MEXICO SPLITS WITH TOP-RANKED JAPAN IN OSAKA

The Mexican National Baseball Team currently sits sixth in the World Baseball Softball Confederation's latest rankings, but they entered the lion's den last weekend when they traveled to Osaka for a two-game series against the number one team in the world, Japan, in the Samurai Series.  The set served as a warmup of sorts for both teams months ahead of November's Premier12 tournament, which will be a qualifier for next year's Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.

As host team, Japan will have a berth in the 2020 Games regardless of how they do next winter, but the series was a crucible for the Mexicans and new manager Dan Firova, who replaced Enrique "Che" Reyes at the helm after the Puebla Pericos would not allow their new skipper to make the trip to the Far East.  When the dust settled, Mexico had won one of the two tilts along with an added measure of respect from baseball observers around the globe.

Mexico won Saturday's opener, 4-2, in come-from-behind fashion.  Japan took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Masataka Yoshida singled in Seiji Uebayashi and added another run in the fourth when Takuya Kai pushed Yoshida across with a singleton.  The Verdes Grande put their first score on the board in the top of the sixth after Victor Mendoza crossed home plate on a Luis Juarez single to make it a 2-1 contest but the game really took a turn in the Mexicans' favor one inning later.

An Ali Solis double in the top of the seventh brought in Jose Juan Aguilar to knot the score at 2-2.  Solis then scored Mexico's go-ahead run on a single by Chris Roberson, a naturalized Mexican citizen who was not on manager Dan Firova's original roster.  The Mexicans plated an insurance run in the eighth on a Luis "Cochito" Cruz single that drove home Joey Meneses, who'll be playing his first season in Japan this year with the Orix Buffaloes in Osaka after winning MVP honors in the AAA International League last summer.  Reliever Javier Cota earned the win for Mexico while Jake Sanchez held the hosts scoreless to pick up the save.

Japan turned things around Sunday with a 6-0 shutout over Mexico to earn the series split.  The key blow for the home team came early when Yoshida belted a first-inning grand slam off Verdes Grande starter Manny Barreda as Japan staked opener Juri Hara a 5-0 lead heading into the second frame.  Hara, who got the win, combined with six relievers on the six-hit whitewash and Barreda absorbed the defeat.  Mexico got two-hit nights from Mendoza and Juarez while Roberto Lopez and Xorge Carrillo each contributed one hit apiece.

The Samurai Series was well-attended, with good crowds both nights at the 36,000-seat domed stadium.  Saturday's contest brought in 28,933 spectators while another 28,622 fans clicked the turnstiles Sunday night, very respectable numbers for an exhibition series a month ahead of the regular season.  

According to Puro Beisbol writer Bambino Sedano, one of the off-field highlights for the visitors came when a Japanese fan, 24-year-old Ryu Ishibashi, traveled about 500 miles from Sendai to Osaka to meet Juarez, his Mexican baseball idol who had three hits in the series.  Juarez invited Ishibashi (who hopes his favorite someday plays for his Rakuten Golden Eagles) to have dinner with him and teammates Mendoza and Aguilar. In return, Juarez received a shirt featuring a drawing Ishibashi made of the Yucatan slugger.

EX-NCAA PITCHER OF YEAR HEIMLICH SIGNS WITH TECOS

The NCAA's 2018 Pitcher of the Year, Luke Heimlich, has signed a free agent contract with the Mexican League's Dos Laredos Tecolotes.  While the presence of a left-handed hurler with such bonafides represents a baseball coup of sorts for the Tecos, the Oregon State University product also brings no small amount of controversy to the border team.

On the field, there's little question that Heimlich has the chance to be a Mexican League standout.  After turning in an 11-0 record with a 0.66 ERA as a senior at Puyallup (WA) High School, he was named Washington's 2014 Gatorade Player of the Year.  Playing collegiately for west coast powerhouse Oregon State, Heimlich was selected the Pac 12 Pitcher of the Year in 2017 as a Junior after leading the nation with an 0.81 ERA, and he followed that up with a standout Senior campaign last year in which he was named NCAA Pitcher of the Year on the heels of a 16-3 record with a 2.42 ERA (also winning his second consecutive Pac 12 POY award).

