MEXICO FINISHES THIRD IN CARIBBEAN SERIES

Joey Terdoslavich with Mexicali in 2021

    After winning the Mexican Pacific League championship series against Guasave last month for the city's fourth pennant in over 70 winters, Los Mochis players and coaches boarded a plane for Caracas, Venezuela as the Mex Pac's representative at the Caribbean Series.

    However, since the Caneros roster for the Crown Jewel of Latin Baseball included 18 reinforcements and just 10 players who'd actually worn a Los Mochis uniform during the regular season, we will refer to them as Team Mexico for the rest of this article. This was more an all-star team than it was the Caneros.

    Team Mexico finished tied for first in the eight-team, round-robin standings with a 5-2 record before dropping a semifinal match against eventual champions Dominican Republic but managed to cop third place with a 1-0 consolation game win over Colombia. The following game accounts are translated (and edited) stories from the LMP website, with some important missing details added.

Thursday, February 2: Mexico 5, Dominican Republic 4

    The Mexicans opened play for both the Serie del Caribe and Caracas' brand-new Estadio La Rinconada with a 5-4 win over the Dominican Republic (Licey Tigres).

    In the second inning, the first-ever hit at the 37,000-seat ballpark arrived on a single by Ramón Hernández for the Dominicans, followed by a double by Mel Rojas Jr. to place men in the corners. A Kelvin Gutiérrez grounder to shortstop brought Hernández home for a 1-0 lead. With two outs, Webster Rivas brought Rojas in with the second run of the game with a double to the left.

    Although the third brought another score for the Dominican Republic on an RBI double by Robinson Canó, Mexico rang in the fourth with a single by José Cardona, who was later brought in on a hit by by Justin Dean.

    With the scoreboard showing a 4-1 lead for the Dominicans, Mexico scored in the "lucky seventh" with Reynaldo Rodríguez' solo home run (first in the history of the park) off left-hander Raúl Valdés to left field.

    In the eighth, after Mexico narrowed the gap to 4-3 when Cardona scored, Domincan manager José Offerman brought Jairo Asencio in from the bullpen to face Fernando Villegas, who was pinch-hitting for Irving López with two men on base. The LMP Rookie of the Year hit a two-run double to the left to give Mexico a 5-4 lead which held up for the first victory of the 2023 Serie del Caribe Gran Caracas for Mexico.

    Braulio Torres-Pérez started for Mexico, allowing three runs over 5 innings. He was relieved by César Vargas, Rafael Córdova (who scored the victory), Samuel Zazueta and Jake Sánchez, who obtained the first save of the Caribbean classic.

Friday, February 3: Curacao 2, Mexico 1

    In a close game, the Mexican nine suffered their first defeat at the tournament with a 2-1 loss to Curacao (Willemstad Wildcats KJ74) at the La Rinconada Stadium.

    Curaçao opened the scoring in the third inning off Mexico starter Matt Pobereyko. It was a Ray-Patrick Diddier double that sent Roger Bernadina home with the game's first score. The Curacao lead was raised to 2-0 in the fifth inning when Bernadina sent Edmond Americaan across the plate with a single.

    Mexico had left the bases full in the third inning, but Joey Terdoslavich took it upon himself to cut the lead in half in the bottom of the sixth inning, belting the second home run for Mexico in the CS by connecting off Néstor Molina. The 2017 Mexican League Pitcher of the Year with Veracruz was lifted after Terdoslavich's bomb but Mexico was unable to touch the Curacao relievers for a run the rest of the way.

    The defeat went to Pobereyko, Molina took the victory and the save went to Wendell Floranus.

Saturday, February 4: Mexico 7, Colombia 6

    Coming from behind on a couple of occasions, tying the game in the eighth and going ahead in the ninth on a bases-loaded hit for Roberto “Tito” Valenzuela, Mexico held on for a 7-6 win over Colombia (Monteria Vaqueros) for their second victory in the Caribbean Series.

    Both teams attacked early. Defending CS champs Colombia scored two runs in the top of the first against Mexican starter Darel Torres, but Mexico responded immediately in the lower part of the same frame. Roberto Valenzuela doubled in Justin Dean and Rodolfo Amador singled in Valenzuela to tie the score at 2-2.

    The cheers of the Mexican fans who made the trip to Caracas were heard at La Rinconada Stadium after Juan Uriarte launched the ball to left in the second for the third home run of Mexico in Caracas, most of any team at that point of the Series.

    In the fifth, Colombia hurt Mexico as reliever César Vargas let in a run and later Luis Márquez was torched with Andrés Angulo's home run with runners in the corners to give the Colombians a 6-3 lead.

    In the eighth, Colombia reliever Jhon Peluffo came in and got into trouble with an error before an Amador hit scored two and Orlando Piña's RBI single off Francisco Jimenez tied the tilt at 6-6.

    In the ninth came the triumph. Leadoff batter Julián Ornelas singled, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jasson Atondo and then, after intentional walks to José Cardona and (inexplicably) Dean to load the bases, scored the walkoff run from third on a Valenzuela single.

    Torres opened the game for Mexico and pitched four innings, allowing two runs on four hits before leaving without decision. He was relieved by Vargas, Márquez, Brandon Koch, Fabián Cota, Irvin Machuca and winner Juan Gamez. The defeat was handed to Óscar Marcelino, who allowed the winning run on two intentional walks and Valenzuela's hit in one-third of an inning's labor.

Sunday, February 5: Mexico 6, Cuba 5

    The Mexicans won their third game in the Caribbean Series, defeating the Farmers of Cuba (Bayamo Agriculdoras) by a 6-5 score. With this, the Mex Pac representatives lifted their record in 3 victories and 1 defeat to rank among the top four for semifinal berths.

    Mexico did damage again in the first inning on a second consecutive day by scoring three off Cuban starter Ángel Sánchez, who received all the damage with a run-scoring single by Rodolfo Amador and a two-run double by Joey Terdoslavich to take an early 3-0 lead.

    Cuba responded in the lower part of the second inning, leading off with with two singles sandwiched around a walk off Mexico starter Jeff Kinley to load the bases, followed by errors by third baseman Rudy Amador and shortstop Tito Valenzuela to open the door for a 5-run rally to turn the scoreboard around to a 5-3 Cuban lead.

    But Team Mexico quickly responded in the third. Valenzuela opened the attack with a single and with one out, Amador also hit a single and Joey Terdoslavich negotiated a walk to fill the bases. Valenzuela came in on a single by Julián Ornelas and, after the second out, Jasson Atondo got his first hit of the classic Caribbean with a single to left that sent Amador and Ornelas to the pentagon and regained the lead at 6-5. Neither team scored again the rest of the game.

    Kinley got the win after throwing six four-hit innings and allowing five runs (three unearned). He was relieved by Rafael Córdova, Samuel Zazueta and Jake Sánchez, who obtained his second save. The defeated went to Kelbis Rodríguez (7.1IP/3R/8H).

