LMP: FIRST ROUND OVER, SEMIS OPEN WEDNESDAY

Obregon P Samuel Zazueta

    The first round of the 2022-23 Mexican Pacific League playoffs are history and the four remaining teams are slated to square off in the semifinals beginning Wednesday night.

    Los Mochis made short work of Navojoa by eliminating the Mayos, 4 games to 1 while it took six games for top seed Hermosillo to knock out Mazatlan in a series delayed by violence throughout Sinaloa after the arrest of the son of drug cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman last week. Obregon and Guasave were stretched the full seven games before defeating Mexicali and Monterrey, respectively, in their opening round series.

    Here is a game-by-game capsule of each LMP quarterfinal series. Home teams are in all caps:

LOS MOCHIS DEFEATED NAVOJOA, 4 GAMES TO 1
SUN 1/1: LOS MOCHIS 7, Navojoa 6 (Rudy Amador scored walk-off run on throwing error by Mayos P Edwyn Valle in bottom of 11th)
MON 1/2: LOS MOCHIS 7, Navojoa 1 (Bruce Maxwell had RBI double and scored as Nick Struck allowed 1 run in 6 innings)
WED 1/4: Los Mochis 5, NAVOJOA 2 (Maxwell's 2-run HR keyed 4-run ninth after Caneros trailed 2-1, wasting Octavio Acosta's 5IP/1R start for Mayos)
THU 1/5: NAVOJOA 3, Los Mochis 0 (Ruddy Acosta allowed 2 hits in 5 shutout innings as Olmo Rosario doubled and homered for Mayos)
FRI 1/6: Los Mochis 4, NAVOJOA 3 (Amador doubled in Isaac Rodriguez in top of 11th, Esteban Haro held Mayos scoreless on 10 pitches for save in Mochis clincher)

HERMOSILLO DEFEATED MAZATLAN, 4 GAMES TO 2
SUN 1/1: HERMOSILLO 2, Mazatlan 1 (Elian Leyva allowed 1 run on 9 scattered hits over 6 innings for Naranjeros)
MON 1/2: HERMOSILLO 3, Mazatlan 0 (Wilmer Rios pitched 7 shutout innings, Jose Cardona went 4-for-4 with 2 doubles)
WED 1/4: MAZATLAN 3, Hermosillo 2 (Christian Villanueva went 3-for-3 with 2 RBIs and Fabricio Macias tripled and scored twice for Venados)
FRI 1/6: MAZATLAN 2, Hermosillo 1 (Leo German scored go-ahead run from third on Cesar Vargas wild pitch in 5th after Thursday's postponement due to cartel street violence)
SAT 1/7: Hermosillo 4, MAZATLAN 3 (Nick Torres' 2-run HR in top of 11th gave Hermosillo 4-2 lead; Venados got run back before pinch-hitter Leonardo Reginatto flew out to end game)
SUN 1/8: HERMOSILLO 3, Mazatlan 1 (Wilmer Rios allowed 1 unearned run in 8.1 innings as Naranjeros scored 2 runs via 2 Mazatlan errors on same play in bottom of 6th)

OBREGON DEFEATED MEXICALI, 4 GAMES TO 3
SUN 1/1: OBREGON 9, Mexicali 4 (Niuman Romero hit solo HR in 7-run sixth inning as Yaquis overcame 4-1 deficit)
MON 1/2: OBREGON 4, Mexicali 3 (Allen Cordoba's single scored Victor Marquez with walkoff run in bottom of the 13th)
WED 1/4: MEXICALI 10, Obregon 6 (Anthony Giansanti and Xorge Carrillo combined for 4 RBIs as Aguilas chased Yaquis' P Mitch Lively for 7 runs on 6 hits in 1.2 innings)
THU 1/5: MEXICALI 2, Obregon 0 (Miguel Pena and two relievers combined for 3-hit shutout as Carrillo singled, doubled and scored twice for Mexicali)
FRI 1/6: Obregon 6, MEXICALI 5 (Carlos Sepulveda hit 2-run double and scored as Yaquis built 6-1 lead; Aguilas scored 4 in the 7th but Samuel Zazueta got save on 9 pitches)
SUN 1/8: Mexicali 4, OBREGON 2 (Niko Vasquez' 2-run single paced Aguilas' 3-run 6th, then Vasquez hit solo HR in 9th to clinch win for Mexicali)
MON 1/9: OBREGON 5, Mexicali 2 (Yadir Drake's 3-run double in bottom of 2nd helped Yaquis take 4-0 lead, Zazueta's 3 shutout innings of relief for save helped maintain it)

