Jalisco's Manny Rodriguez named MexPac MVP for 2017-18

Jalisco Charros 2B Manny Rodriguez

Jalisco Charros second baseman Manny Rodriguez has been voted Most Valuable Player in the Mexican Pacific League for their 2017-18 season.  And the balloting really wasn't all that close, as Rodriguez garnered 90 of 167 votes, or 53.9 percent, as cast by Mexican sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the LMP.  MexPac batting champion Sebastian Elizalde of Culiacan finished second with 25 votes, or 25.2 percent.  Rodriguez receives the Hector Espino Trophy after finishing second to Elizalde's .380 average by hitting .371, tying Elizalde for the lead in hits with 95, topping the circuit with 50 runs scored and 58 RBIs, tying Navojoa's Randy Arozarena atop the table with 25 doubles and tying Charros teammate Agustin Murillo for fourth in homers at 10 apiece.  The 35-year-old Guasave native struck out just 26 times in 256 at-bats for the Guadalajara team.  He'll be back in Monclova this summer after batting .313 with 13 homers and 89 RBIs over 102 games for the Acereros in 2017.

Mazatlan's Mitch Lively won the Vicente "Huevo" Romo Trophy as the MexPac's top pitcher after receiving 67 percent of the media votes.  Lively led the loop with nine wins, two more than Anthony Vazquez of Culiacan and Jalisco's Octavio Acosta, finished second in strikeouts to Navojoa's Tyler Alexander (66 to 63) and came in second to Mexicali's Rolando Valdez (1.74) with a 2.50 ERA.  The 6'5" Sacramento State alum tossed the LMP's only complete game shutout on November 30 in Culiacan against the potent Tomateros, missing a perfect game by one Elizalde single in a 1-0 win.

Navojoa closer Daniel Moskos was voted the Isidro Marquez Trophy winner as best reliever after outpolling Obregon's Manny Acosta, 42 to 29 percent.  Although Acosta led the LMP with 17 saves in 34 appearances for the Yaquis, Moskos finished second with 16 saves while turning in a no-see-um 0.92 ERA, allowing just three earned runs and striking out 29 batsmen in 29.1 frames over 29 trips from the bullpen.

Other winners included Navojoa pitcher Jaime Lugo (5-3, 2.53) with the Melo Almada Trophy as Rookie of the Year, Mayos manager Willie Romero with the Benjamin "Cananea" Reyes Trophy for Manager of the Year and Culiacan team president Hector Ley with the Horacio "Macacho" Lopez Trophy for Executive of the Year.  Tomateros manager Benji Gil also accepted without incident the Francisco "Paquin" Estrada Trophy for leading Culiacan to the league title.


LMB and LMP in Houston confab with MiLB, COPABE

Representatives from both the Mexican League and Mexican Pacific Leagues, including respective presidents Javier Salinas and Omar Canizales, were recently in Houston, Texas for meetings with Minor League Baseball president Pat O'Connor and Pan American Baseball Confederation chief Juan Francisco Puello.  The conference was convened to address issues concerning the tight timeframe between the end of the LMB's second 2018 season playoffs and the opening of the LMP's regular season.

As the March opening of the Mexican League's revolutionary two-season experiment approaches, the four groups (which included Dos Laredos owner Jose Antonio Mansur, Culiacan president Hector Ley, Los Mochis president Joaquin Vegas and Eustaquio Alvarez of parts unknown) met to discuss the ramifications of a year in which playoffs following the Mexican League's second season could potentially end as late as October 8, or three calendar days before the Mexican Pacific League opened their 2017-18 regular season schedule.  The quick turnover would be hard on players on the heels of two 57-game tournaments with playoffs and many may be inactivated due to "extreme fatigue" (as happens with players under MLB contracts) by their Mexican League teams, who own player rights south of the border.

Such a situation would create a talent shortage in the MexPac, with perhaps as many as 80 players delayed in reporting for winterball.  The LMP increased the number of foreign players allowed on each team from six to eight last winter with talk of increasing that limit to ten foreigners per squad in 2018-19.  Curiously, O'Connor apparently never broached the topic of Mexican-American players being considered "domestic" by LMP teams, thus not counting against their self-imposed extranero quota.  The issue split the Mexican League down the middle last winter before O'Connor ruled that the LMB should have no limit on Mexican-American players because the policy violates Mexico's labor laws.  As president of MiLB, O'Connor had the authority to make that ruling for the Mexican League but not the MexPac, which is an Associate member of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (as are Nippon Professional Baseball, the Korea Baseball Organization and Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League, among others).

One thing that WAS apparently debated is the idea of a Mexican National League as a confederation of sorts between the two league to create more cooperation in the world's only nation with Class AAA-level professional baseball throughout the year.  The proposal appears to be Puello's brainchild and Puro Beisbol editor Fernando Ballesteros says informed sources tell him that while three of the MexPac's teams would be in favor of such a move but only four of the Liga's 16 franchises are sympathetic.

Ultimately, the meeting in Houston produced nothing of substance beyond an apparent willingness among all sides to continue visiting the lack of breathing room between schedules, so players will have to continue waiting (if they have the time).


Guasave, Culiacan, La Paz among possible Liga Norte expansion sites

Estadio Arturo C. Nahl in La Paz

While the Mexican League is clearly the king of summer baseball in Mexico, the North Mexico League has established itself as the LMB's top affiliate circuit and is considered Class AA within the country's baseball hierarchy.  Now, after being a six-team loop since its 2008 formation, the Liga Norte is strongly considering adding two more franchises to become an eight-team body and one former Mexican Pacific League site is the clear front-runner for one of the teams.

