LIGA RATIFIES 66-GAME SEASON, PLAYOFFS FOR 2021

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

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

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

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

Homar Rojas to manage in Monterrey

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

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

CHARROS ACCUSE QUIRARTE OF MISHANDLING 25 MILLION PESOS

Salvador Quirarte during 2017 WBC

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

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

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

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

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

Armando Navarro in his Jalisco office

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

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

PUELLO: POLITICAL SOLUTIONS NEEDED FOR CUBA RETURN TO CS

CBPC commissioner Juan Francisco Puello

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

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

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

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

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

Cuba celebrating 2015 CS title

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

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

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

MAYOS ELIMINATED, LMP PLAYOFF TEAMS DETERMINED

Hermosillo LHP Juan Pablo Oramas

    When Navojoa dropped a 3-2 decision to Obregon on Tuesday, the Mayos were mathematically eliminated from the Mexican Pacific League playoff picture for next month, ensuring that Caribbean Series host Mazatlan has secured a post season berth. With Los Mochis already long out of the picture, that left eight teams to open the LMP Quarterfinals on Saturday, January 2.

    After games on Monday, December 28, the Hermosillo Naranjeros were in line for the top overall seed with a two-half total of 19 playoff points with two games remaining in the regular season, followed by Obregon (17 points), Guasave (14) and Monterrey (also 14). Those would be the four teams with home-field advantage during the first round. The next four seeds are projected to be Mexicali (13.5 points), Jalisco (11), defending champion Culiacan (11) and Mazatlan (10).

    Things are close enough in the second-half standings that seeding placements could change after the regular season closes Wednesday, but both Navojoa (8.5) and Los Mochis (7.0) will be done no matter what happens, although players like infielders Esteban “El Pony” Quiroz and Isaac Rodriguez are almost certain to be added as reinforcements for teams moving on to the postseason

    Hermosillo (17-11) has benefited from the strong pitching of veteran Juan Pablo Oramas all season and last Sunday was no exception. Oramas won his eighth game of the year by taking a 5-3 triumph over Guasave. Oramas tossed six innings and allowed three runs (all in the top of the first) while scattering nine hits and striking out four before leaving the contest with a two-run lead. Reliever Raul Barron hurled scoreless ball over the final three frames to save the win for the Naranjeros. Oramas is now tied the Mex Pac lead in wins with Guasave's Fernando Miranda. Both have identical 8-2 records, although Oramas' 2.80 ERA is a full run lower than Miranda's 3.86.

    The Orangemen got some bad news when they learned that first baseman Roberto Ramos won't be joining them for the playoffs after all. The team had been anxiously awaiting the hometown slugger to report after his strong 2020 debut in the Korea Baseball Organization, but Ramos celebrated his 27^th birthday Monday after re-signing with the LG Twins for $800,000 plus incentives that could bring his income up to $1 million in 2021. Ramos received a reported $500,000 this year after swatting 38 homers for the Twins and received interest from other KBO teams before agreeing to return to Busan for a second year.

    Mexicali (16-11) was a half-game behind Hermosillo in second place and Guasave continued their strong second LMP season one game out of the lead at 16-12. It's been quite a busy week for the Algodoneros, who said goodbye to shortstop Erisbel Arruebarrena on what a team press release (which repeatedly misspelled his last name as Arruebarruena) was “common agreement between both parties.” The Cottoneers cited both a shin injury suffered in a recent game with Mexicali and Arruebarrena's ongoing bout with diabetes for his declining on-field performance (.333 average with 10 homers in 29 games), although they did thank the Cuban for his “dedication and professionalism, blah blah blah.”

