PAREDES SENT TO HERMOSILLO IN 4-PLAYER SWAP

Infielder Isaac Paredes dealt to Hermosillo

    Isaac Paredes is going home. With the first half of the Mexican Pacific League's 2022-23 season winding down, Mexicali and Hermosillo swung a big trade on Sunday with the Aguilas sending infielder Paredes, a Hermosillo native, to the first-place Naranjeros in exchange for three LMP veterans: outfielder Norberto Obeso, shortstop Walter Ibarra and lefty pitcher Marcelo Martinez.

    Paredes, 23, hit .205 with 20 homers with 45 RBIs while playing four positions over 111 games for the Tampa Bay Rays last summer. This is his sixth winter in the Mex Pac, where he's batted .304 with 15 homers and an even 100 RBIs for Obregon, Mazatlan and Mexicali. The 5'11 213-pounder has performed for the Naranjeros twice as a January playoff reinforcement and played for Mazatlan in the Caribbean Series two years ago. A former Cubs and Tigers prospect before arriving in Tampa Bay this season, Paredes was traded to Mexicali by the Venados last February in exchange for the rights to shortstop Daniel Castro and outfielder Fabricio Macias. Capable of playing three infield positions, Paredes seems to be best suited for third base to complete an infield with Jasson Atondo at shortstop, Jose Luis Cruz at second and Roberto Ramos at first.

    While Mexicali had to give up a top LMP player in Paredes, they'll add depth to their roster. Obeso has played eight seasons for Hermosillo in the LMP but used sparingly this winter, playing in only 12 of 28 Orangemen contests in 2022-23 and hitting just .167 for manager Juan Castro. Obeso's lifetime LMP numbers are much better: a .289 average with 209 hits and 79 RBIs in 219 games.The 27-year-old former Jays prospect can play all three outfield positions and hit .316 for Yucatan's Mexican League champs this year.

    Ibarra is a 14-year veteran of the winterball wars who spent four seasons in Mexicali between 2014 and 2018. The 35-year-old spent eight summers in the Yankees system and can play shortstop or second base with experience in the corners. Like Obeso, Ibarra struggled at the plate for Hermosillo this season (.191 in 13 games) but his career numbers of .247 with 72 doubles and 23 homers in 546 games are much better and he's been a .290 batter in seven Mexican League seasons, batting .257 for Yucatan this summer.

    The 26-year-old Martinez is a bit of an X factor for Aguilas manager Gil Velazquez. A Reynosa product, Martinez has pitched four years in the Kansas City organization, including two stints with AAA Omaha, primarily as a starter. His 24-26 record in the Royals system is so-so and his 4.68 ERA is nothing to write home about, but 440 strikeouts in 421.1 innings can't be ignored. Martinez has been a middle reliever in Mex Pac play, going 3-8 with a 2.29 ERA in 65 trips from the bullpen over six years for the Naranjeros.

    Hermosillo was doing well enough before trading for Paredes and currently lead the Mex Pac standings with an 18-11 record, one game ahead of 17-12 Guasave and two up on Los Mochis and Mazatlan at 16-13 each. Navojoa is fifth with a 15-14 ledger, one game ahead of 14-15 Mexicali, where impatient owner Dio Alberto Murillo may be ready to jettison manager Velazquez during the season for a second time. Obregon and Culiacan are tied for seventh at 13-16, defending champion Jalisco (12-17) is in ninth and Monterrey is 11-18 in last place in the ten-team loop.

    Los Mochis outfielder Yosmany Tomas continues to lead LMP batters with a .358 average, ahead of Roel Santos of Hermosillo (.354) and Monterrey's Roberto Valenzuela (.337). Mexicali's Anthony Giansanti homered against Culiacan last Wednesday to bring his season total to eight, two more than Sebastian Valle of Obregon. Four players are tied for third with five roundtrippers each. Christian Villanueva of Jalisco tops te RBI charts with 23 in 28 games; Obregon's Yadir Drake is second with 21 ribbies while Tomas and Niko Vasquez (Mexicali) are tied for third with 20 apiece. Hermosillo's Jose Cardona (14), Randy Romero of Mazatlan (11) and Santos (10) are the Mex Pac's top three basestealers thus far.

