LAGUNA P DE LA CRUZ DIES AT 37 OF HEART ATTACK

De la Cruz in his 2019 All-Star form

    A former Major League Baseball pitcher who represented the Union Laguna Algodoneros in the 2019 Mexican League All-Star game died Sunday, March 14 of an apparent heart attach at home in his native Santo Domingo, Domincan Republic. Eulogio “Frankie” de la Cruz had turned 37 years old two days earlier.

    De la Cruz was signed as an 18-year-old by Detroit in 2002 and assigned to the Tigers' Gulf Coast League affiliate in Lakeland, Florida that summer. He was a reliever his first three years in the Detroit system (saving 17 games for West Michigan of the Midwest League in 2004) before splitting time between the starting rotation and bullpen by the time he made his MLB debut for the Tigers in 2007, making six relief appearances. According to de la Cruz, that was when he got his nickname because Detroit manager Jim Leyland couldn't pronounce “Eulogio” and started calling him “Frankie” instead.

    De la Cruz was one of six players traded to the Marlins the following offseason for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. He made his lone big league start for Florida against San Francisco at home on May 25, 2008, giving up two runs on two hits in three innings during a 5-4 Marlins win. He was sent down to AAA Albuquerque shortly after that and was named the Pacific Coast League's Pitcher of the Week as a starter in June.

    The 5'11” righty went on to appear with San Diego in 2009, pitched in Japan with the NPB Yakult Swallows in 2010 and was a reliever for Milwaukee in 2011. In 26 MLB games, de la Cruz had a 0-0 record and an 8.16 ERA over 32 innings.

    De la Cruz resumed his globetrotting ways by playing in Asia again in 2012 (going 3-1 for the Uni-President Lions of Taiwan's CPBL), made his LMB debut with Monterrey in 2014 and turned in a 4-3 record in 12 starts for the Sultanes and then went to Italy in 2016 to pitch for Nettuno (3-4, 2.65 ERA).

   De la Cruz then spent the next three summers in the Mexican League, posting an aggregate 20-18 record for Saltillo, Mexico City and Union Laguna while appearing in the 2017 and 2019 All-Star Games. In the latter year, he won the Algodoneros' pitching triple crown by leading the team with six wins, 92 strikeouts and a 4.91 ERA on a team that allowed 8.05 earned runs per game and finished 37-79.

    Although he usually spent his winters pitching in the Liga Dominicana, de la Cruz did pitch one Mexican Pacific League game for Jalisco in 2014-15 and started seven games for Mexicali (3-1, 4.65) in 2018-19. He spent the last two seasons with the LiDom's Este Toros, turning in an 0-1 record and 2.35 last winter in seven appearances (with one start). The Toros won the pennant in 2019-20 but de la Cruz did not pitch in the Caribbean Series in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

    The Algodoneros had hoped to bring de la Cruz back to Torreon this summer but there were reportedly “some immigration procedures” to hurdle before he could return to the Estadio Revolucion mound in 2021 after missing all of last year's canceled season. He would've been reunited with Union Laguna manager Omar Malave, who was de la Cruz' winterball skipper in Venezuela with Magallenes during the 2017-18 season.

THIRD LMB PRESEASON TOURNAMENT SET FOR YUCATAN

    A third Mexican League preseason tournament has been scheduled on the heels of similar four-team events in San Luis Potosi and Puebla. The Copa Maya is slated to be played between May 13 and 16 at Merida's Parque Kukulcan, home of the Yucatan Leones. The Leones will be joined by the Quintana Roo Tigres, Campeche Piratas and Tabasco Olmecas in the four-day tournament.

    The Copa Maya will be the culmination of a larger effort during which the four clubs will form what they're calling the Southeast League (or Liga Sureste). The LMB South rivals will play each other in an 11-game miniseason with single evening contests between April 29 and May 12 at each other's home ballparks.

    The Copa Maya will feature day/night doubleheaders between Thursday, May 13 and Saturday, May 15, with games scheduled for 12PM and 7PM. The event will wrap up with two games on Sunday, May 16: A 12PM contest for third place followed by a 7PM title for the championship. Seeding for the final day will be determined by team record compiled during all Liga Sureste and Copa Maya matches up until then.