Monday, February 6: Mexico 7, Venezuela 0

    LMP Pitcher of the Year Luis Medina came out in "hateful" mode to throw six shutout innings against host Venezuela (Caracas Leones), work that was backed by a 13-hit, 7-run offensive attack for Mexico to win their fourth of five games in the 2023 Caribbean Series in beating Venezuela, 7 to 0.

    The scoreboard at La Rinconada Stadium posted the first run of the game in the second inning. Reynaldo Rodríguez led off with a base on balls, Rodolfo Amador sent him to third with a double and then Joey Terdoslavich reached 5 RBIs in the Caribbean classic when he sent both Rodríguez and Amador to the plate with a double.

    A cluster of four runs came to Mexico in the third, when the top of the batting order opened for the second time. Like Rodriguez in the second, José Cardona also began the third with a walk, Justin Dean hit a single that placed men in the corners and then went on to steal second base. Immediately afterwards, Roberto Valenzuela emptied the mats with a triple to left-center that marked the exit of Venezuelan starter J.C. Ramírez, a six-year MLB veteran who pitched two winters in Culiacan between 2019-21.

    However, reliever Norwith Gudiño could not contain Rodríguez, whose single took Valenzuela to the promised land.

    The seventh run for Mexico arrived in the upper part of the eighth inning. Irving López hit a triple and was brought in with a single by catcher José Heberto Félix.

    Miranda unleashed a total of 93 pitches, 62 of them strikes, with one walk and seven strikeouts to command the shutout that was completed by Samuel Zazueta, Brandon Koch, Rafael Córdova and Juan Gamez. Ramírez took the loss for Venezuela with 2+ innings of labor, allowing five hits and as many runs.

Tuesday, February 7: Mexico 2, Panama 1

    Team Mexico triumphed again in Venezuela, this time at Estadio Forum LaGuaria Stadium, defeating Panama (Chiriqui Federales), 2-1, thus obtaining their fifth victory in six games at the Serie del Caribe Gran Caracas 2023.

    In a duel that would ultimately be so close, Mexico did well to take advantage of their opportunities from the beginning. They scored in the first inning for the third time in this tournament, with Reynaldo Rodríguez's sacrifice fly to score Irving López, who had singled up the middle and advanced to third on a fielding error by Panamanian center fielder Ariel Sandoval.

    In the fourth, Panama equaled the blackboard at 1-1. Jhonny Santos hit a double to score Jahdiel Santamaria from first and advanced to third on left fielder Julio Ornelas' throw home, which failed to beat Santamaria. Mexico got a second out when starter Braulio Torres-Pérez pounced on a bunt by Enrique Valdez and nailed Santos at the plate, with Valdez safe at first. A Joshwan Wright double put two runners in scoring position as Valdez stopped at third, but the inning ended with a jewel on defense by Irving López at second who culminated the episode with a throw to first that beat batter Rodrigo Orozco for the third out with the score still tied at one run apiece.

    Mexico's breakthrough came in the bottom of the fifth in old-school style. José Cardona opened with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by López and scored the second (and final) run in a steal of third that drew a bad throw by Panama catcher Ivan Herrera that allowed Cardona to scamper the final 90 feet to the plate.

    In the eighth inning, Mexican reliever Rafael Córdova gave up a leadoff double to Sandoval and hurt his arm in the process. He gave his place on the mound to Luis Márquez, who was able to finish the inning with the bases full to maintain Mexico's 2-1 lead and closer Jake Sanchez threw a 1-2-3 ninth to seal the deal for the winners.

    Torres-Pérez came away with the victory after throwing 5.2 innings of 1-run, 5-hit ball, striking out five Panamanians and walking two. He was relieved by Fabián Cota, Irvin Machuca, Córdova, Márquez and Sánchez, who obtained his third save in the CS. Defeat was carried by Panama's left-handed starter, Davis Romero (4.1IP/2R/4H).

Wednesday, February 8: Puerto Rico 9, Mexico 3

    The Mexican nine closed their round-robin schedule by falling at Estadio La Rinconada Stadium, 9-3, to Puerto Rico (Mayagüez Indios) to finish with a record of 5 victories and 2 losses for a first-place tie at the conclusion of the first round.

    Puerto Rico put together rallies in the first and fourth innings, making one and four runs, respectively, off Mexico starter Darel Torres.

    Mexico again showed that their bats were in tune during the fourth inning. Joey Terdoslavich brought in the first run with a sacrifice fly and a single from Rookie of the Year Fernando Villegas sent Rodolfo Amador and Jasson Atondo to the plate, all off Puerto Rican starter Alex Sanabia, who went 22-23 with a 5.73 ERA in the Mexican League between 2016 and 2019 and pitched for Tijuana's 2017 Serie del Rey champions.

    Puerto Rico's lead was expanded with a two-run double by Roby Enriquez against lefty Luis Márquez in the eighth inning while a two-run single by Vimael Machin off Irvin Machuca ended the scoring at 9-3 in favor of the Boricuans.

    The winning pitcher was Sanabia, who worked five 6-hit innings while allowing three runs. The duel was opened for Team Mexico by Torres, who took the loss by letting in five runs in 2.2 innings pitched. He was relieved by Miguel Vázquez, César Vargas, Márquez, Machuca and Juan Gámez.

Thursday, February 9: Domincan Republic 7, Mexico 3 (semifinal)

    The Dominican Republic (Licey Tigres) prevailed over Mexico by an 8 to 3 score at the Estadio Forum La Guaira Stadium in their semifinal matchup in the Serie del Caribe Gran Caracas 2023.

    The Dominicans scored single runs in the first and second innings off Mexico starter Matt Pobereyko on a bases-loaded Mel Rojas Jr. sacrifice fly and a Gustavo Nunez single, respectively. Two more Dominican runs charged to Pobereyko crossed the plate in the fourth inning when reliever Fabian Cota allowed a two-out, two-run single to Henry Urrutia, one of the Mexican League's top hitters for Saltillo during the summer who turns 36 today.

    With the score 5-0 in favor of the Dominicans, Mexico reacted by scoring a pair in the bottom of the fourth. With the sacks full, Julián Ornelas singled Roberto Valenzuela from third to put the Mexicans on the scoreboard. The second run came thanks to a sacrifice fly by Jasson Atondo to center that sent Rodolfo Amador to the plate.

    The Dominican Republic expanded their advantage when Kelvin Gutiérrez homered with Mel Rojas Jr. on board against left-hander Samuel Zazueta in the seventh to make it a 7-2 game and although Ornelas' RBI sac fly in the eighth brought Mexico to within four runs, the Dominicans scored once more in the ninth for their final margin of victory

    Esmil Rogers pitched six innings for the win, allowing two Mexican runs on five hits. Poberyko absorbed the loss after letting in four Dominican runs on six hits over 3.2 innings.