    Among pitchers, three starters are tied for the wins lead with four victories each: Jeff Kinley (Guasave), Juan Pablo Oramas (Hermosillo) and Juan Tellez (Mazatlan), the latter showing a 4-2 record for the Venados despite a 4.74 ERA. In that category, Los Mochis' Luis Miranda continues with a perfect 0.00 after five starts and 27 scoreless innings. Nico Tellache of Guasave is second at 1.45 while Oramas is third with a 1.67 ERA. Three hurlers are tied for the lead with 34 strikeouts: Arturo Lopez (Obregon), Matt Pobereyko (Guasave) and Touki Toussaint (Hermosillo), whose 34 K's have come in just 27 entradas. Arizona's first-round pick in the 2016 draft, Toussaint went 1-1 in eight outings for the Los Angeles Angels this summer. The saves co-leaders are Brandon Koch of Guasave and Mazatlan's Elkin Alcala with 10 each. Jake Sanchez of Mexali is third with eight salvados.

    With one week remaining in the first-half battle for playoff points, Hermosillo will try to hold onto first place (and the 10.0 points that accompany it) by taking on Culiacan in a three-game midweek road series before hosting Los Mochis next weekend. Second-place Guasave will be in Mexicali for games Tuesday through Thursday before welcoming Navojoa in a three-game set Friday through Sunday.


SALON DE LA FAMA HOLDS INDUCTION CEREMONY

Mexico president Lopez Obrador at SDF in 2019

    After a wait of two years, the Salon de la Fama in Monterrey held an induction ceremony last Friday night during which seven new members were enshrined in the hall of the immortals. Each had been voted in as members in 2020 but there were no ceremonies held last year due to ongoing Wuhan virus concerns.

    Among those in attendance were Mexico City Diablos and Oaxaca Guerreros owner Alfredo Harp Helu, who bankrolled construction of the facility in 2019 after the Salon and its contents were kept in storage for seven years when the Cuauhtemoc Brewery closed the former facility that had served as home from 1973 to 2012. One of Mexico's richest men, Harp is also president of the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame Association

    Salon director Francisco Padilla Dávila, director of the Hall of Fame, gave a welcome message and the president of the Electoral Committee, Antonio de Valdés, gave a few words to the public and those enthroned. Before beginning with the awards ceremony, Agustín Castillo, who served as master of ceremonies, mentioned how the process of choosing immortals works. De Valdés then began with the delivery of SDF jerseys, rings and plaques.

    Here are profiles of the seven Salon de la Fama inductees from Friday night:

MATIAS CARRILLO
    Carrillo was born on February 24, 1963 in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, this remarkable hitter played 22 years in the Mexican League, beginning with his Rookie of the Year season in 1982 for Poza Rica. “El Coyote” played for the Tigres in Mexico City and Puebla from 1984 until the end of his career, playing 2,110 games with 2,531 hits for a .336 average (including 330 homers and 420 doubles), 1,535 runs scored, 1,554 RBIs and 276 stolen bases. He won home run and RBI titles in 1993 with 38 and 125, respectively, as well as the batting title in 1996 with a .368 mark, led in stolen bases in 1984 with 30 and hits in 1999 with 175.

VINICIO “VINNY” CASTILLA
    Born on July 4, 1967 in Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Castilla spent three seasons in the Mexican League with Saltillo and Monclova before becoming a Major League star, playing with six teams and reaching his peak in the 1990's with the Colorado Rockies. The formidable third baseman occupies a very special place among Mexican-born MLB players after hitting 320 homers in 16 seasons. In 1,854 games, he batted .296 (topping .300 five times) with 1,884 hits, 902 runs, 349 doubles and 1,105 RBIs. while earning Silver Slugger Awards in 1995, 1997 and 1998.

ISIDRO MARQUEZ
    Born May 15, 1965 in Navojoa, Sonora, Marquez is the king of Mexican baseball relievers after playing for eight teams over 22 seasons in the LMB. He participated in 850 games, achieving a 97-78 (.554) record with a 3.44 ERA and 301 saves, the Liga record. He made an important name for his serenity on the mound and his ability to come out ahead in the climactic moments of matches. He was the saves leader in 1997 with the Tigres (30) and in 2005 with Campeche (25). Marquez pitched seven games in relief for the Chicago White Sox in 1995, going 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA.