GUASAVE DEFEATED MONTERREY, 4 GAMES TO 3
SUN 1/1: GUASAVE 2, Monterrrey 1 (Joey Terdoslavich scored from first on Francisco Hernandez single in bottom of 10th)
MON 1/2: GUASAVE 2, Monterrey 1 (Solo HRs by Jesse Castillo and Terdoslavich in 2nd held up as Nico Tellache tossed 7.1 innings of 1-run ball)
WED 1 /4: Guasave 6, MONTERREY 1 (Julian Ornelas hit 3-run homer for Cottoneers to back Jeff Klnley's 6 innings of 1R/2H/4K pitching; Ricardo Serrano homered for Sultanes)
THU 1/5: MONTERREY 5, Guasave 4 (Bat champ Roberto Valenzuela had 3 singles, 2 RBIs and scored once as Sultanes held off elimination)
FRI 1/6: MONTERREY 6, Guasave 1 (Kennys Vargas' 2-run HR keyed 3-run Sultanes 3rd en route to 3-hit night; Frank Duncan tossed 6 shutout innings for win)
SUN 1/8: Monterrey 3, GUASAVE 0 (Six pitchers combined on 4-hitter for Sultanes as Valenzuela, Vargas and Gilberto Galaviz had RBI singles to force Game 7)
MON 1/9: GUASAVE 8 Monterrey 4 (Kinley got his second win with 6 shutout innings while Orlando Pina's 3-run HR off Kurt Heyer in 3rd gave Guasave a 6-0 lead that held)

    The conclusion of the first round on Monday led to a second reinforcement draft on Tuesday. Hermosillo drew the first pick, followed by Obregon, Los Mochis and Guasave for the two-round selection process of picking reinforcements from among the four teams vanquished in the first round. As with the first such draft, one reinforcement will be allowed to be placed on his new team's active roster for the semifinals while the other will be placed on the Reserve List for that series.

    With their two picks, the Naranjeros took two catchers: Gabriel Gutierrez (Mazatlan) and Xorge Carrillo (Mexicali). Obregon chose LHP Braulio Torres-Perez (Mazatlan) and LHP Marcelo Martinez (Mexicali). Los Mochis selected IFs Roberto Valenzuela (Monterrey) and Christian Villanueva (Mazatlan) and Guasave picked OF Sebastian Elizalde (Mexicali) and 1B Reynaldo Rodriguez (Mexicali). Thus far, Gutierrez, Valenzuela and Elizalde have been activated by their respective new teams while Obregon has not made their roster add choice.

    The Final Four is scheduled to open Wednesday night. Guasave will send Gino Encina to the mound in Hermosillo while the Naranjeros have chosen Tyler Alexander as their Game One starter. In Los Mochis, the Caneros have tabbed Nick Struck as their opener against Obregon and veteran Manny Barreda.


MEX PAC BEGINS NAMING 2022-23 AWARD WINNERS

    As the postseason enters into its second stage this week, the Mexican Pacific League has begun naming its individual award winners for the 2022-23 season as selected by front office and media members in all ten LMP cities as well as an online fan vote.