Friday, February 10: Mexico 1, Colombia 0 (consolation game)

    Team Mexico concluded their participation in the Caribbean Series Gran Caracas 2023 last Friday, obtaining third place after beating Colombia (Monteria Vaqueros) in a 1-0 shutout at Estadio La Rinconada. Jeff Kinley was colossal on the hill after blanking the Colombians over six innings and scattering four hits and no walks to take his second victory for the Caribbean classic. Kinley was relieved by César Vargas and Jake Sánchez. who earned his fourth save in as many appearances in this Series, tying the all-time record.

    The only run of the match was produced by Joey Terdoslavich in the sixth inning with his 7th RBI, a two-out single that sent Irving López to the plate to gain an advantage for Team Mexico that would never be lost.

    In this way, the LMP season and the Caribbean Series concludes with Mexico achieving an historic third place finished, this being the first time that the bronze game has been played between the two teams that had fallen in the semifinals. The Dominican Republic shut out Venezuela, 3-0, in Friday night's championship game to give the representative Licey Tigres their 11th Serie del Caribe title.

Joey Terdoslavich was Mexico's top batsman with a .346 average and seven RBI, followed by Rudy Amador at .320, Jose Heberto Felix' .304 mark and the .294 average of Jose Cardona, whose 10 hits led the team (which batted an aggregate .234 to finish seventh in the eight-team field). Jeff Kinley was the best starter with a 2-0 record and 2.25 ERA over 12 innings. Three relievers had 0.00 ERAs in a combined 13 appearances: Jake Sanchez, Fabian Cota and Rafael Cordova. Mexico's 3.33 team ERA was fourth in the tournament.

    The Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (via CEO Jorge Bauza) unveiled the All-Stars of the 2023 Caribbean Series. Five members of the team from Colombia were selected along with two players each from Mexico and Venezuela, and one apiece from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

    Mexico catcher Jose Heberto Felix and first baseman Reynaldo Rodriguez were chosen as players along with Dream Team manager José Moreno, the Los Mochis pilot who became the first Venezuelan pilot to be tabbed since Carlos Subero in 2006.

2023 CARIBBEAN SERIES DREAM TEAM:
Catcher: José Heberto Félix (Mexico)
First base: Reynaldo Rodríguez (Mexico)
Second base: Francisco Acuña (Colombia)
Third base: Emmanuel Rivera (Puerto Rico)
Shortstop: Dayan Frías (Colombia)
Left fielder: Danry Vásquez (Venezuela)
Center fielder: Emilio Bonifacio (Dominican Republic)
Right fielder: Gustavo Campero (Colombia)
Designated hitter: Jordan Díaz (Colombia)
Starting pitcher: Eduardo Díaz (Colombia)
Relief pitcher: Anthony Vizcaya (Venezuela)
MANAGER: Jose Moreno (Mexico)


MEXICO'S WBC ROSTER UNVEILED

    The following story was written by Thomas Harrigan for the MLB.com website:

Alex Verdugo with Mexico-inspired glove

    After early exits in each of the previous two World Baseball Classics, Mexico is back in 2023 with a talent-laden roster that could have the country poised for its deepest WBC run yet. With newcomers such as Julio Urías, Alejandro Kirk, Randy Arozarena, Rowdy Tellez, Patrick Sandoval and Taijuan Walker joining the team under manager Benji Gil, Mexico could be a formidable foe when the 2023 World Baseball Classic gets underway in March.

    Here is a position-by-position breakdown of Mexico. Within each position, players are listed in alphabetical order, with any affiliation to an MLB organization noted in parentheses.

CATCHERS: Austin Barnes (Dodgers), Alejandro Kirk (Blue Jays)

    One of three Dodgers players on Mexico’s roster, Barnes has spent his entire career with Los Angeles after making his MLB debut in 2015. The veteran backstop won a World Series title with the team in 2020.

    Kirk earned his first All-Star appearance in 2022, starting behind the plate for the American League. The 24-year-old won a Silver Slugger Award after hitting .285 with 14 homers and a .786 OPS over 139 games for the Blue Jays.

INFIELDERS: Jonathan Aranda (Rays), Joey Meneses (Nationals), Isaac Paredes (Rays), Rowdy Tellez (Brewers), Alan Trejo (Rockies), Luis Urías (Brewers), Roberto Valenzuela

    After playing for Mexico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Luis Urías will be joined by Brewers teammate Tellez, who popped a career-high 35 home runs for Milwaukee in 2022. Tellez is one of several first-base options for Mexico, along with Aranda and Meneses. Paredes also saw time at first base for the Rays in 2022.

    It will be interesting to see how Meneses performs in his WBC debut after making his long-awaited big league debut last season and putting up impressive numbers. The 30-year-old Meneses -- who spent time playing in the Minors, Japan and Mexico before getting the call to the big leagues -- hit .324 with 13 homers and a .930 OPS over 56 games for Washington.

OUTFIELDERS: Randy Arozarena (Rays), Jose Cardona, Jarren Duran (Red Sox), Alek Thomas (D-backs), Alex Verdugo (Red Sox)

    Part of a heavy Rays contingent on Team Mexico, Arozarena is another player making his WBC debut. Though he was born in Cuba, Arozarena defected from the country as a 19-year-old in 2015 and settled in Mexico. He rose to prominence during the 2020 postseason, setting MLB playoff records for homers (10) and hits (29). His encore? Winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2021. He became a Mexican citizen in 2022.

    Mexico’s other four outfield options all have MLB experience, too, none more so than Verdugo, who has played 509 games in the Majors for the Dodgers and Red Sox and owns a .286/.341/.431 slash with 44 homers in his career. He played for Team Mexico during the 2017 WBC as well.

PITCHERS (16): Erubiel Armenta (Phillies)*, Javier Assad (Cubs), Luis Cessa (Reds), Jesus Cruz (Phillies), Giovanny Gallegos (Cardinals), Adrian Martinez (A’s), Gerardo Reyes (Angels), Wilmer Rios, JoJo Romero (Cardinals)*, Jake Sanchez (Padres), Patrick Sandoval (Angels)*, Julio Urías (Dodgers)*, José Urquidy (Astros), César Vargas, Taijuan Walker (Phillies), Samuel Zazueta* * denotes left-handed pitcher

    Walker and Urquidy are among the notable starting options for Team Mexico in this year’s Classic. Walker, an All-Star with the Mets in 2021, has posted a career 3.89 ERA over 898 innings in the Majors. Urquidy doesn’t have as much experience as Walker, but he has made appearances in three World Series for the Astros and owns a career 3.74 ERA over 342 innings in the regular season.

    Mexico figures to lean on Gallegos in the late innings, with the right-hander having notched a 2.84 ERA with 33 saves for the Cardinals over the past four seasons. He made one appearance for Mexico in the 2017 WBC. Cessa is another bullpen arm on the roster with significant MLB experience.