JOSE LUIS SANDOVAL
    Born on August 25, 1968 in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Sandoval shone defensively at shortstop but also was an impactful batter. He played 22 seasons with the Mxco City Diablos Rojos and one with Saltillo. In a record 2,219 games, “El Borrego” collected 2,263 hits, 435 doubles, 253 homers, 1,171 runs, 1,315 RBIs and a .293 batting average. A charismatic player, he soon became the great idol of the capital's fans. Sandoval holds several defensive records for shortstops, including most double plays ever for a shortstop with 1,731 and most double plays in a season with 128 twin-killings.

EDUARDO JIMENEZ
    Jimenez was born September 4, 1964 in Tijuana, BC and went on to become a notable outfielder and designated hitter. He played 21 years in the LMB with eight teams, taking part in 1,795 games an racking up 1,758 hits (including 351 homers and 297 doubles) for a career average of .301. Along the way he scored 1,142 runs and drove in 1,285 more.Jimenez was home run champion with Saltillo in 2000 and holds the record for the most times hitting two longballs in a single game seven times that same year. In addition, he ranks fifth in all-time home runs with 351 roundtrippers.

BONNIE “EL GRILLO” SERRELL
    Born March 9, 1922 in Dallas, Texas, Serrell played second base alongside Jackie Robinson with the Kansas City Monarchs before spending spent 10 seasons with five teams over two stints in the Mexican League from 1945-48 and 1952-57. The lefty batter joined the Tampico in 1945 with Tampico and helped win two pennants there, then was a big factor for Nuevo Laredo's champs in 1953 and 1954. He averaged .311 over his Liga career with 560 runs scored, 1,099 hits, 173 doubles, 66 triples, 44 home runs, 517 RBI, 90 stolen bases and posted six years over .300. Magnificent in the field as well.

JORGE MENENDEZ TORRE
    Born December 24, 1938 in Mérida, Yucatán, Menendez was one of the best journalists of his day. His career began in 1960 with the Yucatán Diario, where he was until 1968 when he founded the sports weekly La Crónica. He later wrote for Juzgue, Excelsior, Heraldo de México, Ovaciones, Sport Illustrated, Hit, and SuperHit magazines, as well as The Sporting News. He won four Writer of the Year awards from the Salon de la Fama and one Fray Nano National Award in 2000. In his last years, Menendez wrote in Mundo al Día and Novedades de Yucatán before dying in 2013 at age 74.

MEXICAN LEAGUE ADDS 19TH TEAM IN QUERETARO
 

   The Mexican League has awarded a nineteenth franchise to the state of Queretaro, contingent on construction of a new baseball stadium there. According to sources, a new facility will cost an estimated 400 to 500 million pesos (US$20.5-35.6 million) and be built with private funding. The team will be nicknamed the Conspiradores, or “Conspirators.”

    LMB president Horacio de la Vegas was present at the announcement and said, “It is a historic day, very important for baseball in our country. Baseball has grown significantly. We have had an important streak of growth.” De la Vega added that Liga income grew by nearly 1,000 percent from 2019 to 2022, leaguewide attendance went up from 1.9 million spectators in 2019 to 4.3 million this year and that the LMB had 24 television contracts with distribution in more than 20 countries in 2022 reaching more than 60 million viewers.

    The proposed ballpark is expected to be located between five and ten minutes from Queretaro International Airport, according to Conspiradores owner Francisco Orozco. The first stone for the 6,000-seat facility (which will include 144 private boxes, will be laid in January with completion due in March 2024. Orozco said advanced negotiations are underway the the property near Queretaro City in El Marquez.

    The state of Queretaro is located in in north central Mexico and lies north of Mexico City, south of San Luis Potosi and east of Guanajuato. One of the smallest states in the country, Queretaro is home to 2.4 million residents, 1.6 million in metropolitan Queretaro City, the state capital. The climate is relatively mild, with average high temperatures in the low to mid 80's during baeball season and annual rainfall of about 20 inches. Queretaro City is one of Mexico's fastest-growing and has become an industrial center with a per capita income of US$20,000, second only to Monterrey. The Conspiradores will be the city's first professional baseball club.

    Team director Gerardo Quezada expressed his belief that the Conspiradores will be a competitive team from the start. “This is a historic day: a franchise is born in the Mexican Baseball League,” he declared. “Baseball is a family sport. We will lead Querétaro to triumphs and victories in the future.”

