding a roster including major leaguers Vinny Castilla, Erubiel Durazo, Luis Ayala and Jonny Gomes as well as tournament MVP Francisco Campos, who led all pitchers in wins (2), strikeouts (23) and ERA (1.13).  Pacho led the Venados to a second CS crown in 2016, winning all six games in Santo Domingo that February to cap a run of four titles for Mexican teams in a six-year span between 2011 and 2016.

          The 2020 Caribbean Series is slated to be held in Puerto Rico at San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium.  Two more nations will join the field to make it an eight-team tournament for the first time ever as winterball champions from Colombia and Nicaragua are expected to join the other six title-winners (Cuba was added on a conditional basis in 2014 and Pinar del Rio from that nation won the CS crown one year later).

Mazatlan Venados celebrate their 2016 CS title

          However, in recent years, plot complications have become a part of the Serie del Caribe fabric and 2020 may be no different.  Last week, Major League Baseball ruled that no player in an MLB organization will be allowed to play in Venezuela this winter.  MLB chief legal officer Dan Halem claims U.S. president Donald Trump dictated the ban due to support Venezuela president Nicolas Maduro's government gives the Liga Venezolana, which has heavily relied on MiLB players to fill their rosters in recent years.  If the ban holds, LVBP teams will have to rely on players from American independent leagues and Latin American players not already playing winterball in other countries.

          In other Mex Pac news, the new Guasave Algodoneros are now on their third manager even though the team has yet to play a game.  Originally, Salon de la Fama second baseman and longtime Oakland A's minor league coach Juan Navarrete was announced as the Cottoneers manager.  Then, Puro Beisbol writer Gilberto Ruiz Razo said in an August 18 piece that Guasave was going to hire former Mariners farmhand and LMB infielder Bobby Magallenes as dugout boss. Puro Beisbol editor Fernando Ballesteros says Magallenes (who's coaching with the Braves' AAA Gwinnett affiliate this summer) turned down the Guasave job "to concentrate on family matters," stating that the new Algodoneros skipper will be ex-MLB pitcher Rigo Beltran.  Beltran, who pitched for the Cardinals, Mets, Rockies and Expos between 1997 and 2004, is presently pitching coach for Columbus, the Indians' AAA farm team.


BONUS:  LEON 5, YUCATAN 4 on SUNDAY, 25 AUG 2019

          Baseball Mexico reader Bob Broughton is a Canadian who has relocated to Mexico and now attends Leon Bravos games while not writing his Courtesy Runner blog on NAIA college baseball for VictorySportsNetwork.com. The following is his in-person game report of Sunday's matchup between the Bravos and Yucatan at Leon's final home game of 2019, photos included:

 

Yucatan infielder Alex Liddi

        The Bravos de León (46-68) defeated the Leones (Lions) de Yucatán (64-51) at Estadio Domingo Santana in León on August 25. This was the Bravos' final home game of the season. They lost the previous four games. This was a good ball game, so they finished the season on a positive note, in front of a good crowd.

          The Bravos got all five of their runs in the bottom of the third inning. SS Marco Jaime got it started with a single. 3B Marco Guzman hit a double, the 1B Matt Clark was hit hard by a pitch to load the bases. (Clark returned to first base in the top of the fourth, but was replaced by a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the fourth.) The next batter, DH Carlos Rivero, hit a ground ball that resulted in a force out at second base, but Jaime scored. LF Felix Pie hit a double to score Guzman. RF Cedric Hunter drew a walk to load the bases again, then CF Jose Cardona hit a two-RBI single. 2B Carlos Alvarez hit a single to score Hunter, then C Omar Renteria hit into a double play to end the inning.

          The Leones opened the scoring with an RBI single by 1B Art Charles in the top of the first. However, an inning-ending double play kept the damage to one run. The turning point in the game came in the top of the third. With runners at first and third and one out, DH Luis Juarez had a long turn at bat off Bravos starter LHP Jose De Paula. Juarez hit long foul balls to both the first-base and third-base sides; the latter one wasn't foul by more than 15 cm., and bounced to the fence; it would have certainly scored two runs. He was finally put out on a harmless popup to the catcher in foul territory. The next batter, Charles, hit an RBI single, but the Leones led by only 2-0 going into the bottom of the third.

          The Leones added a run in the top of the fifth with a sacrifice fly by 3B Alex Liddi. De Paula got some defensive help in the top of the sixth; with a runner on second and two outs, LF Jose Aguilar hit a line drive to right field, and Hunter made a great leaping catch, saving a run.

           De Paula was still on the mound for the seventh inning. The Leones started the inning with a double by SS Jorge Flores. The next batter, 2B Walter Ibarra, bunted. It wasn't fielded cleanly, and the Leones had runners at first and third with no outs, and behind only 5-3. De Paula was relieved by RHP Luis de la O, who has an ERA of 10.13. He threw one pitch, and the result was a double play, although Flores scored to make it 5-4. de la O walked the next batter, Liddi, and was replaced by RHP Fredy Quintero. Quintero promptly picked off Liddi to end the inning.