LNM president Francisco Ochoa tells journalist Carlos Torres Bujanda that he has heard from an unnamed person interested in placing a Liga Norte team in Guasave, which hosted a MexPac franchise for 44 winters until the Algodoneros were sold by local owners and moved to Guadalajara and renamed the Jalisco Charros.  It was rumored earlier this year that there was interest in bringing a Mexican League to Guasave, Sonora's fourth-largest city with just under 300,000 residents, but nothing has come about since the LMB office was reportedly contacted (perhaps by the same person).

A LNM franchise would make more sense for Guasave, where a team would be competing with other like-sized markets in much closer geographic proximity while a Liga Norte franchise fee would be a fraction of the 51,000,000 pesos (just under US$2.5 million under the exchange rate at the time) that Fernando Valenzuela agreed to pay for the Quintana Roo Tigres.   Guasave would be an attractive place for the Liga Norte, with a good population base and an 8,000-seat ballpark in Estadio Francisco Carranza Limon that would be the league's largest since the Mexicali Centinelas moved to Tecate to become the Indios.  No formal bid for a Guasave franchise in the LNM has come in at this point.

One concern about expansion Ochoa shared with Torres was that there should be two teams brought in, primarily for scheduling purposes as well as creating a suitable travel partner for Guasave, which would be otherwise be isolated as the Liga Norte's southernmost team.  One feeler Ochoa claims he's received comes from Culiacan, where mayor Francisco Antonio Castaneda is said to have been interested in bringing a summer team to Estadio Tomateros as soon as this year.  Ochoa said there was not enough turnaround time for that, but added that businessman Guadalupe Miranda (a friend of Mayor Castaneda's who would've operated an LNM franchise there) has instead been encouraged to invest as a partner in the existing Puerto Penasco Tiburones to gain experience first.

Attention for LNM expansion has also been directed toward La Paz, a city of nearly a quarter-million people on the Gulf of California near the southern end of the Baja Peninsula.  La Paz would be virgin territory in a region (including Cabo San Lucas) that has never hosted a professional baseball team and sits a ferry ride across the water from Tompolobampo near Guasave.  Although La Paz has never hosted a team, there is a 9,000-seat ballpark, Estadio Arturo C. Nahl, in town that is currently undergoing renovations, including the installation of a turf field, as part of a 70 million peso (US$3.8 million) makeover of the city's sports complex.  Baja California Sur governor Carlos Mendoza, who has contacted Ochoa at the LMN office to inquire about an expansion franchise in conjunction with Guasave's entry.  Mendoza invited Ochoa to tour La Paz as part of an effort to bring baseball to the peninsula.

The Liga Norte will open its 2018 season April 3 when San Quintin visits Tecate, Caborca hosts San Luis Rio Colorado and defending champion Ensenada welcomes Puerto Penasco.  Teams will play two 42-game halves between early April and mid-July, with the top four seeds (via a points system similar to that used by the Mexican Pacific League) advancing to playoffs that last into early early August.  Each LNM team has two parent clubs from the Mexican League providing players and coaches:
Caborca Rojos (Laguna, Yucatan), Ensenada Marineros (Mexico City, Oaxaca), Puerto Penasco Tiburones (Saltillo, Tijuana), San Luis Algodoneros (Monclova, Puebla), San Quintin Freseros (Campeche, Quintana Roo) and the Tecate Indios (Aguascalientes, Monterrey).  Ballparks in the Liga Norte range in capacity from 2,500 to 5,000 sets.  Tecate is replacing the Mexicali Centinelas, who played in 17,000-seat Estadio B'Air before requesting a leave of absence for 2018.

Rosters set for LMB/LMP All-Star benefit series

Rosters and coaching staffs for this weekend's two All-Star benefit games in Culiacan and Monterrey have been set.  The two contests, set up as fundraisers in response to last week's deadly earthquakes in Mexico, are being co-sponsored by the Mexican and Mexican Pacific leagues and will feature players who've performed in both circuits.  Rather than being set up as an LMP-vs-LMP series, fans in both cities will see 28 players wearing Equipo Rojo (Red Team) unforoms going up against 28 members of Equipo Verde (Green Team).  Original plans were for players of both teams to essentially swap uniforms between games but it's unknown whether that is still going to happen.

Whatever jerseys these guys wear, fans in both cities will see some of Mexico's top baseball talent on the diamond.  Although many of the country's best players are still playing in MLB or Japan's NPB, there will be several current and past Liga and MexPac all-stars congregating under either Rojo manager Pedro Mere, fresh from leading Tijuana to their first LMB pennant, or Verde skipper Daniel Fernandez, presently Mazatlan's helmsman and one of the greatest players in Mexican history.  The most prominent players include pitchers Danny Rodriguez, Walter Silva, Edgar Gonzalez, Pablo Ortega and Alejandro Soto; infielders Jesse Castillo, Agustin Murillo, Saul Soto, Esteban Quiroz, Jorge Cantu, and Carlos Gastelum; outfielders Carlos Figueroa and Eduardo Arredondo plus designated hitters Jose Amador and Luis Alfonso Garcia.