    The first winner named was Hermosillo's Juan Gabriel Castro as Manager of the Year. Castro led the Naranjeros to the highest points harvest with 19.0 while their 43-25 record in the regular role was the best in the LMP, closing with 16 consecutive victories in Estadio Sonora, where they won all home series in the second half. In his second season at the helm of the Orangemen, Castro lead his team to victory 11 out of 12 times in the Mex Pac's Clasico against Culiacan.

    Castro collected 42 percent of the vote to be named winner of the Benjamin “Cananea” Reyes Trophy. The second most-voted-for skipper was Jose Moreno of Los Mochis with 33 percent, 14 percent went to Luis Carlos Rivera of Obregon and 11 percent was for for Oscar Robles of Guasave. All four will be managing in the semifinals.

    Jalisco outfielder Fernando Villegas has been chosen Rookie of the Year after finishing third in the LMP in batting percentage at .337 and in on-base percentage with a .399 mark, second in slugging percentage at .519, second in on-base plus percentage at .918 and tied for fifth in extra-base hits with 23.

    The 24-year-old Villegas, who was classified as a rookie despite two seasons in the Pittsburgh organization and 48 games for the Charros over the previous three winters, is the first Jalisco player to win the Baldomero “Melo” Almada Trophy in the nine-year history of the franchise. He took 42 percent of the vote to finish first ahead of Hermosillo reliver Luis Marquez (29 percent), starter Juan Pablo Tellez of Mazatlan (19 percent), Obregon hurler Faustino Carrera (7 percent) and Yaquis reliever José Carlos Medina (3 percent).

    And Colombian Elkin Alcala of Mazatlan has been selected as reliever of the Year for 2022-23. The right-hander finished as leader in the saves department, with 20 salvados in 22 opportunities while posting a 1.57 ERA, pitching a total of 34.1 innings in 34 games with 31 strikeouts. Alcala emerged as the winner by closing with 36 percent of the votes.

    Second place went to left-hander Luis Márquez from Hermosillo with 34 percent, followed by Jake Sánchez of Mexicali (12 percent), Guasave's Brandon Koch (10 percent) and Samuel Zazueta from Obregon (8 percent). The Reliever of the Year Trophy is named after Salon de la Fama member Isidro Marquez, the all-time saves leader in both the Mexican League and Mexican Pacific League who still had to wait until 2020 to be elected for enshrinement in Monterrey nine years after retirement. Marquez took himself off the shelf last winter to pitch a combined 29 times at age 56 for Navojoa and Monterrey, going 2-0 with one save and a 2.78 ERA.

    Other award winners, including Pitcher of the Year and Most Valuable Player, will be announced by the LMP league office in Guadalajara as the postseason progresses.


VERACRUZ CUP SEMIS, FINAL SET FOR JAN. 14-15

Estadio Beto Avila, Veracruz

    After more than 300 young Veracruzanos competed on 16 teams, Estadio Beto Ávila (home of the Mexican League Veracruz Aguilas) will be the scene of the Semifinals and Finals of the Veracruz Cup Winter League on January 14 and 15. The first game of the Semifinal will match the Chahuapan Águilas, directed by Fredy Ruiz, against the Papantla Voladores, managed by Noe Mata. In the other confrontation, the Chacaltianguis Mangueros (manager Adelaido Rodríguez) take on the Alvarado Pescadores (manager Juan Palacios).

    The first semifinal game at Estadio Beto Avila is scheduled for Saturday, January 14 at 12:00 pm and the second at 4:00 pm. The game for third place will be on Sunday, January 15 at 12:00 pm followed by the Grand Final at 4:00 pm.

    The tournament was divided into four venues: Deportivo Colon in Xalapa, Campo Anáhuac in Papantla, Campo Raciel Hernández in Otatitlan and Estadio Gustavo Burjois Fernández in Tierra Blanca. Sixteen teams saw action in 72 regular-day games, with an average attendance of more than 2,000 spectators per venue. The teams that participated in Xalapa were the Xalapa Tomateros, Emiliano Zapata Limoneros, Xico Vikingos and the Chahuapan Aguilas. In Papantla, the Papantla Voladores, Tampico Alto Cachorros, Poza Rica Tecnológicos and Coatzintla Maiceros did battle. Chacaltianguis and Alvarado also emerged from similar four-team groups in Otatitlan and Tierra Blanca.