    It's estimated that 60 to 70 percent of Queretaro's players in 2024 will be supplied by the 18 current LMB teams, with the remainder coming through other channels like free agency.

    A twentieth Mexican League franchise for 2024 is expected to be formally announced soon.

CARRILLO, CASTILLA AMONG 7 NEW SALON MEMBERS

Even at 45, Matias Carrillo could still hit

    The Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2020 was announced last Thursday at a virtual ceremony centered at the Salon de la Fama in Monterrey and led by Salon director Francisco Padilla Davila. Seven new inductees were introduced to the public, including former Major Leaguers Matias Carrillo and Vinny Castilla plus one-time Negro League player Bonnie Serrell.

    Matias Carrillo led all vote-getters among 28 nominees in the Players category with 52 votes on 55 electoral committee ballots. Carrillo played 107 MLB games between 1991 and 1994, batting .251 for Milwaukee and Florida, but the Sinaloan outfielder was a major star south of the border. In 22 Mexican League seasons, mostly with the Tigres, he was considered by many to be Mexico's most complete ballplayer. He was the LMB Rookie of the Year in 1982 and eventually led the Liga in all three Triple Crown categories. Carrillo compiled a career LMB average of .336 with 330 homers, 1,554 RBIs and 276 stolen bases, raking among all-time leaders in all four categories. In 27 winterball seasons in the Mexican Pacific League, “El Coyote” hit .286 with 260 steals (the LMP career record) and 159 homers (third all-time) in 1,524 games and was MVP in 1992-93. He's also managed pennant-winners in both leagues.

    An Obregon-born third baseman, Vinny Castilla played in the Mexican League with Saltillo and Monclova but made his mark in MLB. In 16 seasons with six teams (most notably the Rockies) between 1991 and 2006, he leads all Mexican-born players with 320 homers and 1,105 RBIs during a career that saw him top 40 homers for the Rockies three consecutive years (1996-98), lead the National League with 131 in 2004 and play in two All-Star Games while winning three Silver Slugger awards. Castilla also spent 21 seasons playing in the Mex Pac and whacked 80 homers with 298 ribbies, including a rookie record seven runs driven in one game for Obregon against Mexicali in 1988. He managed the Hermosillo Naranjeros last winter.

    Isidro Marquez was a Navojoa-born reliever whose underarm pitching allowed him to spent 22 seasons in the Mexican League, primarily with Campeche, where he posted a career record of 97-78 with an ERA of 3.44 and an LMB record 301 saves. “Chilo” pitched 21 seasons of winterball, 16 with Mexicali, between 1985-86 and 2008-09, turned in a 2.88 ERA with 134 saves with a 44-48 record and is the all-time leader in saves in the LMP as well, leading the league in saves a record five times and earning two saves in one day three times during the 2001-02 season. Spent part of the 1995 season with the Chicago White Sox, going 0-1. Marquez is now the bullpen coach in Navojoa, where son, Isidro Junior, is a reliever.

    Jose Luis Sandoval was a standout shortstop with the Mexico City Diablos from 1990 through 2012, minus a short 1993 stint with the Pirates' AAA Buffalo affiliate and the 1997 season in Saltillo. A Los Mochis native, like Carrillo, “El Borrego” sparkled defensively for the Diablos and is the Mexican League's all-time leader with 2,219 game at shortstop, turning a record 1,731 double plays. A solid hitter as well, Sandoval stroked 2,263 safeties over 23 seasons, including 435 doubles and 253 homers, and is second all-time with 1,646 runs scored. He also played 21 winters in the LMP (20 with Hermosillo) and clobbered 98 homers over 1,137 games. Played with five Liga champions and six more in the Mex Pac.

Vinny Castilla playing in the WBC

    Burly Eduardo Jimenez was born in Tijuana and terrorized Mexican pitchers for two decades between 1986 and 2007. The lefthanded outfielder spent 21 years in the Mexican League, including seven seasons in Saltillo (leading the LMB with 45 homers in 2000) before playing his last two years with the hometown Potros before retiring at 42. Jimenez had a career .301 average in the Liga and is fifth with 351 homers. He also played 20 seasons in the LMP with six teams and crushed 199 homers, including six games in a row for Mexicali in 1990, and drove in a record nine runs hitting for the cycle in 1994.