Here are the two rosters:

EQUIPO ROJO
Pitchers (12) - Marco Carrillo (OBR/MTY), Fabian Cota (MOC/MXC), Hector Galvan (HMO/MVA), Edgar Gomez (MXI/YUC), Edgar Gonzalez (CUL/MTY), Esteban Haro (NAV/SAL), Nicolas Heredia (MXI/MTY), Oswaldo Martinez (OBR/MXC), Tomas Melgarejo (MOC/MTY), Luis de la O (NAV/SAL), Walter Silva (MAZ/LEON), Manuel Valdez (HMO/QROO).
Catchers (2) - Fernando Flores (NAV/CAM), Erick Rodriguez (MAZ/OAX).
Infielders (8) - Jesse Castillo (NAV/AGS), Yosmany Guerra (NAV/CAM), Antonio Lamas (CUL/MVA), Samar Leyva (MAZ/OAX), Agustin Murillo (JAL/MTY), Esteban Quiroz (MAZ/YUC), Saul Soto (MOC/AGS), Ricardo Valenzuela (OBR/MXC).
Outfielders (5) - Carlos Figueroa (JAL/MXC), Missael German (MXI/MTY), Alejandro Gonzalez (NAV/OAX), Jose Orozco (CUL/TAB), Jose Urena (OBR/MXC).
Designated Hitter (1) - Luis Alfonso Garcia (HMO/MXC).
MANAGER - Daniel Fernandez (MAZ/MXC).
COACHES - Francisco Campos (CUL), Matias Carrillo (MAZ/TIJ), Darrell Sherman (CUL).

EQUIPO VERDE
Pitchers (12) - Rafael Cordova (HMO/LAG), Manuel Flores (JAL/VER), Santiago Gutierrez (MOC/SAL), Jose Lopez (MXI/LAG), Claudio Marquez (CUL/QROO), Ozzie Mendez (NAV/DUR), Pablo Ortega (OBR/QROO), Adrian Ramirez (MAZ/QROO), Danny Rodriguez (CUL/SAL), Edwin Salas (JAL/AGS), Alejandro Soto (MAZ/YUC), Salvador Valdez (CUL/TAB).
Catchers (2) - Jose Felix (OBR/MVA), Alex Flores (HMO/LAG).
Infielders (8) - Rudy Amador (MOC/MVA), Jorge Cantu (JAL/TIJ), Alberto Carreon (JAL/PUE), Jon Del Campo (MXI/PUE), Juan Carlos Gamboa (MOC/MXC), Carlos Gastelum (HMO/QROO), Jesus Lopez (JAL/MXC), Ramon Rios (MXI/MTY).
Outfielders (5) - Eduardo Arredondo (OBR/LEON), Jesus Fabela (MAZ/MXC), Sergio Garcia (MOC/LEON), Yordanys Linares (MXI/TAB), Francisco Lugo (CUL/LAG).
Designated Hitter (1) - Jose Amador (HMO/MVA).
MANAGER - Pedro Mere (Tijuana).
COACHES - Rafael Casteneda, Enrique Couoh, Trinidad Robles (all Tijuana).

The series will open Saturday at Culiacan's 20,000-seat Estadio Tomateros and conclude Sunday at 27,000-seat Estadio Monterrey, Mexico's largest ballpark.  Tickets to either game will cost as low as 50 pesos each (or about US2.75).

2017 Caribbean Series in review

Now that the Caribbean Series is over and the dust is settling, it's time to take a look back at the seven-day event in Culiacan, Sinaloa, where attendance was the highest among the past 14 editions of the CS, regarded as the Crown Jewel of Latin Baseball.

Although the Mexicali Aguilas fell short in their 1-0 title game loss to Puerto Rico's Caguas Criollos, the MexPac champions placed five members on the CS All-Star Team (as voted on by media members), including all three outfield positions.  Gardeners Jason Bourgois, Chris Roberson and Ronnier Mustelier were joined by catcher Sebastian Valle and relief pitcher Jake Sanchez on the squad, as was Aguilas manager Roberto Vizcarra.  Caguas third baseman David Vidal was named Most Valuable Player after batting .417 with 3 homers and 5 RBIs in 26 at-bats.  Granma right-hander Lazaro Blanco was named top pitcher after going 1-1 with a 0.68 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 13.1 innings over two starts.  Former MLB starter Joel Pineiro, who was 104-93 for four teams between 2000 and 2011, threw a scoreless inning for Caguas against Granma on February 3.  The 38-year-old Pineiro was a member of Puerto Rico's last CS champion, Santurce, in 2000.

Caguas' Ivan De Jesus, Jr led CS batters with a .500 average, going 11-of-22 at the plate.  Vidal led in homers with 3 and tied with Granma's Carlos Benitez and Jose Castillo of Zuila in RBIs with 5 each.  Castillo's Zulia teammate, Freddy Galvis, led in stolen bases with 3.  Among pitchers, nobody had more than one win.  Mexicali's Hector Daniel Rodriguez was unscored upon in 9 innings over one start and one relief apearance while Vladimir Banos of Cuba allowed no runs in his 8 2/3 innings against Mexicali.  Blanco was tied by Hector Velazquez of Mexicali with 11 strikeouts while LMP Reliever of the Year Sanchez led with two saves.

Tournament organizers in Culiacan have to be happy with the attendance figures, as 131,432 fans clicked the turnstiles at Estadio Tomateros to set a modern record, even after the initial crowd total of more than 24,000 announced for Friday in the 19,177-seat ballpark was subsequently revised down to capacity level (phone call from the fire marshal, posiblimente?).  With some columnists speculating about the future of the Caribbean Series due to economic crises in Puerto Rico and Venezuela (site of next year's CS) and the uncertain status of Cuba, which is not a host nation, the event has been very popular in Mexico, where four of the past five tournaments that topped 100,000 in accrued attendance were in Mexico.  Not everyone was thrilled with the ticket situation, however.  Mexicali closer Sanchez complained during the week that ducats allotted to players for friends and family were to seats located in the left field bleachers.