    Copa Veracruz president Vladimir Cruz Acosta says he's satisfied that 300 young players were physically activated from various municipalities of the state and supported by the LMB Veracruz Aguilas. Tournaments such as Copa Veracruz are intended to increase the competitive level of Veracruz prospects sought by the Aguilas and/or other profesional baseball organizations as well as young players who like to practice the game recreationally. Outside the traditional hotbed of northwest Mexico, Veracruz has been the most fertile state in the country for developing ballplayers for years.

LOS MOCHIS WINS SECOND HALF, PLAYOFFS UNDERWAY

Caneros celebrate playoff win

    It took a 1-0 win on the last day of the regular season and a little mathematics, but Los Mochis emerged as the champion for the second half of the Mexican Pacific League's 2022-23 season. Despite having an identical record as the Caneros over the final half, Hermosillo was awarded second place because in head-to-head competition, Los Mochis had a better record than the Naranjeros.

    The Caneros sealed the second half title by holding off archrival Guasave, 1-0, on Thursday night in front of 7,923 fans at the Algodoneros' Estadio Francisco Carranza Limon. The game was a scoreless tie going into the top of the fifth when Los Mochis' Alejandro Urias hit a one-out single, advanced to third on a Justin Dean single and then came in to score on an Ivan Izaguirre wild pitch to Rudy Amador. Omar Araujo pitched three innings of scoreless relief to earn the win as seven Caneros hurlers combined on the four-hit shutout. Izaquirre took the loss for Guasave, who likewise brought seven pitchers to the mound including starter Jesus Broca, who'd tossed three scoreless frames with four strikeouts. With the win, Los Mochis finished the second half with a 22-11 record.

    Hermosillo likewise ended the half at 22-11 after blanking visiting Mexicali, 2-0, while 16,065 spectators looked on at a packed Estadio Sonora. Although this one was another pitcher's duel, it was decided on one swing of the bat when Alejandr Mejia launched a two-run homer (only his second of the season) to score Angel Camacho in the bottom of the third of Aguilas starter Onelki Garcia, a former Dodgers and Royals pitcher who otherwise had an exemplary outing over five innings but fell to 0-3 with the loss. Although Naranjeros starter Jose Samayoa pitched two perfect innings, it was reliever Anibal Cervantes who got the win after tossing three scoreless entradas himself and allowing no hits and one walk.

    Even though the Caneros won the second half on a tiebreaker to collect the 10.0 playoff points that go with their first-place finish, don't feel too sorry for Hermosillo. The Orangemen did pick up 9.0 points of their own for finishing in the runners-up position and their season playoff points total of 19.0 (on an LMP-best 43-25 record) were enough to ensure the number one seed in the playoffs. Los Mochis finished with a 41-27 overall record and 17.0 points to snag the second seed. Tiebreakers were applied to three other ties in the final standings.

    Here is a look at the second-half standings and points, followed by the overall standings and points for the ten teams, both determined by points:

LMP SECOND HALF STANDINGS (POINTS)
Los Mochis 22-11 (10.0), Hermosillo 22-11 (9.0), Obregon 19-14 (8.0), Monterrey 16-17 (7.0), Guasave 16-17 (6.0), Mexicali 15-18 (5.5), Navojoa 15-18 (5.0), Jalisco 14-19 (4.5), Mazatlan 14-19 (4.0), Culiacan 12-21 (3.5).