However, Heimlich is bringing considerable baggage to Nuevo Laredo with him.  During the 2017 season, it was discovered that he had pled guilty as a 15-year-old to sexually molesting his six-year-old niece.  The revelation created a firestorm that resulted in Heimlich being left behind in Corvallis when the Beavers travelled to the College World Series in Omaha, where Oregon State was eliminated by Louisiana State in the semifinals.  He did make the trip to the CWS last June, when the Beavers won their third NCAA title, but lost both his decisions to North Carolina and Arkansas, the latter in Game One of the title series (which would prove to be the final competitive game he's pitched to date).

After slipping through the MLB amateur draft in both 2017 and 2018, Heimlich began looking for work as a free agent.  The Kansas City Royals considered signing him last year, but backed off after protests were raised. He did eventually sign a contract with the Latigo Monkeys of Taiwan last August, but the Chinese Professional Baseball League voided the deal due to his criminal record and may be facing the same outcome with the Mexican League office.

LMB president Javier Salinas told the New York Times, "He's not registered in the league.  We have to analyze his case." Salinas added, "It's very difficult to see him registered in the Mexican League."  Tecos owner Jose Antonio Mansur says the Liga took the unusual step of requiring Heimlich to sign a letter vowing good behavior.  "I'm not a judge," Mansur told the Times. "I'm just a businessman and I'll give him an opportunity.  If he was guilty, he's already been judged. I'm just looking from here on forward."

For his part, Heimlich (who has since said he was innocent but pled guilty to spare his family from a drawn-out public legal process) had one of two charges dropped, was placed on two years' probation, took court-ordered classes, wrote a letter apologizing to his niece (now 14) and had to register for five years as a Level I sex offender, in which he is considered a low risk to the community and unlikely to become a repeat offender.

ROCKIES, D-BACKS PLAY TWO EXHIBITION GAMES IN MONTERREY

The Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks were south of the border over the weekend for a pair of Major League Baseball exhibition games at Estadio Monterrey, home of the Mexican League Sultanes.

In Saturday's opener, Mike Tauchman went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI singles and a run and Roberto Ramos hit a run-scoring double and a solo homer to lead Colorado to an easy 5-1 win.  Four Rockies pitchers combined on a four-hitter as reliever Jeff Hoffman tossed four scoreless innings to earn the victory, allowing just two hits and striking out five Arizona batsmen.  Diamondbacks starter Taylor Clarke was tagged with the loss after giving up a pair of runs on five hits over 3.1 frames. The game was far from a sellout, as 9,372 fans were in the stands of the 22,061-seat ballpark.

Arizona came back Sunday with a 5-2 triumph.  This time, it was the Snakes' pitchers who shone on the mound as the Rockies were limited to three hits.  D-backs starter Matt Koch allowed one run on one hit in four innings, striking out three with no walks. Nick Green came on for three more strong entradas, giving up one run on two hits while Braden Shipley pitched two perfect innings and struck out four for the save.  The game was tied 1-1 in the bottom of the third when Arizona's Eduardo Escobar lashed a double to right that brought in Tim Locastro with the go-ahead run.  The Diamondbacks picked up a pair of insurance runs in the eighth on Idelmaro Vargas' two-run homer off Rockies reliever Ben Bowden. Koch took the win for Arizona while Colorado starter Tyler Anderson was tagged for the loss.  Attendance was a little better Sunday as 10,746 watched the action.

A pair of Mexican-born former MLB performers served as "ambassadors" for the two teams. Oaxaca native Vinny Castilla, who is currently a special assistant to Colorado general manager Jeff Bridich after a successful playing career as a third baseman and will manage Hermosillo in the Mexican Pacific League next winter, was on hand as the Rockies ambassador.  Erubiel Durazo, born in Hermosillo and a one-time Sultanes first baseman who hit .364 in the 2001 World Series for Arizona's only championship team, represented the Diamondbacks. He was joined by another D-Backs '01 hero, Luis "Gonzo" Gonzalez, a Tampa product who hit .325 with 57 homers and 142 RBIs that year.