CS SCORES and HIGHLIGHTS
Wednesday, February 1  (Attendance 19,177)
GM 1   Granma (CU) 4-7-2, ZULIA (VZ) 0-7-2
Lazaro Blanco and Livan Moinelo combine for seven-hit shutout
GM 2   MEXICALI (MX) 4-10-0, Caguas (PR) 2-5-2
Hector Daniel Rodriguez carries no-hitter into 5th; Chris Roberson homers

Thursday, February 2  (Attendance 19,177)
GM 3   Zulia (VZ) 4-8-0, CAGUAS (PR) 3-9-2
Jesus Flores' 2-run homer caps 3-run Zulia second; Omar Bencomo goes 5 frames for win
GM 4   MEXICALI (MX) 7-15-2, Licey (DR) 2-6-1
Chris Roberson has 4 hits and scores twice; Jason Bourgeois triples twice for 2 RBIs

Friday, February 3  (Attendance 19,177)
GM 5   GRANMA (CU) 6-12-0, Caguas (PR) 1-8-1
William Saavedra hits two singles and 2-run homer; Vladimir Garcia allows 1 run in 5 innings
GM 6  MEXICALI 5-8-1, Zulia (VZ) 1-7-2
Sebastian Valle belts walkoff grand slam; Barry Enright lets in 1 run on 1 hit in 5 frames

Saturday, February 4  (Attendance 14,973)
GM 7   CAGUAS (PR) 10-11-0, Licey (DR) 2-5-2
Rusney Castillo socks 2-run HR in first; Ivan De Jesus 3 hits, 3 runs, 2 RBIs
GM 8   ZULIA (VZ) 8-15-0, Granma (CU) 3-10-2
Freddy Galvis and Ronny Cedeno combined for 6 hits, 3 runs and 3 RBIs

Sunday, February 5  (Attendance 19,177)
GM 9   ZULIA (VZ) 4-7-2, Licey (DR) 3-8-0
Ronny Cedeno's RBI double, Rene Reyes' 2-run HR in 8th put Caguas ahead for good
GM 10   GRANMA (CU) 4-11-0, Mexicali (MX) 0-6-0
Vladimir Banos pitches 8.2 shutout innings; Alfredo Despaigne cracks 3-run HR

Monday, February 6  (Attendance 19,177)
SF 1   Caguas (PR) 9-11-0, Zulia (VZ) 6-16-1
David Vidal hits 3rd CS homer; Rusney Castillo collects 3 hits, 2 RBIs
SF 2   MEXICALI (MX) 1-5-0, Granma (CU) 0-2-1
Miguel Pena, Hector Daniel Rodriguez and Jake Sanchez combine on 2-hit shutout

Tuesday, February 7  (Attendance 20,454)
FINAL Caguas 1-7-1, MEXICALI 0-4-1 (10)
Yadiel Rivera doubles, scores go-ahead run in 10th; Miguel Mejia 2 IP, 0 R in relief for win


2017 CS ALL-STARS
1B - William Saavedra, Granma (Cuba)
2B - Carlos Benitez, Granma (Cuba)
3B - David Vidal, Caguas (Puerto Rico)
SS - Freddy Galviz, Zulia (Venezuela)
LF - Jason Bourgeois, Mexicali (Mexico)
CF - Chris Roberson, Mexicali (Mexico)
RF - Ronnier Mustelier, Mexicali (Mexico)
C -  Sebastian Valle, Mexicali (Mexico)
DH - Ivan De Jesus, Caguas (Puerto Rico)
SP - Lazaro Blanco, Granma (Cuba)
RP- Jake Sanchez, Mexicali (Mexico)
MGR -  Roberto Vizcarra, Mexicali (Mexico)
MVP - David Vidal, Caguas (Puerto Rico)


CS ATTENDANCE TOTALS (2004-17)
2004    90,000* Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2005  102,000* Mazatlan, Mexico
2006    86,103* Maracay/Valencia, Venezuela
2007    28,583* Carolina, Puerto Rico
2008    90,000* Santiago, Dominican Republic
2009  101,500* Mexicali, Mexico
2010    71,405* Isla Margarita, Veracruz
2011    42,500* Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
2012    30,000* Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2013  112,000* Hermosillo, Mexico
2014  113,517   Isla Margarita, Venezuela
2015  112,000   San Juan, Puerto Rico
2016    24,319   Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2017  131,432   Culiacan, Mexico
2018     TBD      Barquisimeto, Venezuela
*-Six-day event from 2004 through 2013

Mexicali blanked 4-0 by Banos, Cubans; CS semis set for Monday

Vladimir Banos came within one out of a complete game shutout and Granma scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Cuban National Series champions closed out the round robin stage of the Caribbean Series with a 4-0 win over the Mexican Pacific League champion Mexicali Aguilas Sunday night in Culiacan.  A sellout crowd of 19,177 (the fourth full house in five nights at Estadio Tomateros) saw Mexico's nine-game CS winning streak come to an end, although the Aguilas finished tied with both Granma and Venezuelan champs Zulia at the top of the first round stadings at 3-1 apiece.  Caguas of Puerto Rico will be the fourth team in Monday's semifinals with a 1-3 record while Dominican titlist Licey is done at 0-4.

GRANMA (CU) Alazanes 4-11-0, Mexicali Aguilas 0-6-0

As was the case in Mexicali's first three games at the Serie del Caribe, the Aguilas benefitted from a strong pitching start.  This time, it was last winter's MexPac Pitcher of the Year, Javier Solano, who matched Banos zero for zero through the first four innings of the contest.  After Banos held up his end of the scoreless pitcher's duel in the top of the fifth, the bottom of the fifth proved costly for the Mexican righty.