C.J. Retherford is now with Guasave

    Guasave also placed starting pitcher Thomas Dorminy (3-4, 3.44) on the disabled list with back pain. In turn, the Algodoneros picked up Cuban pitcher Yoenni Yeri and veteran third baseman C.J. “Rabbit” Retherford to join Cuban oufielder Yadier Drake as the team's three foreigners allowed on the active roster. Sports manager Alejandro Ahumada said, “We need to strengthen the middle part of the batting order and we believe Retherford is the man for that task.” Retherford broke into pro ball in 2007 in the White Sox system and has gone on to play several years in both the LMP and Mexican League, representing Mexicali in the 2017 Caribbean Series.

    First half champion Obregon (15-13) has rebounded from a slow second-half start to pull into a fourth-place tie with Monterrey (15-13). Jalisco (14-14) and Mazatlan (13-15) are sixth and seventh, respectively, while Culiacan and Navojoa are knotted in a tie for eighth at 12-16 each. While the champion Tomateros have had a hangover season following their LMP title last winter, a couple of their pitchers recently overcame their team's lukewarm 2020-21 performance. Edgar Arredondo has signed a contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the 2021 season. The 23-year-old spent seven season in the Texas system, reaching AA Frisco in 2019 and winning seven games, but the Rangers let him go earlier this year and he didn't pitch last summer. Arredondo, who was 15 when he debuted with the Quintana Roo Tigres by tossing two scoreless innings in a 2013 game, is 4-1 with a 2.74 ERA in seven starts for the Tomateros this winter.

    Another Culiacan hurler, J.C. Ramirez, has reached an agreement to pitch next year in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League. The 32-year-old Nicaraguan, who pitched in eight MLB seasons (most recently with the Angels in 2019), will join Mexican Manny Banuelos on the Fubon Guardians staff in 2021. He has a 4-2 record for the Tomateros with a 1.74 ERA in six starts this season. It's unknown whether he'll stay with Culiacan for the playoffs.

CAPACITY SET AT 45 PERCENT FOR CARIBBEAN SERIES

The Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation, the Mexican Pacific League and the host Mazatlán Venados have confirmed details of the 2021 Caribbean Series to be played from January 31 to February 6, 2021 at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal in the port city.

    CBPC commissioner Juan Francisco Puello Herrera, Mazatlán mayor Guillermo Benítez, LMP president Omar Canizales Soto and Serie del Caribe Organizing Committee president Ismael Barros all confirmed plans for the 63rd edition of the Crown Jewel of Latin Baseball.

    "We are supervising with the Mexican Pacific League so that the conditions of the Caribbean Series in terms of players are the best in terms of health," said Herrera, who also presented the trophies for the upcoming CS champion plus Dream Team members.

    “Mazatlán is a safe destination in terms of the virus,” commented mayor Benitez, inviting everyone to attend the Caribbean Series. “We are in the third consecutive day in which there is no active case. That gives us great confidence that we have all the tools to control the pandemic. That is why Mazatlán is the first tourist destination in the country to get out of the pandemic and we will continue to strictly comply with the protocols.

    “We are a bio-safe city.”

Estadio Teodoro Mariscal in Mazatlan

    In addition, in the virtual conference that brought together media of different nationalities, it was confirmed that between the governments of the state of Sinaloa and the municipality of Mazatlán, the host ballpark will have all the security measures and protocols to hold up to 45 percent of Estadio Teodoro Mariscal's 16,000-seat capacity (or 7,200 spectators). According to an LMP press release, “this will allow baseball to continue as a recreational tool for Mazatlan fans, as it has done in the 2020-2021 Season of the ARCO Mexican Pacific League, with an excellent management supported by the modernity of the stadium.”

    The Caribbean Series is scheduled to bring together the winterball champions of Mexico, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico as full CBPC members of the Confederation, as well as Colombia and Panama and as guest countries for the second and third times, respectively. Cuba will not be represented in Mazatlan after pulling out of last winter's Serie del Caribe in San Juan Puerto Rico on short notice, citing visa concerns.

    Herrera also gave thanks for all the support the CBPC, the Organizing Committee, the LMP and state government authorities have received from Sinaloa governor Quirino Ordaz.