The visit of two Major League teams to Monterrey was not all sunshine and lollipops, however.  The Hitazo website (edited by respected Mexican baseball writer Hector Bencomo) says the occasion also served as a platform for about 50 fans who appear to have purchased lifetime passes to events in Estadio Monterrey when the facility was completed in 1990.  Through legal representative Oscar Martinez, the group claims that the contracts they signed 29 years ago gives them free entry to any event held at the ballpark for fifty years, including the Colorado-Arizona series. Instead, they say, the Sultanes, who hosted last weekend's two-game set, are charging them 9,900 pesos (about US$500) for two annual box tickets and another 5,000 pesos (US$250) for parking in 2019.  According to Hitazo, Sultanes co-owner Jose Maiz has refused to comment on the impasse.

Mexico loses 10-4 to Arizona; WBC Pool D opens Thursday

Despite taking an early lead by scoring a pair of first inning runs off former Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke, the Mexican National Team ended up losing a 10-4 decision to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a World Baseball Classic tuneup Wednesday at Scottsdale, Arizona.  The loss came a day after a defeat at the hands of the San Diego Padres as the Verdes Grande played a pair of Major League Baseball sides in preparation for the World Baseball Classic.

Dodgers prospect Alex Verdugo led off the game by singling to left field off Greinke, followed by a Luis Alfonso Cruz double to left that brought Verdugo all the way in from first base to give Mexico a 1-0 lead.  Cruz advanced to third on Brandon Laird's flyout to center and scored on Efren Navarro's line-drive single up the middle to bring the lead to 2-0.  Navarro went from first to third on Chris Roberson's two-out single, but Greinke then picked Roberson off first to end the inning.

The lead held until the bottom of the third, when the Diamondbacks scored three times.  Oswaldo Arcia led off by waiting out Mexico starter Hector Daniel Rodriguez, who then gave up consecutive singles to Jack Reinheimer, Kristopher Negron and Domingo Leyba, with Negron's driving in Arcia and Leyba's safety plating Reinheimer to tie the game.  Idelmara Vargas lofted a sacrifice fly to Verdugo in right for the inning's first out, but Negron came in to give Arizona a 3-2 advantage.  Rodriguez got the final two outs on three pitches.

The Snakes were up by a 5-2 count when Mexico next scored in the top of the seventh when Sebastian Elizalde's bases-loaded walk issued by Kevin Jepsen pushed Luis Urias across the plate with a run.  After Arizona scored once more in the bottom of the seventh, the Mexicans scored in the top of the eighth when Japhet Amador's groundout to third sent Manny Rodriguez in from third to close to gap to 6-4, but the Diamonbacks put four more runs on the board in the bottom of the frame to put the game away, with Evan Marzilli's three-run homer off reliever Will Locante the key blow.  Locante is a former D-Backs farmhand now in the Padres organization who was among a handful of pitching fill-ins for Mexico as manager Gonzalez wanted to save some wear and tear on his mound staff prior to the opening of WBC play.

Greinke got the win for the Diamondbacks despite allowing two runs on four hits and two walks in two innings. Danny Rodriguez was tagged with the loss by coughing up four runs on as many hits in two-plus frames, striking out two.  Manny Rodriguez had a single and double for the Mexicans, who were outhit by a 14-10 margin and went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position over the contest.  A crowd of 6,391 watched the encounter under sunny skies at Salt River Fields.

After the game, the Verdes Grande headed south to Guadalajara for Thursday's WBC Pool D opening game at 8PM Central Time against Italy at Estadio Charros after an elaborate ceremony.  Here is the entire Pool D schedule:

Thursday, March 9 - Mexico vs. Italy, 8:00pm CT
Friday, March 10 - Venezuela vs. Puerto Rico, 8:00pm CT
Saturday, March 11 - Venezuela vs. Italy, 2:00pm CT
Saturday, March 11 - Puerto Rico vs. Mexico, 8:30pm CT
Sunday, March 12  - Italy vs. Puerto Rico, 1:30pm CDT
Sunday, March 12 - Mexico vs. Venezuela, 8:00pm CDT
Monday, March 13 - Tiebreaker (if needed), 7:00pm CDT

Play in Pools A and B has already begun, with Israel the early surprise team with Pool A upset wins over South Korea, Taiwan and The Netherlands, punching their ticket to the second round.  The Dutch will also advance while the favored Koreans and Taiwanese will square off Thursday night in Seoul with matching 0-2 records and a lot of questions to answer from their respective fan bases, particularly in South Korea.