Solano had two outs with Roel Santos standing at second and Yunior Paumier on first when he threw the wrong pitch to Cuba's veteran superstar Alfredo Despaigne, who sent Solano's second pitch into the left field bleachers for a three-run homer.  The next Alazanes batter, William Saavedra, required four Solano deliveries to send another ball sailing over the left field wall for a solo homer to give Granma a 4-0 lead.  For Mexicali, that was pretty much all she wrote as Banos had settled down after a sometimes-rocky start and carried the shutout into the top of the ninth, when (after inducing Jason Bourgeois into a groundout), Betancourt (pictured above) lined a single to right, C.J. Retherford flew out to left and Ronnier Mustelier  singled sharply to right.  At that point, Granma manager Carlos Marti brought in Jose Angel Garcia for Banos, who'd thrown 123 pitches to 32 Aguilas batters.  Garcia got Yordanys Linares to pop out to Alazanes third baseman Paumier in foul territory to end the game, vaulting the Cubans into the three-way tie for first place.

Four players each had two of Granma's 11 hits: Santos, Cespedes, Guillermo Aviles and Carlos Benitez.  Betancourt was the only multiple-hit batsman for Mexcali with two singles.  Banos got the win for his 8.2 innings of work, in which he scattered six hits and walked two while striking out five.  Solano absorbed the loss for Mexicali, whose three relievers (Jose Meraz, Edgar Gomez and Jose Manuel Lopez) allowed no runs on two hits over the final 3.1 innings.  With the potent Aguilas batting order silenced, it was all for naught.


ZULIA (VZ) Aguilas 4-7-2, Licey (DR) Tigres 3-8-0

Ronny Cedeno's RBI double and Rene Reyes' two-run homer in consecutive at-bats in the bottom of the eighth gave Venezuela's Zulia Aguilas a 4-3 comeback win over Dominican champions Licey Sunday afternoon to open Day Five of the Caribbean Series in Culiacan.  Zulia finished the first round with a 3-1 record while Licey ended the CS winless in four tries and out of the running.

Licey starter Ariel Pena and Zulia's Raul Rivero carried a dual shutout into the top of the fourth, when the Dominican Tigres scored a pair of runs on an Alfredo Marte single to center that brought Ronny Rodriguez home, while an errant throw to the plate on the play from Aguilas centerfielder Helris Rodriguez allowed Mel Rojas Jr. to come around from first to score.

Jose Castillo's leadoff homer in the bottom of the fifth put Zulia on the board, but the Liceylead went back up to two in the top of the sixth when Ronny Rodriguez manufactured a run for the Tigres by getting on base when Zulia third baseman Cedeno had trouble fielding his leadoff grounder, took second when Zoilo Almonte singled off Rivero (who was then pulled for Yorman Bazardo). stole third as Bazardo was striking out Rojas and scored on Alfredo Marte's groundout to short to make it a 3-1 Zulia advantage.  The score stayed put until the bottom of the eighth, when Cedeno's two-out double scored Herlis Rodriguez and Reyes' bomb to left (both off Juan Grullon) put the Venezuelans ahead for good.  Former Phillies prospect and Mexican League reliever Francisco Butto retired Licey without a hit in the top of the ninth to close out the win and collect the save.

Another former Liga hurler, Brazilian Tiago Da Silva, got the win for the Aguilas by tossing a scoreless eightth before Cedeno and Reyes took over while Grullon took the loss for Licey, whose ten past CS titles are the most among all teams.  This time, the Dominicans head home without a win while Zulia advances to the Final Four and a game Monday afternoon at 1:00pm MST (2000 UTC) against Caguas.  In the Final Four nightcap, Mexicali takes on Granma at 5:00pm MST (0000).


Caribbean Series standings
3-1  Granma (CU) Alazanes
3-1  Mexicali (MX) Aguilas
3-1  Zulia (VZ) Aguilas
1-3  Caguas (PR) Criollos
0-4  Licey (DR) Tigres

Monday's Semifinals schedule
Caguas (PR) at Zulia (VZ), 1:00pm MST (2000 UTC)
Granma (CU) at Mexicali (MX), 5:00pm MST (0000 UTC)

Late Roberson homer lifts Mexicali to 4-2 win in CS opener

Hector Daniel Rodriguez turned in a brilliant start for Mexicali Wednesday night, as the Aguilas lefthander allowed just one Caguas hit over six innings, but it was Chris Roberson's two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh that put the Mexican Pacific League champions ahead for good as Mexicali went on to defeat the Puerto Rican champ Criollos, 4-2, in the second game of the 2017 Caribbean Series before 19,177 fans at Estadio Tomateros in Culiacan, Sinaloa.  The Aguilas are attempting to become the fifth team representing Mexico to win the Serie del Caribe since 2011.  Mexicali last won the CS in 1986 at Maracaibo, Venezuela under Salon de la Fama manager Benjamin "Cananea" Reyes.

MEXICALI (MEX) 4-10-0, Caguas (PR) 2-5-2

After retiring the first four Caguas batters he faced, Rodriguez gave up consecutive walks to Ruben Gotay and David Vidal with one out in the top of the second, but got the final two outs without incurring any further damage.  From that point, the 32-year-old portsider carried his no-hitter into the fifth inning, when Ivan de Jesus Jr. lined a single to center to momentarily break the Culiacan native's spell.  It was a good thing for Mexicali that Rodriguez continued the tradition of being at his best in big games because Criollos starter Orlando Roman matched him zero for zero through the fifth inning until Caguas manager Alex Cora brought in William Oliver from the bullpen to pitch a scoreless sixth.  Rodriguez threw 93 pitches to 21 Caguas batters through six innings before making way for reliever Derrick Loop, who got the first two outs in the top of the seventh frame before giving up a homer to Vidal for the first run of the game.