FANS CAN CHOOSE MEX PAC AWARD WINNERS

Monterrey manager Gerardo Alvarez

    The Mexican Pacific League has announced on its Twitter account how fans can choose the loop's Most Valuable Players in separate offensive, defensive and pitching categories for the 2020-2021 campaign. This is the first time in which the LMP has involved fans in such selections while “not leaving this to a certain sector of the press,” a league office press release states.

    On its Twitter account, the Mex Pac invites fans to sign up and, with two simple steps, vote for their favorite players in the different departments. Fans must register with personal data before the can begin voting on candidates in five separate categories:

Obregon pitcher Dallas Martinez

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Baldomero “Melo” Almada Trophy
Jonathan Aranda, Obregon
Faustino Carrera, Obregon
Luis Miranda, Guasave
Missael Rivera, Jalisco
Oscar Rojas, Guasave

MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Benjamin “Cananea” Reyes Trophy
Gerardo Alvarez, Monterrey
Sergio Gastelum, Obregon
Juan Navarrete, Hermosillo
Bronswell Patrick, Mexicali
Oscar Robles, Guasave
Roberto Vizacarra, Jalisco

Mazatlan infielder Isaac Paredes

PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Vicente “Huevo" Romo Trophy
Dallas Martinez, Obregon
Luis Miranda, Guasave
Luis Ivan Rodriguez, Jalisco
Juan Pablo Oramas, Hermosillo
Miguel Pena, Mexicali
Javier Solano, Mexicali

RELIEVER OF THE YEAR*
Alberto Baldonado, Culiacan
Roberto Espinosa, Mazatlan
Jesus Pirela, Mazatlan
Fernando Salas, Hermosillo

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER*
Dariel Alvarez, Jalisco
Japhet Amador, Jalisco
Sebastian Elizalde, Culiacan
Isaac Paredes, Mazatlan

*Partial list of candidates available at post time.

MEXICAN LEAGUE CANCELS 2020 SEASON

Aguascalientes slugger Saul Soto will sit in 2020

As reported on BBM last week, the Mexican League has decided to cancel the 2020 season over concerns due to the Wuhan virus. The death toll attributed to the pandemic in Mexico passed the 30,000 mark over the weekend out of a total of more than 255,000 confirmed infections. The China-bred virus has been particularly problematic in Mexico City, where both the LMB office and the Liga's flagship Diablos Rojos franchise are located.

In March, the LMB ordered training camps for all 16 teams to close while postponing the scheduled regular season, which had been scheduled to open April 6 in Monclova with the defending champion Acereros were to host rival Monterrey. After much subsequent discussion among team owners and federal health officials (during which Liga president Horacio de la Vega stated more than once that the loop could not afford to play games in empty ballparks), an August 7 date was given for an abbreviated 48-game regular season followed by a 12-team playoff that would last into November.

However, speculation in the Mexican media last week that the season was on the verge of being canceled became reality on Wednesday, July 1, when the LMB office issued a statement calling things off. Unsurprisingly, reactions were swiftly delivered. The translated statement is available in its entirety in the BBM archives.

Two LMB players expressed opinions on Twitter. A 22-year veteran, Aguascalientes designated hitter Saul Soto, who finished the 2019 season with 288 career Mexican League homers, was philosophical but wishes something more could have been done to help the people affected: "If the decision made by the LMB was 'no' to play in 2020, I know it would be for the health and good of everyone, but I also think that in team meetings, a general plan would have to come out to help all of us who depend on this beautiful sport." Soto, who turns 42 in August, hit .268 and belted 22 homers for the Rieleros last year.

Campeche second baseman Jasson Atondo, who was entering his sixth Liga season, called out observers he felt were happy the circuit decided not to play this year: "There are many who gloriously celebrate that there will be no LMB. Have you thought about how many people will stop receiving a salary for that? Players, coaching staff, batboys, writers, umpires, security guards, lockers, vendors, seat ushers, janitors and more." The 24-year-old Atondo was the Mexican Pacific League's Rookie of the Year playing with Hermosillo in 2018-19.