    After following up a 20-win season with an NL-leading 2.16 ERA and a third-place finish in the NL Cy Young Award voting last year, Urías (unrelated to Luis) is expected to front Team Mexico’s starting staff in the 2023 Classic. Sandoval, who has recorded a 3.17 ERA for the Angels over the past two seasons, gives Mexico another impressive option from the left side.


LMP BALLPARK RENAMED AFTER VALENZUELA

Estadio Fernando Valenzuela, Hermosillo

    Hermosillo's Estadio Sonora, the showcase ballpark for the Mexican Pacific League's Naranjeros since 2013, has been renamed Estadio Fernando Valenzuela. The decree from the state government (which owns the 16,000-seat facility) was signed by Sonora governor Alfonso Durazo last week.

    After the Los Angles Dodgers had announced that they will retire Valenzuela's number 34, Durazo initially proposed changing the name of the Hermosillo ballpark in honor of its native son, who was born in the Navojoa suburb of Etchohuaquila.

    “We recognize his extraordinary career and, therefore, we made the proposal to change the name of the Sonora Stadium to Fernando Valenzuela, in honor of the legend and great figure of Mexican baseball. Congratulations!”, Indicated the state president on his Twitter account.

    It became official on February 9 when it was reported that a decree published in the Official Gazette of the State of Sonora indicates that the Sonora Baseball Stadium, located in Hermosillo, this year will change its name to Fernando Valenzuela Stadium. Governor Durazo confirmed the report.

    Valenzuela, whom Durazo called "our Sonoran pride," spent 11 of his 17 years in the Major Leagues with the Dodgers and due to his sporting and cultural impact, they decided to retire his number 34 so that no other player can wear it. Now 62, Valenzuela owns the Mexican League's Quintana Roo Tigres of Cancun along with wife Linda Burgos Valenzuela.

    The left-handed pitcher made his professional baseball debut with the Guanajuato Tuzos of the Mexican Center League in 1978 as a 17-year-old, going 5-6 with a 2.33 ERA and a league-leading 91 strikeouts. That was enough for the Mexican League Yucatan Leones to sign him to a contract for 1979. That year, Valenzuela went 10-12 for the Leones, showing a 2.49 ERA and striking out 141 batters. The Dodgers bought his contract from Yucatan and sent him to Lodi of the Class A California League for three games at season's end and while his 1-2 record was unimpressive, Valenzuela's 1.13 ERA in 24 innings raised eyebrows with the big club.

    One year later, Valenzuela won two late-season starts and began a decade-long “Fernandomania” sensation, during which he led the National League with 180 strikeouts in his rookie 1981, topped the circuit with 21 wins in 1986, appeared in six consecutive All-Star Games and three times in the playoffs, including a complete-game 5-4 win over the New York Yankees in the 1981 World Series, which the Dodgers won in six games.

    More important, Valenzuela came from out of nowhere (as far as MLB fans were concerned) and became a cultural icon to Mexican fans on both sides of the border, with attendance at Dodgers Stadium spiking precipitously whenever he started a game. “El Toro” is arguably the most beloved Mexican MLB player of all-time.

    Estadio Sonora was completed in early 2013 as a replacement for Estadio Hector Espino, which is now owned by the federal government with the intent of repurposing it into a baseball academy. The 2013 Caribbean Series was the inaugural event at Estadio Sonora and was won by the Mexican Pacific League champion Obregon Yaquis, a longtime rival of the hometown Hermosillo Naranjeros. Since its opening, the 16,000-seat facility has ranked at or near the top of rankings of home ballparks for Mexico's 28 professional teams.

    And now it will be known as Estadio Fernando Valenzuela, after Mexico's top-ranking major league pitcher of all time.

YAQUIS RECORD AT 15-2, SWING A PAIR OF DEALS

Felix Perez now plays for Obregon

    Recent arrival Felix Perez socked a pair of homers, including a two-run bomb, while Moises Gutierrez added a solo blast as the Obregon Yaquis outlasted the Navojoa Mayos, 4-3, Sunday in Mexican Pacific League action before empty seats at Estadio Yaquis in Obregon. The Yaquis are one of three LMP teams (along with Hermosillo and Navojoa) ordered by Sonora's Secretary of Health Enrique Clausen to disallow fans in the stands after pandemic-related health protocols were ignored in several ballparks on opening weekend.

    The win extended Obregon's record to 15-2 for the first half as the Yaquis stayed three-and-a-half games ahead of second-place Hermosillo (11-5) and third-place Monterrey (11-6), who both won their games on Sunday. Obregon features a strong pitching staff paced by starter Octavio Acosta (3-0 with a LMP-best 2.12 ERA) and closer Miguel Aguilar (7-of-7 in saves and a 2.35 ERA). While the Yaquis batting order won't remind anyone of the 1927 Yankees, they're hitting well enough to win while catcher Sebastian Valle (.339, 4 homers) and outfielder Roberto Lopez (.306/3/12) have been the timeliest hitters.

    Defending LMP home run and RBI champion Dariel Alvarez is off to a hot start for Jalisco, as the Cuban outfielder leads the circuit with a .400 average. Culiacan's Sebastian Elizalde, who hit .308 with 10 homers and 21 steals last winter, leads the Mex Pac with seven homers and 22 ribbies after 17 games while Alonzo Harris has been Obregon's (and the loop's) best base stealer with 10 swipes in 12 tries. Besides the Yaquis' Acosta and Aguilar, the early pitching leaders include Hermosillo starter Juan Pablo Oramas with four wins and 23 strikeouts plus Oramas' Naranjeros moundmate Heriberto Ruelas, who has five holds in nine appearances and has yet to allow a run in 7.2 innings pitched.

    With the season only two weeks old, teams are already making deals to strengthen their rosters. One of the most noteworthy saw Monterrey loaning holdout outfielder Felix Perez to Obregon. A Cuba native who played three winters for his hometown Isla de la Juventud Toronjeros before spending five years in the Cincinnati Reds system, the 35-year-old also played in Japan and has put in five summers in the Mexican League with both the Sultanes and Aguascalientes.

    Perez was a member of Monterrey's first Mex Pac team last winter and one of the club's top hitters, leading the team with a .270 average, 48 RBIs and 36 runs scored while finishing second with 10 homers. However, Perez decided to sit out this LMP season after failing to come to terms with the Sultanes. He decided to report to Obregon and is already making an impact, belting a pair of homers and driving in three runs Sunday in their 4-3 win over Navojoa.

    Not content to coast on their league lead, Obregon also traded veteran utilityman Maxwell Leon to Mazatlan for journeyman infielder Issmael Salas. Son of former MLB reliever Maximino Leon, the younger Leon played five years (2006-10) in the Detroit system before embarking on a nine-year run in the Mexican League with Minatitlan in 2011. This will be his 15th winter in the LMP, where the 36-year-old has played every position but catcher and pitcher while batting .280 over 532 games. He had yet to appear for the Yaquis.