In Pool B action at the Tokyo Dome, host Japan is 2-0 after wins over Cuba and Australia heading into Friday's likely win over China (which has lost twice by an aggregate score of 17-0), and will move on to the WBC quarterfinals.  Australia and Cuba will play Thursday night to determine the second Pool B team to reach the final eight.

In addition to Pool D in Guadalajara at the only opening-round venue without a roof, Pool C play gets underway Thursday when Canada meets the Dominican Republic in Miami's Marlins Stadium.  The USA will play Colombia on Friday night.

De La Rosa, Garcia bow out as WBC opener approaches

With only a few days remaining until their World Baseball Classic opener against Italy in Guadalajara, the Mexican National Team roster is still undergoing changes as more players originally expected to play have decided to sit out the WBC in favor of remaining in training camp with their Major League Baseball teams.

The latest to send their regrets are pitchers Jorge De La Rosa and Jaime Garcia, who will stay with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves, respectively.  Another player, Mexican League outfielder J.J. Aguilar, had to beg off the WBC due to a shoulder injury.  They'll be replaced by pitchers Hector Daniel Rodriguez and Miguel Aguilar along with outfielder Luis Juarez.  Reds minor leaguer Sebastian Elizalde has also been tabbed to fill in for A's outfielder Khris Davis, who recently elected to stay in Oakland's Arizona camp even though his roster spot is pretty well assured after belting 42 homers for the A's last year.

De La Rosa was signed to a minor league contract by the Diamondbacks in recent weeks after several seasons in Colorado (where he's the Rockies' all-time wins leaders) and wants to focus on trying to make his new big club.  Garcia is likewise with a different team after coming to the Braves following several seasons in St. Louis.  As with De La Rosa, the injury-plagued Garcia is wanting to concentrate on staying healthy after being dealt to the Braves for three players in the offseason. J.J. Aguilar, a top-of-the-order hitter with some speed and a career .306 average after seven seasons in the Mexican League, hurt his shoulder while training with the Yucatan Leones.

As is becoming a ritual for many managers of WBC teams dealing with rejections and injuries among their rostered players, Mexico skipper Edgar Gonzalez (pictured) is having to apply a tourniquet to his roster while trying to prepare for Pool D play against tough teams from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic and an Italy side hoping to surprise a few people.  Gonzalez' reinforcements may not have the resumes of the men they'll be replacing, but each has something to offer beyond a willingness to represent their homeland in baseball's version of soccer's World Cup.

Many observers were surprised when Danny Rodriguez was left off Mexico's original WBC roster after establishing himself as a big-game pitcher and one of the best lefties south of the border.  The 32-year-old Rodriguez was 9-4 with a 3.95 ERA last summer for a Saltillo team that failed to reach the playoffs, then turned in a decent regular season during the winter for Culiacan before raising his game in the Mexivan Pacific League postseason and Caribbean Series, as usual.  It has not been determined if Rodriguez will be used as a back-of-the-rotation starter or out of the bullpen.

Miguel Aguilar is a 25-year-old left-hander who has toiled in the Mexican League since debuting with Laguna in 2012.  He currently serves as a middleman for Yucatan, for whom he went 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA last year for manager Willie Romero's regular-season South Division champions.  Although he's had some control issues, Aguilar has averaged over one strikeout per inning for his career in both the Liga and the MexPac.  He will likely continue his reliever's role under Gonzalez in the WBC.

Luis Juarez had spent eight summers with Monterrey in the LMB and six winters with Mexicali in the LMP with fairly moderate totals (a combined .269 average and 29 homers over 517 games) before registering a career-type season of winterball with the Aguilas in 2016-17.  The 5'8" Culiacan native, who can play first lase, left field or catcher, won the MexPac batting title with a .364 average to finish 17 points ahead of the nearest hitter, and went on to bat .329 in 19 playoff games.  He was named by the league as its Most Valuable Player. Although it's hard to envision him as a starter in Guadalajara, Juarez' versaility will likely get him some playing time for Mexico in a utility role.