    Second baseman Bonnie “Barney” Serrell, who was voted into the Salon as a Veteran, spent five years in the Negro American League (mostly with the Kansas City Monarchs) before emigrating in 1945 to Mexico, where he spent ten years and registered a career .311 Mexican League average on 1,099 hits while scoring 560 runs playing for five teams. Serrell was nicknamed “The Vacuum Cleaner” for his defensive work at second base and led the LMB in hits and triples for 1953 with Nuevo Laredo, then topped the loop in hits, doubles and triples in 1954 for the Tecolotes.

    Jorge Menendez Torre was elected as a journalist. A native of Merida, Yucatan, Menendez wrote under the pseudonym “George Squeeze-Play” for both the Diario de Yucatan and the now-defunct Novedades for over 30 years, serving as the sports editor for the latter. Beginning in 1960, he also published several books on baseball, won four Salon de la Fama journalism contests and in 2000 was awarded the Fray Nano National Sports Journalism Award. Menendez also served as a vice president with the LMB Yucatan Lions prior to passing away in 2013 at age 74.

   

MEXICALI WINS 7 OF 8 TO BEGIN MEX PAC SECOND HALF

Sergio Romo is back with Jalisco

    The Mexicali Aguilas stumbled out the gate at the outset of the current Mexican Pacific League season, losing their first eight games and costing manager Pedro Mere his job. Things have gone a trifle better for the Eagles under new manager Bronswell Patrick for the beginning of the LMP's second half, with the team winning seven of their first eight games to take a one-game lead over defending champion Jalisco in the standings.

    One prime reason for the border team's resurgence, during which Mexicali has gone 19-7 since Patrick took over, has been the mound work of starting pitcher Miguel Pena. The former Red Sox minor leaguer from Mission, Texas has a 1.72 ERA in six appearances (including five starts) and is a perfect 3-0 as the Aguilas lead the LMP with a team ERA of 3.55. Twenty-year-old setup man Fernando Lozano, a Phillies farmhand out of nearly Ensenada, has a 3-0 record and 1.84 in nine appearances. The Mexicali offense has struggled a bit with a collective .241 average, but veteran batsman Luis Juarez (.278 with 4 homers and 19 RBIs in 32 games) has kept rallies alive and baserunners moving while outfielder Michael Choice, a former Top 100 prospect with Oakland and Texas, is making the most of his .226 average with six homers, 18 RBIs, 20 runs scored and six steals.

    Jalisco dropped out of a first-place tie with the Aguilas following a 5-2 loss in Mazatlan Sunday to fall to 7-2 in the second half. The Charros are battering Mex Pac pitchers to the tune of a league-best .308 average while scoring 5.61 runs per game as seven Jalisco regulars are hitting .300 or better (Japhet Amador is at .341 with 7 homers and 32 RBIs in 33 games). However, manager Roberto Vizcarra's pitching staff has been generally awful this winter, with an LMP-worst 5.49 ERA, a number that would be far worse if not for starter Luis Ivan Rodriguez.

    A 5'9” lefty from Guadalajara , Rodriguez has been average at best since his 2013 debut with Laguna in the Mexican League but has become an LMP Pitcher of the Year candidate thus far after turning in a 6-0 record with a 2.83 ERA over seven starts for the Charros. While the team waits as usual for reliever Roberto Osuna to take the mound (both of Osuna's 17-year-old twin brothers have played this winter), MLB veteran Sergio Romo has arrived in Guadalajara and is preparing to pitch for the Charros this month. The 37-year-old “El Mechon” was 1-4 with five saves and a 4.05 ERA in 24 appearances for the Minnesota Twins this year, but is now a free agent. His arrival will be welcomed by both Vizcarra and his teammates.

Paul Leon, Jay Austin with Campeche

    Navojoa is in the middle of the pack at 4-4 and tied with Culiacan for fifth place, one game behind Hermosillo and surprising Guasave. The Mayos made a move to bolster their lineup last week by signing reigning Venezuelan League batting champion Jay Austin. A 30-year-old Atlanta native, the lefty-batting Austin led the LVPB with a .392 average for the Aragua Tigres last winter. After playing five summers in the Astros system between 2008 and 2012, Austin spent most of the next five years in independent leagues before debuting in the Mexican League with Oaxaca and Quintana Roo during the Fall 2018 season, batting .304. The speedy outfielder then hit .329 for Campeche in 2019 with a career-high 15 homers while stealing 31 bases for the Piratas.