          In the top of the eighth, Quintero walked Charles with one out. Charles was replaced by a pinch-runner, Francisco Hernandez. Quintero struck out the next batter, then Renteria made a throw to second to catch Hernandez attempting to steal.

          The Bravos' closer, RHP Manny Acosta, came on in the top of the ninth. The leadoff batter, C Sebastian Valle, hit a ground ball to second base. It was bobbled by shortstop Jaime, and was scored an error, although it was a difficult play. Since the Leones trailed by one run, the next batter, Aguilar, was called upon to bunt. Acosta threw three pitched to him; he bunted foul three times, and the Leones wasted an out. The next batter, Flores, hit a sharp line drive that was caught by Jaime. Valle had already reached second base (hit-and-run?), so all Jaime had to do was make an easy throw to first to complete the double play and end the game.

 

Leon pitcher Jose De Paula

        The Bravos had five double plays in the game. De Paula went six+ innings, allowed three earned runs on nine hits, walked two, struck out two, and got the win. Acosta got a save. Leones starter RHP Yoanner Negrin went six innings, allowed five runs on eight hits, struck out three, walked two, and got the loss. Guzman finished 3-for-4 with a double. Charles went 2-for-3 with two RBI.

          Pie leads the team in in hitting by a wide margin, with a .382 average. De Paula's 3-0 W/L record is the best on the team, and his 4.55 ERA is one of the lowest. He spent the majority of the season with Monterrey, and his numbers for the entire season are 6-1, 4.68 ERA, and 87 strikeouts. Acosta's numbers are 3-3, 3.86 ERA, 52 strikeouts, and 17 saves.

          The Bravos drew 4,346 fans to Sunday's game to bring their 2019 average attendance up to 3,318, eleventh in the league. Last season's average was 2,326.

          Negrin (Havana) was in the Cubs organization 2011-15. Liddi (Sanremo, Italy) played 61 games for the Mariners 2011-13, had a career average of .208. He played for Italy in three World Baseball Classics. He was a teammate of Mitch "The Boss" Lively with Chinatrust Brothers. Charles (Bakersfield, CA) was in the Blue Jays organization 2010-15. Flores (Ensenada, Baja California) was also in the Blue Jays organization, 2012-17. Ibarra (Los Mochis, Sinaloa) was in the Yankees organization 2006-13, the Cubs organization 2014, and the Diamondbacks organization 2015. Valle (Los Mochis, Sinaloa) was in the Phillies organization 2007-14.

          De Paula (Villa Mella, Dominican Republic) pitched 3 1/3 innings for the Yankees in 2015. Cardona (San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo Leon) was in the Rangers organization 2011-18.

Ferrnando Valenzuela, investors buy Tigres; team keeps name

A group led by former Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Fernando Valenzuela has agreed to terms for the purchase of Cancun's Quintana Roo Tigres, one of the Mexican League's most storied franchises.  The amount Valenzuela's group is paying for the Tigres (including the team's nickname itself, which owner Carlos Peralta originally said was not for sale) was not immediately available.

During a Sunday press conference in Cancun, which will remain the team's home for the 2017 season, Peralta said, "Being sensitive to the many comments and expressions I've received from the fans, manifested in their fear that the great tradition and legacy of the Tigres may disappear, and given the opportunity and interest of a regional group of investors with proven moral quality, love for baseball and a future developmental plan for the team in the Cancun market, after careful consideration, I've decided to sell the team and the name Tigres."

Few, if any, details are available about the transaction, including the price, nor is the level of involvement of the state government known, although Quintana Roo governor Carlos Joaquin was introduced at the press conference.  Peralta was one of many LMB owners who've benefitted from state subsidies in past years, mostly among the so-called "Old Guard" ownership group that has butted heads with the "New Breed" group of owners who largely want to steer away from such arrangements.  The latter faction leans toward marketing their teams aggressively, relying on ticket and merchandise sales along with corporate sponsorships to generate revenues instead of subsidies.

It is not known which faction Valenzuela will align himself with, a crucial consideration with the two sides split almost evenly in votes during league meetings.  At the press conference, the Navojoa native said, "I'm very happy that baseball will continue.  I never imagined being in charge of an organization, let alone a team like the Tigres.  I think the fans have greatly identified with the Tigres, and I think that's a great advantage for us."

Thus, for the first time in 62 years, there will not be a Peralta heading a Liga team.  The legendary Alejo Peralta formed the Mexico City Tigres in time for the 1955 season and went on to run the franchise until his death in 1997.  The older Peralta ran his team in a similar fashion to soccer's Chivas club: A profoundly pro-Mexican organization that bypassed bringing in foreign players and putting a premium on domestic talent, often winning titles with an all-homegrown lineup.  The Tigres shared Mexico City with the Diablos Rojos for nearly five decades, creating the country's fiercest baseball rivalry.