Sebastian Elizalde is not going to replace Davis' power in the Verdes Grande batting order, but he'll bring more foot speed to the outfield and on the basepaths.  The 25-year-old from Guaymas was a mid-season All-Star in the Florida State League while playing for Daytona in 2015, and is currently a non-roster invitee at Cincinnati's big league camp in the Sunshine State.  He topped the .300 mark three times in four LMB seasons while playing sparingly for Monterrey between 2010 and 2013 before the Red bought his contract before the 2014 campaign.  Elizalde batted .297 in 111 for AA Pensacola last summer.

The Mexicans will have tuneup game against the San Diego Padres in Peoria on Tuesday and the Arizona Diamonbacks on Wednesday in Scottsdale prior to their WBC opener against Italy Thursday night in Guadalajara.

Ex-Met Wally Backman to manage Monclova in 2017

Perhaps seeking similar results to what his Puebla Pericos had under former major leaguer Von Hayes, new Monclova owner Gerardo Benadives has named former MLB second baseman Wally Backman as the Acereros' manager for the upcoming 2017 Mexican League season.  The sale of the LMB franchise to Benavides was finalized earlier this month.  Multiple team owenerships are allowed in the Liga.

The Acereros reached the Liga's championship series in 2015, losing to Quintana Roo.  Monclova finished second in the LMB North last year with a 69-43 record before being swept by Tijuana in the first round of playoffs last summer under then-manager Homar Rojas, who will be managing in Aguascalientes in 2017.  The team also finished fourth in the LMB attendance derby in 2016, drawing 353,252 fans to 11,000-seat Estadio Beisbol de Monclova for an average of 6,423 per opening.  In short, the Acereros could be reasonably considered one of the Mexican League's better franchises.

Bringing Backman to Monclova appears to be a coup of sorts for Benavides.  After his 1993 retirement as a scrappy second baseman, Backman been successful as a minor league manager over 18 seasons in both independent and affiliated leagues, with ten winning seasons and three pennants: 1999 with Tri-City of the indy Western League, 2002 with Birmingham of the AA Southern League and 2007 with South Georgia in the indy South Coast League.  He was named The Sporting News Minor League Manager of the Year in 2004 after leading Class A Lancaster of the California League to an 86-54 regular season record (Puebla skipper Hayes managed Modesto to a league-best 90-50 mark that year).  The Oregon native has managed the Mets' AAA Las Vegas affiliate the past four seasons, winning the Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year award in 2014 after leading the 51's to the PCL South regular season title with an 81-63 record, nine games ahead of second-place El Paso, before a first-round playoff loss.  He's got a solid resume.

On the other hand, Backman brings some baggage across the border.  After he was named manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks on November 1, 2004, the New York Times ran a story depicting the former second sacker's legal and financial problems, including a 1996 restraining order filed against him by his first wife, a 2001 DUI arrest, an incident that same year involving his second wife and a friend that resulted in a misdemeanor harrassment plea, and a personal bankruptcy filing in 2003.  The Diamondbacks fired him five days after hiring him.  Backman went back to indy ball before signing on to manage in the Mets system in 2010, but was let go by the Mets after last season.  He's since accused Mets GM Sandy Alderson of blackballing him among organized baseball organizations, a charge others have denied but Backman says he learned of from a friend in MLB commissioner Rob Manfred's office.

Although he's said he's grateful to be managing the Acereros, Backman may view working in Mexico as a temporary situation.  Writer Bob Klapisch with USA Today's NorthJersey.com site says Backman (who speaks little Spanish) has let it be known he'd jump at an offer from an MLB organization, even if it meant breaking his commitment to the Acereros.  "I would take it in a minute," Backman is quoted as saying.  "What I'm worried about is being out of sight, out of mind.  If I go to Mexico, I'll be out of sight from the people I'm trying to connect with."

Mexico moves up to sixth in WBSC's global rankings; to play Padres, Diamondbacks before WBC

Mexico's star in international baseball continues to rise as the country's National Team has moved past Venezuela into sixth place in the latest World Baseball & Softball Confederation rankings ahead of next year's World Baseball Classic.