LMP 2022-23 OVERALL STANDINGS (POINTS)
Hermosillo 43-25 (19.0), Los Mochis 41-27 (17.0), Obregon 38-30 (16.0), Guasave 36-32 (15.0), Monterrey 32-36 (11.5), Mexicali 31-37 (10.5), Navojoa 31-37 (10.5), Mazatlan 33-35 (10.0), Jalisco 29-39 (8.5), Culiacan 26-42 (7.0).

    With defending champion Jalisco and defending runners-up Culiacan both on the outside looking in, the four first round playoff series got underway Sunday night:
    #1 Hermosillo held off #8 Mazatlan, 2-1, as a Luis Alfonso Cruz double tied the score in the bottom of the seventh and a sacrifice fly by the next batter, Irving Lopez, pushed Angel Ramirez in with the go-ahead run.
    A throwing error by reliever Edwyn Valle in the top of the eleventh allowed Brayan Mendoza to score the game-winner from third as #2 Los Mochis snuck past #7 Navojoa, 2-1.
    #3 Obregon scored seven runs in the bottom of the sixth as Carlos Sepulveda stroked a three-run double en route to a 9-4 win over #6 Mexicali.
    Francisco Hernandez singled in Joey Terdoslavich in the bottom of the tenth to hand #4 Guasave a 2-1 win over #5 Monterrey.
     All four series are set for their respective Game Twos on Monday at the home ballparks of the higher seeds.

    As expected, Monterrey's Roberto Valenzuela won the batting title with a .365 average, well in front of Justin Dean of Los Mochis (.343) and Jalisco's Francisco Villegas (.337). The home run derby ended in a three-way tie with 10 apiece for Yasmany Tomas (Los Mochis), Anthony Giansanti (Mexicali) and Jese Castillo (Guasave) as none of the trio went deep over the final two weeks of the regular season. Tomas won the RBI crown with 57, ahead of Victor Mendoza of Obregon's 50 and the 42 apiece for three players: Fernando Perez (Monterrey), Christian Villanueva (Jalisco) and Yadir Drake (Obregon). Jose Cardona of Hermosillo won the stolen base race with 29, three up on Mazatlan's Randy Romero (26) while Dean finished with 16 swipes for the Caneros.

    Wilmer Rios of Hermosillo won his final start of the regular season to finish with a 9-2 record and the wins title while three pitchers (Obregon's Faustino Carrera, Hermosillo's Elian Leyva and Mazatlan's Juan Tellez) recorded seven wins each. Luis Miranda of Los Mochis closed out his season-long dominance in the ERA race with a 1.07 mark, trailed by Mazatlan's Braulio Torres-Perez (1.49) and Rios' 1.84. The strikeout battle was entertaining and when the smoke cleared, Guasave's Matt Pobereyko (73) had beaten out Manny Barreda of Culiacan (71) for the title while Javier Solano of Jalisco (67) placed third. There was another close races for the saves leadership, with Mazatlan's Elkin Alcala (20) nudging Brandon Koch of Guasave (19) for the title while Monterrey's Joe Riley finished third with 15.


16 PLAYERS PICKED IN LMP REINFORCEMENT DRAFT

Manny Barreda, daughter after first MLB win

    At the conclusion of the Mexican Pacific League regular season, the first annual Reinforcement Draft was held via teleconference during which the eight LMP playoff qualifiers were allowed to select up to two players each off the rosters of the two non-postseason teams, Culiacan and Jalisco.

    While the teams still playing will add both players they chose to their respective rosters (LMP rights to those selected remain with the clubs they were picked from), only one can be added to an active roster at each stage of the postseason. A similar draft will be held each stage of the playoffs.

    The first Reinforcement Draft was carried out Friday among the presidents of the qualified teams and chaired by Mex Pac president Carlos Manrique and LMP sports director Christian Veliz. The picks were said to be taken in order of team positions in the general standings, although the draft order would suggest other considerations were taken, since overall leader Hermosillo had the sixth pick in the first round.