That ended somewhat when the younger Peralta did what had been considered unthinkable by moving the Tigres out of the nation's capital, first to Puebla in 2002 and then to Cancun in 2007, but the rivalry has never truly died and there is sentiment among many fans and journalists south of the border that the Tigres should ultimately return to Mexico City.  Wherever they've called "home," the Tigres have won 18 division championships and 12 pennants, the last coming in 2015.  Although he has come under criticism at regular intervals since taking over for his father 20 years ago, the team HAS won eleven Mexican League titles under Carlos Peralta and his right-hand man, team executive president Cuauhtemoc "Chito" Rodriguez.

The LMB will hold an Assembly of Presidents meeting on Friday in Mexico City.  Now that it's been determined that there will be a 16-team league (with new teams in Leon and Durango while the Tigres are staying put in Cancun), conjuring a schedule for the upcoming season may be on the agenda since Opening Day is projected for Friday, March 31.

MiLB: No limit on Mexican-Americans in Liga; Tigres for sale?

One week after meeting with Mexican League team presidents in Houston to hear both sides of the bitter dispute between two factions over the status of Mexican-American players in the LMB, Minor League Baseball president Pat O'Connor has released a ruling that there will be no limit on how many such players can signed to contracts with Liga teams.  There had been a suspension on signings of Mexican-American peloteros (who do not count against the LMB's limit of six foreigners per team) since the Assembly of Presidents meeting in Texas on February 1 while the issue was considered in MiLB offices in St. Petersburg, Florida, but the stay was lifted with Tuesday's ruling from O'Connor.

In a letter to the LMB, O'Connor explained that limiting the number of U.S.-born players with at least one Mexican parent would be in violation of both the Mexican Constitution and federal anti-discrimination laws, and that the Liga could be subject to lawsuits by such a policy.  There were no limits on Mexican-American players last year in the Mexican League which led to Monterrey owner Jose "Pepe" Maiz reacting bitterly to his Sultanes' loss in last September's Northern Division finals to a Tijuana Toros club with a heavy presence of Mexican-Americans on the roster.  Maiz was joined by seven other so-called Old Guard owners in seeking limits for the 2017 season, first a total of nine players per team but lowered to three apiece after the schism among owners deepened even further in January's league meeting, a rift that goes far beyond roster limits.

O'Connor's ruling is a clear victory over the seven "New Breed" owners (including Tijuana's Alberto Uribe, the primary object of Maiz' ire), who wanted no limits on Mexican-Americans, but there's already been one reaction among one of the Old Guard, Quintana Roo Tigres owner Carlos Peralta.  The son of legendary Tigres owner Alejo Peralta, who founded the team in 1955.  The Tigres shared old Parque de Social Seguro with the Diablos Rojos, a rivalry that was the biggest in Mexican baseball until the elder Peralta's death at age 80 in 1997.

Although Carlos has run the team for two decades since his father's passing, his ties to baseball were never as extensive and after a few more years in the nation's capital, the Tigres were moved twice: First to Puebla in 2002 and again to Cancun in 2007.  While the Tigres have indeed won six LMB pennants under Carlos' stewardship (three in Puebla, three in Cancun), the team has never been wholly embraced in either city as the younger Peralta grew more and more distant from the ballclub, largely leaving its operation to team Executive President Cuauhtemoc "Chito" Rodriguez, who came to work under Alejo Peralta in 1995 after 19 years in the Nuevo Laredo Tecolotes front office.

This is not the first time Carlos Peralta has explored selling the Tigres, but it appears to be the most serious effort.  Peralta is seeking to sell the team but keep the Tigres name and intellectual properties.  One asking price that was floated in the Mexican media is US$2,500,000, but it's difficult to place a value on this particular ballclub because it has been a major presence in the LMB for more than six decades, the team has has some financial difficulties operating in Cancun while the franchise will undoubtedly lose luster without the "Tigres" name attached to it.  There is some sentiment among Mexican baseball cronistas for the team to move back to Mexico City and resume their rivalry with the Diablos, but that might be a reach if the Diablos are not willing to share the new ballpark being constructed in Mexico City.

Whatever the outcome with the Tigres, this serves as one more headache for recently-reinstated Liga president Plinio Escalante, who returned to the LMB offices in Mexico City this month.  O'Connor made it clear on February 1 that the Yucatan native is the only person that MiLB will accept behind the big desk.  Besides the seemingly-insoluble division between the two owner factions, ballpark issues in both Durango and Leon still need addressing and there are other Old Guard owners besides Peralta who earlier "quit" the league earlier this offseason (albeit symbolically).  The question of who buys the UnTigres becomes more important in regards to which faction the new owner would align himself with.

The next LMB Assembly of Presidents meeting is scheduled for February 17 in Mexico City.  Tea and scones are not likely on the agenda.