People like Soto and Atondo were not the only ones expressing their thoughts. Dos Laredos Tecolotes owner Jose Antonio Mansur was quoted on the El Fildeo website as saying players need to do a better job of saving money: "With all my love and respect for the players, I would say 'gentlemen, learn to save!' They do very well. According to the payrolls of the teams, on average they earn between 150,000 and 200,000 pesos (US$6,700-9,000) a month. It is a good salary.” Mansur added that players "should not attack the owners so much on social media, as if they did not have interesting salaries." Last week's official statement reads, in part, that "The LMB and its 16 teams agree to provide financial support to the players, as well as to the umpires," but does not specify any numbers.

Yucatan OF Yadir Drake to play in Cuba

The decision has left players scrambling for teams to earn a living with, with one in particular choosing to play in Cuba, which seems an odd choice at first glance. Yucatan outfielder Yadir Drake has agreed to suit up for Matanzaz Cocodrilos of the Cuban National Series, beginning in August. The 2017 Mexican League batting champion is a Matanzas native who will spend two months with his hometown team before reporting to the Guasave Algodoneros in October for the LMP season. Drake was a catcher from 2009-11 for the Cocodrilos, who won their first CNS title in 28 years last winter, and is returning home next month to fulfill a promise to his grandmother, according to Andy Yan of Swing Completo.

El Fildeo adds that the Puebla Pericos are looking into starting their own winterball league for players without a place to play in the Mex Pac. According to Pericos vice president Alfonso Lopez, the proposed loop would contain three teams with games to begin October 10 at Estadio Hermanos Serdan in Puebla, which would host all contests. The Veracruz Winter League, long an alternative for players not in the LMP, did not operate last winter and does not appear ready to fire back up for 2020-21. 

MEX PAC HOPING TO OPEN WINTERBALL CAMPAIGN OCTOBER 12

Playoff pregame activities in Culiacan

Although the Mexican League will not play a game in 2020 for the first time in its 95-year history, their winterball counterparts in northwest Mexico are planning to start their upcoming season on time. Mexican Pacific League president Omar Canizales will hold a videoconference this week with his ten team owners to confirm October 12 as the LMP's inaugural date for the 2020-21 season, contingent on health authorities giving the green light for games.

Puro Beisbol editor Fernando Ballesteros reports that people from three LMP clubs have told him the league plans to start up in three months, although all ten teams must sign off on the proposal. The Mex Pac's starting date has been a fluid one because the Junior Circuit had been waiting to see what the Mexican League was going to do before committing to setting their own schedule. With the LMB deciding last week to go dark, the calendar opened up for the LMP and allowed them to plan the schedule within their traditional timeframe of three months (October through December) for the regular season and January for a three-tiered playoff.

Unlike the Mexican League, which has no large television presence to help underwrite costs that might have allowed them to play in front of empty stands, the LMP signed a contract with England-based SKY Sports last winter that will help lessen the financial losses that Canizales has said will occur this winter, although Ballesteros is optimistic that teams will break even. SKY Sports is contracted to stream all Mex Pac games live this winter. The cost of a SKY subscription is currently just over $US42. Puro Beisbol states that each Mex Pac team is expected to receive between 12 and 15 million pesos (US$54,000-67,000) from the league office, an amount that will greatly benefit teams in smaller markets with smaller bank accounts like the Navojoa Mayos, Los Mochis Caneros and Guasave Algdoneros.

Although the SKY Sports contract should provide a financial shot in the arm to LMP teams, the debate continues over whether only Mexican players should be allowed this season. Although the ten owners have been split down the middle over the issue (the more well-off franchises want to bring in more expensive extraneros while the less-affluent clubs prefer more affordable homegrown talent), Ballesteros indicates a majority of owners may now be in favor of allowing imports. The topic will no doubt be brought up Wednesday.