In the bottom of the seventh, Aguilas rightfielder Ronnier Mustelier greeted new Criollos reliever Fernando Cabrera by hitting a full-count pitch for a grounder through the right side of the infield into right field for a single. Agustin Murillo then tapped a sacrifice bunt toward the mound to advance Mustelier to second.  Xorge Carrillo's single to right moved Mustelier to third, giving Mexicali runners at the corners with one out. At that point, Aguilas manager Roberto Vizcarra called on reinforcement Jesse Castillo to pinch-hit for Ramon Rios and sent Isaac Rodriguez in to pinch-run for Carrillo at first. Cora countered by replacing Cabrera with J.C. Romero, who got Castillo to hit a roller to second to force Rodriguez for the second out, but Mustelier came in from third on the play to tie the game at 1-1.  Then Roberson strode to the plate and lofted Rodney's first pitch into the left field stands for a two-run homer to put Mexicali up by a 3-1 score.  Jason Bourgeois grounded out to first to end the inning.

MLB vet Sergio Romo was brought in to pitch for the Aguilas in the top of the eighth, but De Jesus socked Romo's second pitch over the same left field wall Roberson cleared for a solo homer to cut Mexicali's lead to one run.  After striking out Jesmuel Valentin, Romo let up back-to-back singles by Jorge Padilla and Rey Navarro before inducing Rusney Castillo to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.  In the bottom of the eighth, with Hiram Burgos now pitching for the Puerto Ricans, leadoff batter Yuniesky Betancourt whacked a 1-0 pitch out to right for a solo homer to make it a 4-2 game.  Jake Sanchez, who has given up one earned run all season, entered the game in the top of the ninth and retired the Criollos in order for the save and the win.

Loop was awarded the win but the laurels must go to Rodriguez, who dazzled the Caguas lineup and the folks at home with his six innings of one-hit shutout pitching, striking out four batsmen.  Cabrera took the loss in relief for the Criollos, sparing Roman the indignity after the former Mets minor leaguer's five frames of five-hit shutout hurling kept pace with Rodriguez.  Mexicali outhit the Puerto Ricans by a 10-5 margin, with Roberson, Mustelier and C.J. Retherford collecting two hits apiece.

Mexicali will next play Dominican champions Zulia on Thursday night at 8:00PM MST (0300 UTC) in a battle of Los Dos Aguilas.  MexPac Pitcher of the Year Hector Velazquez will start for the Mexican side.

Granma (CUBA) 4-7-0, Zulia (DR) 0-7-2

Centerfielder Roel Santos doubled, tripled, drove in two runs and scored another to lead Cuban National Series champion Granma to a 4-0 shutout over Dominican titlists Zulia Wednesday in the first game of the 2017 Caribbean Series in Culiacan.  Alazanes pitchers Lazaro Blanco and Livan Moinelo combined on the seven-hit shutout of the Aguilas, accruing eight strikeouts between the two of them.

Santos led off the top of the first inning by tripling off Zulia pitcher Ivan Pineyro as his liner up the middle eluded Aguilas centerfielder Leury Garcia.  Two batters later, Santos motored in with the first run of the game on a passed ball by catcher Webster Rivas.  The score stood at 1-0 in favor of the Cubans until they added three more tallies in the top of the fifth.  After Pineyro loaded the bases with one out, Zulia manager Lipso Nava brought in reliever Edgar Garcia to face Santos.  Oops.  Garcia's first delivery was a wild pitch that scored Carlos Belitez from third base while baserunners Frank Morejon and Yoelkis Cespedes both advanced 90 feet.  Santos then cracked Garcia's next pitch into right field for a double, scoring both Morejon and Cespedes to open the Alazanes lead to 4-0.  Given some breathing room, Blanco and Moinelo carried the shutout to the end, with the latter recording a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.

Caribbean Series standings
MEXICALI (MEX) 1-0, Granma (Cuba) 1-0, Aragua (VEN) 0-0, Caguas (PR) 0-1, Zulia (DR) 0-1.

2017 Caribbean Series field set, play opens Wednesday in Culiacan

Now that the Mexicali Aguilas and Licey Tigres have won pennants in the Mexican Pacific League and Dominican League, respectively, the five-team field has been firmed for the 2017 Caribbean Series.  Play will open Wednesday afternoon at 3:00PM MST (2200 UTC) when Cuba's Granma Alazanes take on Licey at Culiacan's 20,000-seat Estadio Tomateros while the Aguilas will battle Puerto Rico's Roberto Clemente League champion Caguas Criollos on Wednesday night at 8:00PM MST (0300 URC). The  Venezuelan Professional Baseball League pennant-winners, the Zulia Aguilas, will have an opening day bye.