    Salas primarily plays third base but is proficient at all four infield positions. A former Cubs farmhand who has played solely in Mexico since 2009, the Tijuana-born 38-year-old made his LMP debut with Guasave in 2005-06. Obregon will be his eighth team in the loop. Salas has a career .267 winterball average and was batting .400 after six games with the Venados prior to the trade.

    And in Guadalajara, the likelihood of Roberto Osuna finally pitching in a game for the Jalisco Charros increased dramatically after the 25-year-old closer was waived by the Houston Astros last week. Osuna appeared in just four games for the defending American League champions before an elbow injury shelved him for the rest of the shortened 2020 season. There had been concerns that he'd require Tommy John surgery but instead has chosen to rehab in the MLB offseason. After clearing waivers, the righty is now a free agent who will likely need to pitch in the Mex Pac to demonstrate his recovery to potential big league employers. Osuna is reportedly due to begin pitching for the Charros on November 20.

TIGRES, VALENZUELAS TO REMAIN IN CANCUN FOR 2021

Fernando Valenzuela: Now and Then

  After weeks of speculation that the Quintana Roo Tigres were on their way out of Cancun (with the border city of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora thought to be the legacy franchise's destination), the Mexican League announced over the weekend that the 12-time champions will stay put in Cancun.

    An announcement from the LMB office in Mexico City says that Liga president Horacio de la Vega met last week with “the directors of the Tigres de Quintana Roo, the Government of the State of Quintana Roo and the Municipality of Benito Juárez to ensure the team stays in Cancun.” Jose Alfredo Otero of El Fildeo writes that both de la Vega and team owner Fernando Valenzuela verified at an Assembly of Presidents meeting last Friday that the Tigres will stay put in the resort city for the 2021 season.

    Ever since buying the Tigres from Carlos Peralta in February 2017, Valenzuela and his wife, Linda Burgos, have seemingly been beset by one issue after another while struggling to keep the franchise viable on the field and at the gate as well as with the banks. Three rocky years were followed by 2020's canceled season, which seemed to tip the scales toward the Valenzuelas seeking to relocate the team in greener pastures.

    There have long been calls to return the Tigres to their original home of Mexico City, where their longstanding rivalry with the Diablos Rojos would be revived in closer quarters, and there were rumors that there was interest in Veracruz as a possible landing spot. Instead, San Luis Rio Colorado emerged seemingly out of the blue as the team's destination. The city of 200,000 sitting on the Arizona border would be one of the Mexican League's smallest markets while never having hosted a team in either the LMB or the winter Mexican Pacific League.

    On the other hand, San Luis is a baseball hotbed in which the city's ballpark has undergone a refurbishing that more than doubled its capacity to 7,000 spectators. Local and state governments pledged their support for the team moving there, San Luis' closer proximity than Cancun to the Valenzuelas' home in Los Angeles was seen as a positive, as was a natural travel partner for the Tijuana Toros, the Liga's most geographically-remote franchise. As recently as Friday, Puro Beisbol editor Fernando Ballesteros wrote that the Valenzuelas were working to move the Tigres to San Luis, although nothing was official.

Estadio Beto Avila, Cancun

   Instead, it appears that Cancun will have another chance to better support Class AAA baseball after being a tepid host over the previous 14 years. The Tigres moved to the resort city from Puebla in 2007. While there's nothing to indicate that local interest will increase enough for the club to break even financially at the gate, state subsidies expected to disappear in 2021 may have been revived during talks involving de la Vega and the Valenzuelas with government officials. Money talks, whatever the source.

    It was a momentous week for the former National League Cy Young Award-winner. Besides deciding the fate of his ballclub, Valenzuela (who celebrated his 60th birthday Sunday) was given a National Sports Award for his contributions to Mexican baseball, both inside and outside the country. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will make a formal presentation on November 20 as part of events commemorating the Mexican Revolution, in which hostilities officially ceased on November 20, 1920.

LMB: RIELEROS TO STAY PUT, EXPANSION TEAM TO VERACRUZ

Veracruz won LMB title in 2012

    Another team that will be staying put is the Aguascalientes Rieleros. After word came out that the Tigres were hoping to move to San Luis Rio Colorado, rumors heated up that the Railroaders would be making a one-way trip to Veracruz for the 2021 season. An LMB team first appeared in Aguascalientes in 1975, when (ironically) the Veracruz Rojos del Aguila moved west from the port city. While it took just three years to win a Liga pennant, that remains the only title the city has ever won and the current franchise is the third incarnation of the Rieleros after the first two versions moved to Puebla in 1999 and Nuevo Laredo in 2008.

    The current iteration dates to 2012 (when the Tecolotes returned to the city of 800,000) but none of the three Rieleros teams have had much money to work with and crowds at 6,500-seat Parque Alberto Romo Chavez were never large enough to create enough revenues to build a contending team there since the earliest days. The cancellation of the 2020 Mexican League season meant no revenues coming in for a team already swimming in a sea of red ink, making them a target for potential buyers.

    Veracruz has seen its own share of Liga teams come and go since the circuit started in 1925, although the city and state could be considered Mexico's version of Florida in that baseball players are historically more plentiful than baseball fans. Still, business owners there have wanted to bring a team back to the Gulf Coast city ever since owner Jose Antonio Mansur moved the latest version of the Eagle Reds to Nuevo Laredo in 2018. The league office announcement that no team will move anywhere prior to the 2021 season put an end to a Veracruz pursuit of the Rieleros or any other vulnerable LMB franchise (and there are several).

Estadio Beto Avila, Veracruz

    However, a surprising announcement from the LMB put Veracruz at the front of the line in the future. De la Vega's office said that a letter of intent has been “successfully submitted” by a group of Veracruz investors seeking an expansion team. While no timetable has been given for such a move, that would increase the number of Liga teams from the current 16, the announcement said the LMB is “enthusiastic about the possible new addition of the Veracruz Aguilas as an expansion team in such an important and historic city for Mexican baseball.” The original Rojo del Aguilas were formed in 1903 and teams using that name have won six LMB pennants over the years, with Hall of Famer Martin Dihigo hitting and pitching Veracruz to back-to-back titles in 1937 and 1938.

    The statement concludes, “The Mexican Baseball League expects Veracruz fans can soon return to the iconic Parque Deportivo Universitario Beto Avila.”

LMP TO OPEN PLAY THURSDAY AMID VIRUS CONCERNS

Inspection at Los Mochis ballpark

    Despite ongoing worries about possible effects the ongoing pandemic might have on both the playing field and in the stands, the Mexican Pacific League is preparing for the opener of its 76th season of winterball on Thursday night, when five games are slated to be played. While the LMP expects to become the first professional baseball league across the globe to start their season on time and (mostly) with people in the stands, things could be running a little smoother.