Justine Siegal coached for Hermosillo in 2019-20

One more item that will likely be discussed is the situation in Mazatlan, where a June 30 deadline from the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CBPC) to resolve the ongoing dispute between the Venados and the City regarding control of Estadio Teodoro Mariscal for the coming season, including the Caribbean Series in late January. Ruben Castro of ESPN Deportes writes that the Venados have sent Mazatlan mayor Luis Guillermo Benitz Torres what they call a "very balanced agreement" between the two sides with advantages to neither in which the team seeks the ballpark "on loan" through the end of the Serie del Caribe. The agreement is said to leave all litigation between City and team in place until after a judge can hear the dispute in court.

Sinaloa governor Quirino Ordaz Coppel reportedly assured on radio that the Caribbean Series will be held in Mazatlan, but Castro says the LMP Assembly of Presidents are ready to select another venue for the Crown Jewel of Latin Baseball if an agreement is not in place when they convene their videoconference on Wednesday.

WBSC U-23 WORLD CUP POSTPONED UNTIL 2021

The Mexican League was not the only baseball-related activity south of the border to go by the wayside last week. The World Baseball Softball Confederation postponed its Under-23 Baseball World Cup, which had been scheduled to take place September 30 through October 9 in both Obregon and Los Mochis (with the majority of games going to Obregon's Estadio Yaquis). The tournament has been rescheduled for September 24 through October 3, 2021.

The following is adapted from a WBSC press release of June 20:

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), together with the Mexican Baseball Federation and respective Local Organizing Committee (LOC), has announced the postponement of the 2020 WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup to September 24 to October 3, 2021, in consideration of the global health and safety measures and travel limitations pertaining to the coronavirus pandemic.

The world-championship event had been set to take place this year from September 30 to October 9 in the Mexican cities of Ciudad Obregon and Los Mochis.

“As we continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic, the WBSC, as well as our hosts and all concerned stakeholders, consider the rescheduling of the U-23 Baseball World Cup to 2021 to be the best and safest course of action,” said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari.

“While today’s decision is disappointing, I am confident that our Mexican hosts next year will be able to deliver the best-ever U-23 Baseball World Cup, where fans can fill the stadiums and cheer on their favorite National Teams, building upon the wave of momentum for our sport in the weeks following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“The WBSC thanks the local authorities, PROBEIS and CONADE as well as the baseball officials in Mexico -- including our colleagues from the Mexican Baseball League (LMB) and the Mexican Pacific League (LMP) -- for their support and collaboration.”

The venue plan of the U-23 Baseball World Cup includes the 16,000-seat Estadio Yaquis, which opened in 2016 and is the home of the Yaquis de Obregon of the Mexican Pacific League (LMP), and the recently renovated Estadio Emilio Ibarra Almada, home of the LMP’s Cañeros de Los Mochis.

The 12 qualified teams competing for baseball’s world title in the U-23 category will remain as follows:

Africa (1): No. 24 South Africa
Americas (4): No. 5 Mexico, No. 7 Cuba, No. 8 Venezuela, No. 15 Nicaragua
Asia (3): No. 1 Japan, No. 4 Taiwan and No. 22 China
Europe (2): No. 16 Czech Republic and No. 19 Germany
Oceania (1): No. 39 New Zealand
Wild Card (1): No. 3 South Korea

Mexico celebrates 2018 U-23 World Cup win

Mexico won the last U-23 Baseball World Cup, which was held in Barranquilla, Colombia, in October 2018. It was Mexico’s first-ever official world title in the sport of baseball.

Previous U-23 Baseball World Cups have included the top young professional players from clubs affiliated to the Australian Baseball League (ABL), Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Major League Baseball (MLB), Mexican Baseball League (LMB), Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), in addition to other leagues around the world.

The WBSC, together with the respective Mexican host, will continue to monitor and review the timing of the U-15 Baseball World Cup (October 30-November 8) and the Women’s Baseball World Cup (November 12-21), both in Tijuana.