1 - OBREGON
    The Yaquis chose first and took Culiacan starting pitcher Manny Barreda, who was second in the LMP in strikeouts with 71, finishing with a 3-6 record and a 2.93 ERA. Barreda, who made his first MLB start with Baltimore in 2021 after 15 years in the minors, is a much better pitcher than his record would suggest and he'll solidy the Obregon rotation.
    The second pick of the Yaquis was Tomateros left-handed reliever Óliver Pérez, a cagey 41-year-old middleman with 20 years of MLB experience.

2 - MAZATLAN
    The Venados chose Jalisco infielder Christian Villanueva, who tied for third in RBIs with 42 to augment a .288 average with 6 home runs and a .794 OPS number. Villanueva hit 20 homers for San Diego as a rookie in 2019 and also spent two seasons in Japan. The 31-year-old will likely split between first base and designated hitter for Mazatlan.
    In the second round, the Deer took reliever Luis Iván Rodríguez, also of Jalisco. Like Villanueva, Rodriguez is a Guadalajara native. He can throw strikes as a setup man.

3 - MEXICALI
    The Aguilas reinforced their outfield with Culiacan's Sebastián Elizalde, the winner of the Héctor Espino Trophy as MVP for 2020-21. Elizalde had an off year (.264/1/25) for the Tomateros but he hit .385 for Monterrey in the LMB last summer and remains a dangerous man at the plate capable of getting hot.
    The second selection of the Eagles was Culiacan third baseman Emmanuel Ávila, who also had a down season (.244/2/7) but is a career .322 hitter in ten LMB summer seasons.

4 - LOS MOCHIS
    Further addressing their solid Mexican base, the Cañeros acquired Rookie of the Year candidate Fernando Villegas, who finished third in batting at .337 for Jalisco with five homers. Calling Villegas a “rookie” is a bit of a stretch, however, since he spent two years in the Pirates system and had played 48 games in three previous winters for the Charros.
    The second reinforcement is reliever Karch Kowalczyk, a five-year Dodgers minor leaguer who was 0-0 and 3.31 in 34 appearances for Jalisco.

5 - NAVOJOA
    The Mayos reinforced their bullpen with reliever Sasagi Sánchez, who turned in 7 holds and 5 saves for Culiacan this campaign with a 1.73 ERA while allowing just three walks in 26 innings. Sanchez only had five saves in nine years prior to the current LMP season but may serve as a closer for Navojoa's bullpen by committee
    The Mayos also took another reliever, David Gutiérrez, who was 0-2 with one save for the Tomateros but also had a 1.96 ERA after helping Yucatan win the LMB pennant in 2022.

6 - HERMOSILLO
    The leaders of both points and general standings opted for Jalisco lefty Tyler Alexander, who finished third in wins with six and had 49 strikeouts in 64 innings. However, the former Brewers farmhand had a 5.20 ERA for the Charros and will need to step it up in joining a rotation already featuring Wilmer Rios, Elian Leyva and Juan Pablo Oramas.
    Hermosillo took Jalisco reliever Jared Wilson as a second option. Wilson was just 1-5 for the Charros but had a solid 1.95 ERA with four saves in 22 appearances.

7 - GUASAVE
    The Algodoneros broke the trend for pitching and chose two outfielders, including Jalisco's Julián Ornelas in the first round. Ornelas hit .292, led the Charros with eight homers, was third on the team with 28 RBIs and held down center field. He's capable of playing all three outfield slots and can steal a base for you as well.
    Guasave's second pick was Jalisco gardener, José Juan Aguilar, a 32-year-old who's lost a step after 13 seasons but hit .296 as a part-timer, strikes out rarely and gets on base.

8 - MONTERREY
    The Gray Ghosts chose Culiacan starting pitcher Kurt Heyer with the eighth pick. A former Cardinals minor leaguer out of Arizona, Heyer was 2-4 with a 4.09 ERA for the Tomateros, allowing just six walks (but also six homers) in 61.2 innings pitched. Nothing spectacular but Monterrey needs pitching.
    Which is why the Sultanes also picked Jalisco's vet righty Javier Solano in the second round. Solano was 2-6 and 3.80 this winter but is 55-44 lifetime and knows how to win.