    On the positive side, the Los Mochis Caneros have gotten the okay from local government to open Estadio Emilio Ibarra Almada seating to 40 percent capacity for home games this winter. The leader of the Municipal Health Directorate in Ahome, Dr. Francisco Espinoza Valverde, and Civil Protection director Salvador Lamphar toured the ballpark with Caneros owner Joaquin Vega to verify that protocols are being followed and subsequently gave the green light for fans to witness games in person. Estadio Emilio Ibarra Almada is located in Ahome, a community of over 10,000 within the municipality of the same name in which Los Mochis is the seat, thus local officials have jurisdiction for such decisions.

    Since the stadium seats 12,000 under normal circumstances, the adjusted capacity to start the season will drop to 4,500 for the start of the season. There will be signage indicating which seats may or may not be used, with no more than three seats allowed to be purchased together. Tickets for Caneros home games are due to go on sale Monday. The decision brought the number of Mex Pac teams being allowed to host games with people in the seats to six: Culiacan, Guasave, Hermosillo, Los Mochis, Mazatlan and Mexicali.

    On the other hand, Septima Entrada reports that Jalisco governor Enrique Alfaro has confirmed that due to conditions related to the pandemic, the public will not be allowed to attend sporting events in the state, including Jalisco Charros home games in Guadalajara. “This is an endurance race and it is not known how long it will last,” Alfaro said on Twitter. “We are all tired, with exhaustion from not being able to go out, of not being able to celebrate in the stadiums, of not celebrating our traditions, but it is not time to relax things.”

    Alfaro noted that Jalisco is one of many states in the country designated with a virtual orange traffic light, which reflects the second-highest stage of alert in Mexico. “For now, there are no conditions to advance in the opening of new activities. We still cannot allow the return of people to the stadiums or the opening of clubs or any type of massive activity," added the governor.

Seats to remain unfilled in Culiacan

    To complicate things even further, Sinaloa (where four of the five LMP teams planning to allow fans play) is one of seven states in which their virtual traffic lights have been downgraded from yellow to orange, which has the potential to force those teams to rescind their decisions and play behind closed doors. The state of Sonora, which has Mex Pac teams in Hermosillo, Navojoa and Obregon, is still under a yellow traffic light but ironically none of those three clubs had said they'd be playing in front of limited capacity crowds until the Naranjeros made a statement to that effect on Saturday. Monterrey, in the virus-ravaged state of Nuevo Leon, will also be playing before empty seats.

    Last week, the LMP office in Guadalajara announced that 669 tests for the Wuhan virus had been carried out in two stages. “The first stage showed that 25% of the players had already contracted the virus prior to arrival at the training fields and that they already had antibodies,” the press release states. “7.7% of the players and coaches were positive at that time in the first stage. 6.2% of the players and coaches were positive in a second stage.”

    The press release adds that both stages of the tests were applied to the same people, showing that the LMP protocol has “generated a downward result in infections” and that the number of positives has been lower than the average of each state where games are played. More to the point, the league says “the results to date to not represent a threat for the season to take place.” Teams will be allowed to use players from extended 70-man rosters to allow for more flexibility in case the virus hits any of them harder than anticipated.

    Thursday's schedule has Jalisco at Monterrey to take the cellophane off the season at 5:00PM EDT, followed by Guasave at Culiacan (9:00PM EDT), Mazatlan at Los Mochis (9:30EDT), Mexicali at Obregon (10:10 EDT) and Hermosillo at Navojoa (10:30 EDT).

TIGRES TO MOVE FROM CANCUN, HOPE TO LAND IN SONORAN CITY

Tigres appear done in Cancun

    One of the Mexican League's flagship franchises will be moving for the third time in less than 20 years years after Quintana Roo Tigres owner Fernando Valenzuela notified the league office of his intention to shift the team out of Cancun after 14 years in the resort city. While nothing is firm yet, the former Cy Young Award winner and his wife Linda are planning to move the Tigres to the border city of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora.

    Formed in 1955, the Mexico City Tigres (first under founder Alejo Peralta and then his son Carlos) formed an intense rivalry with the Diablos Rojos as the two teams shared the beloved Social Security Park for 45 years before it was razed and replaced by a shopping center. After playing the 2000 and 2001 seasons and winning pennants both years at Foro Sol (a larger facility but ill-suited for baseball), the younger Peralta moved the club to Puebla in 2002 and renamed them the Angelopolis Tigres. They shared Estadio Hermanos Serdan with the Pericos for five years and won the LMB pennant in 2005, but Carlos Peralta moved the team again, this time in 2007 to Cancun. Now known as the Quintana Roo Tigres, the team won three pennants between 2011 and 2015 but never really caught on with locals or tourists, who were more interested in spending time at the beach or in the bars.

    Carlos Peralta was a competent owner by LMB standards, but his passion never came close to his father's and he was ready to sell the Tigres after ten seasons in Cancun. Enter Fernando Valenzuela, who had pitched against the team in Mexico City when he was a teenager pitching for Yucatan in 1979. Valenzuela and his wife bought the Tigres franchise from Peralta in February 2017 and immediately began having problems.

    After partners bailed out to leave the Valenzuelas as the sole owners, five Tigres prospects who'd been on a list of players they were given while negotiating for the team had been transferred to the Diablos Rojos before they assumed ownership. The Rookiegate scandal, which resulted in two of those prospects being sold to the Texas Rangers for over $2 million, soured the Valenzuelas (who could've used the money to counteract the meager crowds at Estadio Beto Avila) and they had to run the once-proud franchise on a frayed shoestring over the next three years. The canceled 2020 season likely sealed the Tigres' fate in Cancun.

    When Proceso writer Beatriz Pereyra tweeted less than a month ago that the Tigres would be moving, the team categorically denied her but Pereyra stood her ground and repeated what she'd heard. As it turns out, she was correct. Although many people have clamored for years to have the Tigres back in Mexico City and others in Veracruz have been trying to bring an LMP team back to the port city, Valenzuela is said to be planning to move the ballclub to San Luis Rio Colorado, a city of 200,000 sitting on the Mexico-Arizona border that has never had a team in either the Mexican League or Mexican Pacific League.

 

Ballpark awaits in San Luis Rio Colorado

   San Luis Rio Colorado (commonly known as simply "San Luis") has been a member of the North Mexico League. The Algodoneros, who can trace their own beginnings to 1946, won their third LNM pennant in seven years in 2019 but the future for that club, classified as Class AA in the Mexican system, is in doubt. The city has refurbished Estadio Andres Mena Montijo from 2,500 seats into a new-look facility that can hold 7,000 spectators, and the Algodoneros were reportedly refused the opportunity to lease the updated ballpark this year before the Liga Norte shut down anyway due to the Wuhan virus.