The WBSC is located in Lausanne, Switzerland and serves as the governing body for international baseball and fastpitch after the former International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and International Softball Federation (ISF) merged in 2013.  They also publish rankings for women's baseball, men's fastpitch and women's fastpitch.

The WBSC's final baseball rankings for 2016 show Japan maintaining first place with 5,699 points while the United States remained in second with 4,928 points.  South Korea moved up from fourth to third with 4,849 points to slip past Taiwan, who fell to fourth place at 4,261.  Cuba held onto their fifth-place ranking at 3,857 points, ahead of Mexico in sixth at 3,081.  The top ten is rounded out by Venezuela, Canada, The Netherlands and Italy.  In other WBSC rankings, Mexico's men's fastpitch team moved up one slot to 9th (New Zealand is first) while Mexico's women's fastpitch club vaulted four places to tenth (Japan remained on top of that list).  Mexico's women's baseball team is unranked.

Mexico, Venezuela and Italy will be joined by 12th-ranked Puerto Rico next March for World Baseball Classic Pool D play at Estadio Charros in Guadalajara in what may prove to be one of the most intriguing of the four WBC first-round groupings.  Prior to the March 9 Pool D opener between Mexico and Italy, the Grandes Verde will spend three days at the Peoria, Arizona spring training complex shared by the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners.  The stay will include a pair of exhibition games against MLB teams:  On Tuesday, March 7, Mexico will take on the Padres at 1:10PM Mountain time at Peoria Stadium, followed by a 1:10PM tilt on Wednesday, March 8 against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt Rivers Fields at the Talking Stick Resort in nearly Scottsdale before flying to Guadalajara for the WBC.

Mexican manager Edgar Gonzalez, who is currently helmsman of the Mexican Pacific League's Jalisco Charros in Guadalajara, is in the early stages of assembling his roster.  Brother Adrian Gonzalez (the Dodgers' five-time All-Star first baseman) has indicated he'll be playing in his fourth WBC, infielder Danny Espinosa (who was recently traded to the Angels after seven seasons with the Nationals) has committed and outfielder Khris Davis (whose mother is a Culiacan native) will patrol the outfield after swatting 42 homers with 102 RBIs for the A's last summer.  Mexico's pitching staff will include starter Jaime Garcia (who won 20 games for the Cardinals in 2015-16 before being dealt to the Braves earlier this month), Jays closer Roberto Osuna (36 saves in 2016), two-time Royals All-Star reliever Joakim Soria (203 career saves) and longtime MLB hurler Oliver Perez (69-86 over 14 seasons), who spent last season in the Nats bullpen.

D-backs to open own Mexican baseball academy

For years, the Arizona Diamondbacks have sought to establish a strong presence in Mexico.  However, the Phoenix-based team is planning something that neither the Los Angeles Dodgers nor San Diego Padres have done South of the border: Constructing and operating their own baseball academy for young prospects in Mexico.

While the comcept of a major league team building and running academies in Latin American countries is hardly new (the Dominican and Venezuelan landscapes are dotted with them and the great baseball movie "Sugar" opens in such a setting), the Diamondbacks will be the first to do so in Mexico.  Solo Beisbol's Roberto Espinoza reports that Hermosillo has been chosen as the site of both the academy and a D-backs' satellite office (also an MLB first).

Former big league first baseman Erubiel Durazo, a Hermosillo native, will oversee the operations in his hometown.  Durazo spent 1999 through 2002 with Arizona before playing three more seasons in Oakland, for whom he hit a combined 43 homers with 165 RBI's in 2003 and 2004 (batting .321 his second year with the A's, good for fifth in the American League).  Durazo is translated as saying, "We're making history as an organization and as a country.  With the support of Sonora governor Claudia Pavlovich, the Diamondbacks look to be a 'Mexican' team, build the country's first Academy, then go look for other states." Espinoza writes the states of Sinaloa and Nuevo Leon are being considered for future academy sites.  Former D-backs' All-Star Luis Gonzalez, now a special Adviser to team CEO Derrick Hall, has been in Hermosillo setting up shop (including the naming of scouts) in preparation for the team office and academy.