    Los Mochis continues to stagger after finishing last with a 9-20 mark in the first half. The Caneros fired manager Victor Bojorquez between halves and veteran Saul Soto, who has stepped into such situations before, filled in for the first three games in the second half (all losses) until the front office named Robinson Cancel as the team's new manager. The former big league catcher has previously managed Culiacan in 2018-19 and took the Tomateros to the playoffs, but was not brought back for last season. the Caneros had dropped 19 of their previous 20 games before Cancel led them to a 2-3 record last week, bringing Los Mochis' second-half record to 2-6, one game behind Mazatlan and Obregon (both 3-5) and one game ahead of cellar-dwelling Monterrey (1-7). The Caneros also signed Panamanian catcher Ivan Herrera, a 20-year-old Cardinals prospect eyed by some as a potential successor to Yadir Molina in St. Louis but who went just 2-for-15 in his first five games with Los Mochis last week.

    

HERMOSILLO'S HERNANDEZ LEADS MEX PAC BAT RACE

LMP batting leader Yadiel Hernandez

   Although two Guasave players (including a potential MVP candidate) have higher batting averages over fewer plate appearances, Hermosillo outfielder Yadiel Hernandez is tops among qualifying batters in the Mexican Pacific League batting race with a .350 figure, one point ahead of Navojoa catcher Omar Renteria's .349. A 33-year-old who spent six winters in the Cuban National Series with Matanzas before defecting in 2015, Hernandez hit .336 for the Naranjeros last season before making his MLB debut this summer and batting .192 with one homer for Washington in 12 games. He has three homers and three steals for the Orangemen and has scored 21 runs thus far.

    Another Cuban product who, like Hernandez, played six seasons in the CNS (with Cienfuegos) before defecting is Guasave shortstop Erisbel Arruebarrena. Unlike Hernandez, Arruebarrena spent four years in the Dodgers system before going BACK to his homeland last winter and ironically playing for Matanzas, hitting .322 with 19 homers as the Cocodrilos won their first-ever CNS title. Making his debut in Mexican ball this winter, the 30-year-old Arruebarrena is batting .390 with nine homers in 21 games for Guasave after joining the Algodoneros during the first half. Teammate Jose Felix is hitting .376 while fellow Cuban Yadir Drake has .336/6/25 numbers but it's been Arruebarrena who has set the Cottoners batting order on fire.

    In other offensive categories, outfielder Leandro Castro has been one of the precious few bright spots in Los Mochis this season and leads the LMP with 10 homers, one more than Arruebarrena, Dustin Peterson of Monterrey and Culiacan's Sebastian Elizalde. Although Castro is hitting just .233, 13 of his 28 hits have been for extra bases. Japhet Amador of Jalisco has 33 RBIs to lead the loop, one more than teammate Dariel Alvarez and Elizalde, who is out of the Tomateros lineup for up to two weeks after suffering an ankle injury during a play against the Charros on November 30. Obregon's Alonzo Harris continues to lead the Mex Pac with 20 steals in 22 attempts but has not played for the Yaquis since going 2-for 4 against Los Mochis on November 26 to raise his batting average to .337. Harris has been taken off the roster on the Yaquis website but does not appear on the list of LMP transactions since his final appearance.

Charros' Luis Ivan Hernandez is 6-0 so far

    Luis Ivan Rodriguez of Jalisco's beleaguered staff has been the surprise among Mex Pac pitchers this year, leading the loop with six wins and a 2.83 ERA. Hermosillo's Juan Pablo Oramas is just behind at 5-2. Navojoa's now-departed Felix Dubrount, who went home to pitch in his native Venezuela, leads pitchers who've tossed more than 35 innings with a 2.15 ERA while Mexicali's Eduardo Vera is second among starters at 2.45. Manny Barreda of Culiacan is tops in strikeouts with 37 in 42 innings, one more than Oramas' 36. Hermosillo closer Fernando Salas' nine saves are best in the LMP and his 1.38 ERA is a big reason. Jalisco's Brennan Bernardino, who was brought in after the Charros released former Pitching Triple Crown winner Elian Leyva last month, is second with six saves.