    Although San Luis would be one of the smallest markets in the Mexican League, it's located in the baseball-crazy state of Sonora, a proven breeding ground for players and fans. San Luis has hosted games for past editions of the Mexican Baseball Fiesta with good turnouts, so crowds may be above the LMB average at worst. The city is located less than 300 miles from Valenzuela's home base in Los Angeles, a much shorter commute than Cancun has been. The Tijuana Toros would have a natural travel partner, although one never knows how the Uribe family would react to a team that could draw fans from Mexicali or even Yuma who've been going to El Nido for ballgames. While San Luis can get scorching hot in the summer, so does Monclova and all the Acereros did was win the last MLB pennant. San Luis mayor Santos Gonzalez already has a good relationship with president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Both Fernando and his son, Tigres GM Fernando Junior, have visited San Luis and toured the ballpark. The stars seem to all be aligned.

    In other words, barring fireworks at the next Assembly of Presidents meeting, we'll be seeing the San Luis Tigres in 2021. Then again, what would a Mexican League Assembly of Presidents meeting be without fireworks?

TOROS SKIPPER VIZQUEL ACCUSED OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

    A nasty divorce just got nastier after Tijuana Toros manager (and Cooperstown candidate) Omar Vizquel's soon-to-be ex-wife accused him of domestic violence during a session on Instagram Live.

    “I am in a divorce process,” Blanca Vizquel said last week, according to Puro Beisbol. “It is a hard process where the man wants me to shut my mouth. That is his request: That I keep my mouth shut so as not to damage his career, so as not to damage his Hall of Fame chances, but he never thought of me nor my well-being. I was his trophy. It cut off all my hopes and dreams."

    Omar Vizquel's first wife, Nicole, was a Seattle native the Venezuelan had met as a young player with the Mariners, leading to their 1992 marriage and two children before their.divorce a few years later. Blanca Garcia, a Colombian fitness trainer 20 years younger than the 53-year-old ex-shortstop, married the 11-time Gold Glove winner in 2014.

    After retiring as a player in 2012 following a 24-year MLB career in which he played in three All-Star Games and collected 2,877 hits, Vizquel has gone into coaching. After spending time as a roving instructor for Angels minor leaguers and as Detroit's infield coach for four years between 2014 and 2017, he moved to the Chicago White Sox system in 2018, leading Winston-Salem to an 84-54 record in the Class A Carolina League and then 64-74 with Class AA Birmingham for 2019 before the Chisox let him go. Vizquel also managed Venezuela to a 2-5 record in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

    Vizquel was hired to manage Tijuana in 2020 but saw the season end before it got started after the Mexican League canceled its schedule. Now his future with the Toros may be in doubt due to these allegations.

The Vizquels in apparently happier times

    Blanca Vizquel also said on Instagram, “He demanded that I go everywhere with him so in order to not bother him and for not pay the consequences, I had to agree to smile, be well-dressed and well-groomed with makeup, when all I wanted was to cry…but it wasn't an option for me.” In a story posted on the en24.com website in Venezuela, she claimed that Vizquel lost his job with the White Sox for this reason and that he only gave her “crumbs of money” because he did not stop financially supporting his ex-wife. She said she couldn't elaborate on the case at the suggestion of her lawyers but details about her troubled relationship with Vizquel would soon be revealed. No details of actual physical violence have been given.

    Besides the threat to his current job status, the allegations are also a setback for Vizquel's chances at joining another slick-fielding shortstop, Luis Aparicio, as the only Venezuelans in the Hall of Fame. He earned 36.9 percent of the vote in 2018, his first year on the ballot) then saw his support rise to 4.8 percent in 2019 and 52.6 this year. It takes being on 75 percent of BBWAA ballots for induction and Vizquel was looking like a good bet to get in before his ten-year ballot limit was reached. Whether these allegations hinder his chances or not, they certainly won't help.

TIGRES FOR SALE? PEREYRA SAYS YES, TEAM SAYS NO

Tigres owner Fernando Valenzuela

    A Twitter entry by Proceso writer Beatriz Pereyra regarding rumors that former Cy Young Award winner Fernando Valenzuela and his wife Linda Burgos are trying to sell the Quintana Roo Tigres has raised several eyebrows across the country, with the team office denying Pereyra's claim a day after it was first posted.

    Pereyra's translated comment on Twitter last Wednesday was that "the Tigres for sale. There are several interested, mainly in northern states of the country. The team will inevitably change owners. The Valenzuela family will say goodbye to the project.”

    A translated tweet from the Tigres team office in Cancun on Thursday read in part, “The Tigres de Quintana Roo organization categorically denies the rumors that occurred in the last hours about its sale. The team remains under the leadership of the Valenzuela Burgos family based in Cancun, Quintana Roo. We appreciate the support and endorsement of the fans to our team during all these years.”

    Still, Pereya doubled down on her claim following the Tigres' tweet. "I maintain that the team is for sale," she said. "Time will tell who is right. Fact: Do you remember when Mr. Murra denied that he was not the owner of the Union Laguna Algodoneros? It is something similar.” Pereya's reference is to Union Laguna's current president Guillermo Murra Marroquin, who denied his family was buying the Cottoneers from the Arellano brothers (also co-owners of the Yucatan Leones) in January 2019, a month before the Murras were announced as the franchise's new owners.

    Longtime Mexican baseball coach, scout and administrator Carlos Fragoso of Mexico City says simply, “Fernando Valenzuela declared that the Tigres are not for sale, so as of now they will continue being part of LMB.”

    Valenzuela had fronted a group of investors to buy the Mexican League heritage franchise from Carlos Peralta (son of team founder Alejo Peralta) for an undisclosed amount in February 2017. Almost immediately, the former Dodgers All-Star and his wife were confronted by challenges when their partners reportedly bailed out on the investment, leaving them sole owners of the 12-time LMB champions. Then it was discovered that a number of prospects who'd been on a list of protected players given to the Valenzuelas prior to the sale had been surreptitiously transferred to the Mexico City Diablos Rojos, touching off the Rookiegate scandal that rocked the LMB for months.

    The common denominator in Rookiegate appears to be Francisco "Pollo" Minjarez, who worked in the Tigres' front office prior to the sale before taking the Diablos' general manager's job shortly afterward and was thus the recipient of the six prospects, two of whom were subsequently sold to the Texas Rangers for more than two million dollars combined. Former LMB president Javier Salinas eventually ruled that the rights to the prospects be returned to the Tigres along with the money received from the player sales but at last report, the Diablos have honored neither order.

Cancun's Estadio Beto Avila

    Minjarez was also placed on suspension by the Liga office, but reportedly never gave up his duties in the Red Devils' front office. He'd previously been suspended indefinitely by the Mexican League in 2013 after allegedly violating internal agreements and using inappropriate behavior as general manager of the Obregon Yaquis and has not worked in the Mex Pac since.