Here is a schedule of games for the seven-day event, concluding with the February 7 title contest:

FIRST ROUND
Wednesday, February 1
3pm MST/2200 UTC   Granma (CUBA) at Aragua (DR)
6:30pm MST/0130 UTC   Opening Ceremonies
8pm MST/0300UTC    Caguas (PR) at Mexicali (MEX)
Bye: Zulia (VZ)

Thursday, February 2
3pm MST/2200 UTC   Zulia (VZ) at Caguas (PR)
7pm MST/2100 UTC   Mexicali (MEX) at Aragua (DR)
Bye: Granma (CUBA)

Friday, February 3
3pm MST/2200 UTC   Caguas (PR) at Granma (CUBA)
8pm MST/0300 UTC   Zulia (VZ) at Mexicali (MEX)
Bye: Aragua (DR)

Saturday, February 4
1pm MST/2000 UTC   Aragua (DR) at Caguas (PR)
5pm MST/0000 UTC   Granma (CUBA) at Zulia (VZ)
Bye: Mexicali (MEX)

Sunday, February 5
1pm MST/2000 UTC   Aragua (DR) at Zulia (VZ)
5pm MST/0000 UTC   Mexicali (MEX) at Granma (CUBA)
Bye: Caguas (PR)


SEMIFINALS
Monday, February 6
1pm MST/2000 UTC   TBA
5pm MST/0000 UTC   TBA


CHAMPIONSHIP
Tuesday, February 7
1pm MST/2000 UTC   TBA


And now here's an edited profile of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico taken from BBM's "Mexican Baseball Road Trip" posts during the 2009-10 season:

This week, we pay a visit to Culiacan, home of the Tomateros. Culiacan is set a few miles inland from the

Gulf of California, two hours north of Mazatlan.  While Mazatlan is a better-known place among North Americans,

Culiacan is a thriving city and state capital of Sinaloa.  The name “Culiacan” is an old native word which means

“place where they adore the God Coltzin.”

A city of over 600,000 residents, Culiacan was a small village when Spanish conquistador Nuno Beltran

de Guzman founded the villa of San Miguel de Culiacan on September 29, 1531.  From the end of the sixteenth

century and throughout much of the 1700’s, San Miguel de Culiacan served as an important staging area for the

Spanish conquest of the Mexican West.  However, independence from Spain was eventually won for Mexico in the

early 1820’s, and Culiacan was granted the status of “city” in 1823.  At that time, Sinaloa’s state capital was in

Mazatlan, but was eventually shifted to Culiacan in 1873.

As with most MexPac cities, Culiacan is an agricultural center, surrounded by some of the most arable

Land in Mexico of which the major crop is tomatoes.  While Culiacan has a reputation as a tough town, it is also a

modern city with a fine State university in the city center, a lovely 19th Century cathedral sitting three

blocks away from the ubiquitous Mexican mercado, there are beaches on the Gulf a few miles away in Atlata and

El Tambor, and Ernesto Millan Escalante Park features gardens, pools, an open-air Hellenic theater and the

longest water slide in northern Mexico.  The Centro Cultural Genaro Estrada contains two theaters, several

museums and a café, and is a centerpiece for the arts.  There are several good restaurants in town, and one of the

most popular regional dishes is steak cabreria, which features six different toppings and side dishes…definitely

worth a try.

           The Tomateros have given their fans a lot to cheer about over the years, with ten Mex Pac pennants

since 1967.  Five of those came under manager Francisco “Paquin” Estrada, who also brought two Caribbean

Series titles home to Culiacan.  The city first hosted the CS in 2001 at the old Estadio General Angel Flores,

with the Dominican champion Cibaenas Aguilas winning the four-team competition.

Cesar Tapia's amazing year continues in Puebla

If you'd never heard of Cesar Tapia prior to the current Mexican League season, you'd hardly be in exclusive company.  In fact, despite career statistics that would usually bring the kind of acclaim that lesser players have received, the Puebla Pericos' 12-year veteran catcher is still a relative unknown even inside Mexico, although that perception may be finally starting to change.

The 33-year-old Tapia (pictured), who has spent all but one of the past twelve summers in Puebla, went 11-for-19 (.579) with seven RBI's and six runs scored in five games last week to raise his season batting average to .387, good for a 21-point lead over Veracruz outfielder Carlos Lopez' .366 mark in the Liga batting race.  Barring a meltdown over the final four weeks of the regular season, Tapia is the odds-on favorite to win his first batting crown for the career .330 batsman.  "Wait a minute," you may be wondering, "he's a catcher with a .330 average after twelve seasons?  Why haven't I heard of this guy before?"  Tapia has good reason to ask that question himself.

Born November 10, 1982 in Empalme, Sonora, Cesar Tapia Figueroa grew up around the game, as so many youngsters in that baseball-crazy part of Mexico do, when he attended a Pericos tryout in 2000 to which one of his friends had been invited.  Former Detroit shortstop Cesar Gutierrez, who was overseeing the tryouts for Puebla, asked Tapia if he'd like to join in and ended up signing the 17-year-old to a contract.  Tapia then had to spend most of four seasons playing A and AA ball in the Mexican minors, often having to share houses with all his teammates while searching for a permanent defensive position.  He finally reached Puebla in 2004 and, except for spending the 2006 campaign with the Angelopolis Tigres, has been in the Pericos' green-and-gold togs ever since.

Not that many outside Puebla have noticed.  After batting .229 as a Pericos part-timer in 2005, he hit .301 in his lone Tigres season and has fallen below .300 only once since returning to Puebla in 2007.  Despite consistently batting in the .330-.350 range with moderate extra-base power (Tapia had 227 career doubles and 87 homers through last weekend), he has only been picked for three All-Star Games, including last month in Monterrey.  Tapia has also been obscured by the Pericos' relative lack of success, as Puebla has reached the championship Serie del Rey twice, losing to Saltillo in five games in 2010 and getting swept by Mexico City in 2014.