MEXICAN WBC TEAM ADDS FIVE MORE COACHES

Mexico coach Rigo Beltran

    While names of players have been trickling in regarding Mexico's entry in March's World Baseball Classic, the Naitonal Selection Commission has been busy filling out the coaching staff for manager Benji Gil. Late last month, team general manager Rodrigo Lopez announced the addition of five members to Gil's coaching staff, including a pair of fellow ex-MLBers as pitching coaches. The commission consists of Lopez along with representatives from both the Mexican Baseball Federation (FEMEBE) and the Mexican League.

    Rigo Beltran and Elmer Dessens will pair up in handling Gil's mound staff while brothers Ever and Bobby Magallanes will be joined by Jacob Cruz as batting coaches in Phoenix, where the Verdes Grande will play first-round games in Group C over five days beginning March 11 at the Arizona Diamondbacks' home stadium.

    Beltran was a lefty pitcher who spent all or part of five seasons in the majors between 1997 and 2004 with St. Louis, the New York Mets, Colorado and Montreal as well as a stint in Japan with Hiroshima and with the LMB's Saltillo Saraperos (for whom he was 13-4 in 2005). After retiring as an active player, the Tijuana-born Beltran has coached in Minor League Baseball and was pitching coach with AAA Columbus the past two years and he'll be Terry Francona's bullpen coach in Cleveland next season. He was also pitching coach for Mexico in the 2017 WBC.

    Dessens spent 14 seasons in MLB between 1996 and 2010, pitching for nine teams along the way and going 52-64 with a 4.44 ERA in 441 appearances (including 140 starts), winning 21 games for Cincinnati between 2000 and 2001, pitching for Mexico in both the inaugural WBC in 2006 and in 2009. The Hermosillo product also spent 1999 in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants and hurled four winters with his hometown Naranjeros before wrapping up his playing career in the LMB with Mexico City in 2011. He's spent the past two summers as pitching coach for the Reds' Arizona Complex League rookie team.

    Bobby Magallanes spent three years as an infielder in the Mariners system between 1990 and 1992, never batting higher than .216 for a season, then played several campaigns in independent leagues and in the Mexican League before wrapping up his playing career with the Mexico City Tigres and Puebla of the Liga in 2001. His coaching experience includes time with the Mexican National Team at the Central American & Caribbean Games at Veracruz in 2014, serving with Mexico along with Beltran in the 2017 World Baseball Classic and as an assistant batting coach for the 2021 World Series champion Atlanta Braves.

    Ever Magallanes managed Mexico in the 2014 Central American & Caribbean Games while serving as a coach for Mexico in both the 2009 and 2013 editions of the WBC while managing several years in MiLB (including last summer with the Angels' Indland Empire affiliate in the Class A California League). As a player, the elder Magallanes attended Texas A&M before embarking on a pro career in 1987 that would last 19 seasons, the last 11 in the Mexican League. He went hitless in three plate appearances for Cleveland in 1991.

    Jacob Cruz hit .241 with 19 homers over 409 games for five teams in bits and pieces of nine MLB seasons between 1996 and 2005. The well-traveled Oxnard, California native also played in South Korea, Taiwan and Mexico before retiring after the 2010 season. Over the past five years, Cruz has been an offensive coordinator with the Chicago Cubs (2018), an assistant batting coach in Pittsburgh (2019), an assistant hitting coach in San Francisco (2020) and has served as the Giants' minor league batting coordinator over the past two summers.

    The five join Vinny Castilla, Tony Perezchica and Gil Velazquez, who were named to Gil's coaching staff earlier in December. Mexico will open Pool C play on March 11 against Colombia at 12:30PM local time. They'll also face the host United States, Great Britain and Canada that week.