    Although Cancun has grown to over 700,000 residents and has a 9,500-seat ballpark (Estadio Beto Avila), the city has never greatly supported baseball. An earlier LMB team, the Langosteros, played in Cancun from 1996 through 2005, when Hurricane Wilma devastated the ballpark and forced the team to move to Poza Rica after ten seasons of tepid response from the local audience. The Tigres moved to the tourist mecca in 2007 and despite four division titles and three pennants since, the club is usually in the middle of Liga attendance tables. In 2019, they finished eighth with 226,525 fans over 59 home dates for an average of 3,839 per opening. The Tigres have never drawn 4,000 a night.

    If the Valenzuelas do sell the Tigres, it would mark the end of a 43-month era in Cancun that began with great fanfare accompanying the purchase of one of Mexico's most-storied baseball teams by perhaps its most popular Major League star. Instead, the Tigres have since seen middling success on the field accompanied by a rising tide of red ink in the franchise's coffers.

    There have been calls over the years for the team to move back to its original home of Mexico City but given their enmity towards the Diablos, Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is more likely to renounce baseball for cricket than the Valenzuelas sharing the capital city with the Red Devils.

    Nobody from the "northern cities" Pereyra mentioned in her initial tweet has been identified, but Septima Entrada's Jose Alfredo Ortiz reported earlier this month that the Aguascalientes Rieleros are rumored to be moving to Veracruz for 2021. Otero mentioned nobody in his story either, but it's been said that sisters Regina and Fabiola Vasquez Saut (who operated the now-defunct Veracruz Winter League in 2018-19 and owned the rights to the Acayucan Tobis franchise) are interested in bringing an LMB team back to Veracruz.

FOUR SINALOAN LMP TEAMS ALLOWED 40% CAPACITY AT GAMES

Gov. Ordaz at bat in Ahome ballpark

   With the opening of the 2020-21 season less than a month away, there was concern among the ten Mexican Pacific League teams that they may all have to play games with no fans in the stands due to health concerns over the Wuhan virus. Some welcome news arrived last week when the governor of Sinaloa said in an interview that the four LMP teams within the state will be allowed to play before live audiences comprising up to 40 percent of each ballpark's capacity, depending on each facility's regular season and layout.

    According to Puro Beisbol, Sinaloa governor Quirino Ordaz Coppel told the Linea Directa website that protocols required by the Ministry of Health will be carried out so fans in Culiacan, Guasave, Los Mochis and Mazatlan can attend games this season. A Mex Pac press release says the the league will work "hand in hand with government and health authorities" to ensure that people can see games in person.

    Culiacan will be able to sell 8,000 tickets at 20,000-seat Estadio Tomateros while the Mazatlan Venados can play with 6,400 aficionados at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal (capacity 16,000). In Los Mochis, 4,800 seats at Estadio Emilio Ibarra Almada (12,000) can be filled for Caneros home games while in Guasave, the Algodoneros may play for up to 4,200 fans at 10,000-seat Estadio Francisco Carranza Limon. The regular season is due to open Thursday, October 15 with games in Culiacan, Los Mochis and Mazatlan among the five scheduled for that night.

Guasave's Estadio Francisco Carranza Limon

    According to the press release from the Mex Pac's Guadalajara office, "Each of the 35 games that these organizations have on their calendar for the regular season, plus the eventual playoffs, will have the proper controls and limitations, for all areas such as locker rooms, entrances, corridors, toilets and restaurants with the sale of drinks and food, respecting the protocols of their sectors at all times."

    Masks will be required (and make for great fashion statements) at all times while spaces designated for handwashing with antibacterial gel will be installed at each ballpark. Fans failing to comply with the rules will be forced to leave the ballpark.

RAMOS, PAREDES SEEK MEX PAC RETURN THIS WINTER

Naranjeros first baseman Roberto Ramos

    A pair of Hermosillo products, one who's become one of the top sluggers in Korean baseball and a highly-touted infield prospect who made his MLB debut last month, want to play in Mexico this winter once their current seasons end. Puro Beisbol editor Francisco Ballesteros reports that LG Twins first baseman Roberto Ramos is hoping to suit up for his hometown Naranjeros while Detroit Tigers third sacker Isaac Paredes seeks to perform in Mazatlan after being traded by Obregon to the Venados for veteran catcher Sebastian Valle in the offseason.

    The 25-year-old Ramos was an obscure power-hitting minor leaguer in the Colorado Rockies minor league system for six years before his contract was sold to the Korea Baseball Organization's Busan-based Twins in January, with whom he reportedly signed a one-year, U$500,000 contract. His batting average has cooled down after a sizzling start to his first year in the KBO (although he's brought it back up to .285 in recent games), but Ramos recently belted his 33rd homer of 2020 to extend his single-season record of most homers for a Mexican-born player in South Korea after breaking Karim Garcia's old standard of 30 earlier this month.

    Ramos has spent parts of the past five winters as an unheralded member of the Orangemen, hitting .220 with 14 homers in 145 games, but his newfound celebrity status in Korea will likely carry home with him. Naranjeros GM Juan Aguirre says that with the Twins expected to reach the KBO playoffs, they don't expect Ramos in Estadio Sonora until the second half of the Mex Pac season. "We have spoken with Roberto and we are aware that the first round would be lost," said Aguirre. "In fact, we will give him enough space to see if we can count on him as of December." With the Twins likely interested in signing Ramos for 2021, they'd need to sign off on him playing winterball back home.

Isaac Paredes hitting for Obregon

   The 21-year-old Paredes, who signed as a free agent with the Chicago Cubs in 2016 and came to the Detroit organization a year later as part of a five-player trade, was a midseason All-Star with Class A Lakeland in 2018 and Class AA Erie last year. He spent this season practicing and playing intrasquad games at the Tigers' alternate training site in Toledo before being called up August 17. Paredes went 1-for-4 that night with a two-run single during a 7-2 loss to the White Sox in Chicago and was batting .318 after one week (belting a grand slam in 10-5 win at Cleveland on August 21). He was still hitting .258 at the end of August before going into a September slump that saw him go 4-for-36 to start the month as his averaged plummeted to .176.

    His plate woes haven't affected his work at the hot corner, as Paredes committed just one error over his first 23 games and took part in seven double plays for a .981 fielding percentage. While the Tigers are concerned over his tendency to take first-pitch strikes, they love his ability to play three infield positions (Paredes appears best-suited for second base despite his 5'11” 210-pound frame) and think his patience at the plate will be a virtue.

    Paredes has spent the past three winters with Obregon, batting a cumulative .283 with seven homers over 104 games with the Yaquis. Mazatlan GM Jesus “Chino” Valdez says Paredes should be with the Yaquis along with Houston pitcher Jose Urquidy this season. “In the talks I've had with Issac, he plans to report,” says Valdez. “The same thing will happen with Urquidy because he thinks he'll need innings this winter because of the lack of activity he's had this year in the majors.”