The relative obscurity Tapia has toiled in for over a dozen years is finally giving way to some attention outside Puebla, where he is the franchise's all-time leader with 214 doubles and ranks among the leaders in several other categories.  Aside from his .387 average, the 5'11" 200-pounder nicknamed "El Natural" has already set career highs with 16 homers and 11 stolen bases (the first time he's ever swiped more than five sacks in a season) with a month to go.  As well, with Puebla holding the Liga's best record at 62-26 and a 2.5-game lead in the LMB South Division, Tapia and the Pericos are a valid pick to bring home the team's first pennant since 1986, which would undoubtedly bring him more attention.

But even if his amazing 2016 campaign didn't result in a noticeable uptick in the amount of attention he's deserved, you get the sense that little would change with Cesar Tapia's approach to the game.  "You just come every day with the mentality of being well-prepared and giving 100 percent all game, not just a few innings...we owe it to the public, the people who come to the game and buy tickets."


Culiacan Academy opens with MLB VP in attendance

Anybody familiar with baseball in Latin American countries are probably well aware that academies for young prospects are almost ubiquitous.  Major League Baseball teams commonly operate academies in nations like Venezuela and the Dominican Republic (the independent movie "Sugar" is a terrific primer in how Latino teens work their way through the system), but no MLB-owned facility has existed in Mexico even though academies have been popping up here and there south of the border.  However, a step in that direction may have been taken with the recent opening of an academy in the Sinaloa city of Culiacan.

Although MLB is not involved with the Sinaloa Baseball Academy & Interactive Museum in a proprietary role, they will serve in a direct advisory capacity, marking the first time the big leagues have had an active hand in developing teen talent in Mexico.  MLB's Vice President for International Operations, Kim Ng, was on hand for inaugural ceremonies on July 8.  Speaking to those gathered, Ng said, "I'm very happy to be with you on behalf of Major League Baseball.  For my part, I'm very happy to be part of something that will be good for Mexico and MLB.  This program is the first of its kind."

Mexican Pacific League president Omar Canizales remarked, "We're all present here because we love baseball, and this unites us because it'll lead us to make baseball bigger."  Canizales also addressed his Mexican League counterpart, outgoing president Pinio Escalante, saying "We need to work hand in hand.  The governor (Mario Lopez Valdez) has united us around this table and this great project.  I think we have a huge responsibility to find points of agreement to grow Mexican baseball."

That latter goal may be difficult to achieve.  The Mexican League has operated its own academy near Monterrey for two decades as part of the control it has exercised over player rights in the country.  Historically, young prospects have signed contracts with Mexican League teams who routinely ship them to the LMB Academy for seasoning before moving them up to Class A or AA teams within the LMB system to determine whether they're ready to play in the Liga.  The LMB has had a virtual monopoly over rights to Mexican players (that last that player's entire career within Mexico), and fees are routinely charged to Major League organizations for the right to negotiate contracts with those players.  Sometimes those fees are too high for MLB teams, who will instead spend a similar amount to sign multiple prospects in other countries.  The result is that several Mexican youngsters with some MLB potential have never been able to head north to further their careers.

The entry of MLB, even peripherally, could alter that dynamic.  There have been attempts at rival academies challenging the Mexican League's hegemony over domestic talent in the past, most notably one east of San Diego owned and operated by Dodgers All-Star first baseman Adrian "El Titan" Gonzalez, his brother Edgar (now Mexico's National Team manager) and their father David, a longtime Mexican baseball figure, but that did not last.  However, direct involvement by MLB in player development south of the border could be a game-changer regarding contractual rights to prospects.  We shall see.


BBM to produce book on Mexican baseball legends

Okay, rather than put together a story where I talk about myself in the third-person (included quoting myself), let's break down the fourth wall for a few lines.  The book that I recently finished about the history of the Seattle Rainiers team that spent five seasons in the Class A Northwest League during the Seventies is done after starting it as a one-page master roster sheet four decades ago.  The finished product is 108 pages long (covers included), I'm reasonably happy with it and am now in the process of figuring out how to sell enough copies at $12 apiece to cover the cost of printing.  It's titled "Anonymous Heroes: Seattle Rainiers baseball in the 1970's" and if you're interested, email me at SeattleRainiers@outlook.com for details.

Although I'm currently focused on selling the Rainiers book, I'm starting to put together another book with two-page profiles, pictures and stats (where applicable) commemorating 50 of the most important players, owners and writers in modern Mexican baseball history.  The working title is "The Golden Greats of Mexican Baseball" and will be very loosely based on the "Maestros of Mexico" profiles on prominent Mexican baseball figures that I used to write for the old Viva Beisbol site and column.  I expect this book will be in the neighborhood of 120 pages and be published as a digest-sized 5.5" x 8.5" paperback.

Actually, there will be 51 people profiled in "Golden Greats."  I want to give Hector Espino a separate section of his own apart from the 50 others because, well, he's Hector Espino, who I consider a combination of power and pride who really has no counterpart in Mexican baseball history.  Imagine a hybrid between Babe Ruth and Roberto Clemente or Jackie Robinson and you start to get the picture.  I've got the 37 profiles I wrote for VB back in the day with wildly-varying degrees of length and focus that'll need to be revamped into uniform word count (400-500?) and purpose with another 14 people added.  I'd love to have this ready in time for Christmas, but I don't want to rush it into production if it means lesser quality.  I may not take myself too seriously, but I take what I do here VERY seriously and I want to get this right.

More in the months ahead as things develop.  If you're curious about THIS book, email me at BaseballMexico@live.com.  It's a big project in some ways, but long overdue.