The news may not being going over well in the Mexican League offices.  The LMB has had a virtual monopoly over teenage ballplayers in Mexico for decades by signing them at an earlier age than MLB teams are able to, then retaining their rights when they become old enough to play up north.  An informal blacklist of homegrown players who circumvented the system by waiting and signing directly with MLB teams instead was lifted earlier this winter, allowing expats to play in Mexico after their days in the USA or elsewhere are over.  The LMB also operates an academy in Carmen, near Monterrey in Nuevo Leon) while a similar facility exists in Oaxaca.

MLB vets Adrian and Edgar Gonzalez, along with their father David, opened the Gonzalez Sports Academy featuring Mexican-born baseball prospects near San Diego in 2010.  Prospects who signed with MLB organizations gave the GSA a 30% commission, far less than the 70% routinely paid to LMB teams for the same thing.  The facility shut down in 2012.

TOMATEROS BRING IN CUBAN INFIELDER TO FILL FOR HONEYMOONING PENA

With third baseman Ramiro Pena off for his marriage and honeymoon, the Culiacan Tomateros have brought in Cuban infielder Yunesky Sanchez (pictured) to fill Pena’s roster spot. Pena, a Yankees utility man who was part of New York’s 2009 World Series championship team, was batting .238 with one homer and 13 RBIs in 28 games for the Tomateros before taking a break to marry Anahi Sandoval.

In Sanchez, Culiacan picks up a 26-year-old ballplayer whose versatility allows him to play all four infield positions. A player in the Diamondbacks minor league system, Sanchez defected from Cuba in 2004 and signed with Arizona in 2007. Since then, he has been a postseason All-Star Team pick in the Midwest League in 2007 and Southern League in 2008. Last summer, Sanchez played for Reno in the AAA Pacific Coast League, where he batted .286 with homers and 52 RBIs in 105 games for the Aces. He was playing winterball earlier this year in Colombia for the Medellin Potros before the league suspended operations this month due to ongoing weather problems.

While playing for Matanzas in the Cuban National Series prior to leaving the island nation, Sanchez was a teammate of current Culiacan right fielder Amaury Cazana. (NOTE: Photo replaces an earlier picture misidentified as Sanchez...Thanks to a BBM reader who caught my attention)

VENADOS PICK UP DIAMONDBACKS PITCHER ROSALES

The Mazatlan Venados have strengthened their bullpen for the upcoming Mexican Pacific League season by adding Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Leo Rosales to their roster.

A 29-year-old Los Angeles native, the right-handed Rosales was a 20th Round Padres draft pick in 2003 out of Cal State-Northridge but was sent to the Diamondbacks organization during the 2007 season for infielder Scott Hairston. He made his MLB debut with Arizona that year, and in three truncated seasons with the D-Backs has earned a 5-2 record with a 4.98 earned-run average in 74 appearances. Rosales pitched last winter for Hermosillo, going 3-1 with four saves and a 4.50 ERA.

Rosales becomes the fifth Venados import for 2010-11, joining Ruben Rivera, Jon Weber, Matt Clark and Elliott Johnson. He’s expected to be the team’s closer.

D’BACKS HOLD OFF ROCKIES IN HERMOSILLO EXHIBITION GAME

The Arizona Diamondbacks snuck past the Colorado Rockies, 8-7, Sunday afternoon in a Major League Baseball preseason game played in Hermosillo’s 13,000-seat Estadio Hector Espino. Attendance at the contest was not announced.

Hermosillo fans saw a number of native sons involved in the contest, including Arizona starting pitcher Rodrigo Lopez (pictured). Lopez, who was 3-1 in five starts for the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies last year, was touched for two runs on five hits over three innings. Other Mexican players in the contest included Arizona pitcher Leo Rosales and Rockies players Erubiel Durazo, Miguel Duarte (an Hermosillo native) and Jorge de la Rosa.

Mexican baseball legend Vinny Castilla, who works in the Rockies front office while still actively playing winters for Hermosillo in the Mexican Pacific League, served as an honorary first base coach for Colorado. Rockies manager Jim Tracy spent time playing winterball in Hermosillo in the 1980s, and was warmly received by fans at the game.

Diamondbacks team president Derrick Hall said of the game in Hermosillo, “This is very important to me and important to us…We have developed a good relationship with Sonora and the city of Hermosillo over the years, and we cherish that.”