    Games will include typical training camp rosters of established players, foreigners and prospects. Two of the four teams will be playing under new managers. Former pitching great Francisco “Pancho Ponches” Campos will be Campeche's dugout boss, replacing Jesus Sommers, while Tabasco has brought in veteran skipper Pedro Mere filling out the lineup cards to take Ramon Orantes' place. Adan Munoz will be back for his first full season running the Tigres (he took the place of the fired Jesus Sommers in early 2019, with Sommers sliding over to take the Campeche job later that season) and Geronimo Gil will likewise be opening his first preseason with Yucatan after replacing Luis Carlos Rivera in June 2019.

    Now that there are the San Luis Potosi Cup (Aguascalientes, Durango, Guadalajara, Leon and Monterrey), Battle of Legends (Mexico City, Oaxaca, Puebla and Veracruz) and the Copa Mayo (Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Yucatan) on the docket, that leaves the defending champion Monclova Acereros, Saltillo Saraperos and Tijuana Toros as the only Liga teams without a preseason tournament of their own. Give them time.

Mayan Cup Schedule (Kukulcán Park, Merida)

Parque Kukulcan, Merida

Thursday, May 13th
Yucatan Lions vs Campeche Pirates, 12 pm
Tabasco Olmecs vs Quintana Roo Tigres, 7pm

Friday, May 14
Campeche Piratas vs Quintana Roo Tigres, 12 pm
Tabasco Olmecas vs Yucatán Leones, 7pm

Saturday, May 15
Tabasco Olmecas vs Campeche Piratas, 12 pm
Quintana Roo Tigres vs Yucatán Leones, 7pm

Sunday, May 16
4th place vs 3rd place, 12 pm
2nd place vs 1st place, 7pm

LMP MVP SEBASTIAN ELIZALDE SIGNS WITH METS

2020-21 Mex Pac MVP Sebastian Elizalde

   Culiacan Tomateros rightfielder Sebastian Elizalde has signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets for the second year in a row. The 29-year-old Guaymas native, who was named Most Valuable Player for the Mexican Pacific League this winter, has been assigned to Class AA Binghamton and expects to report to the Mets' spring training complex in Port St. Lucie, Florida next month. He'd been slated to open the 2020 season with Binghamton before the pandemic led to all affiliated minor league baseball to cancel their seasons.

    That the Mets have assigned the veteran flychaser to their AA affiliate is somewhat curious because Elizalde had previously spent all or part of two seasons at AAA Louisville during his five-year stint in the Reds organization. After being an organizational All-Star in 2014 and playing in the 2015 Florida State League All-Star Game, Elizalde hit .297 with five homers for AA Pensacola in 2016 before putting up a .277 average and swatting eight longballs for Louisville in his AAA debut season of 2017. He then hit .254 with a pair of roundtrippers in 21 games in 2018 before the Bats loaned him to Monterrey for the rest of the year.

    Elizalde was no stranger to the Sultanes, for whom he made his professional debut in 2010 at age 18. He went 1-for-3 over 11 games with Monterrey while playing mostly as a defensive substitute in left field. After playing sparingly for the Sultanes the next two summers, Elizalde's contract was sold to Cincinnati early in the 2013 season and he was assigned to the Reds' Arizona Rookie League affiliate and placed on the 60-day disabled list twice, ending the campaign for him. He began his career north of the border with Class A Dayton in 2014 and worked his way up to Louisville over the next four years.

Elizalde as a Reds farmhand

   More polished when he returned to Monterrey, Elizalde hit. 297 and .333 with a combined 12 homers and 46 RBIs in 75 games over the two shortened 2018 seasons as the Sultanes defeated Oaxaca in the Serie del Rey to cop the Fall 2018 pennant under manager Roberto Kelly after falling to Yucatan in the Spring championship series. The six-foot, 190-pounder saw limited action with Monterrey in 2019, batting .319 with one homer and eight RBIs over 39 games. His LMB rights remain with the Sultanes.

    “El Predator” has experienced more stability playing winterball, where he has played ten seasons in the Mex Pac (five for Hermosillo, five for Culiacan). He's done well since becoming a regular for the Naranjeros in 2014-15 and gone on to bat .293 with 39 homers in 404 LMP regular season games. During his recently-concluded MVP season for the Tomateros, he batted .282 and was among the league leaders in doubles (13), homers (11), stolen bases (12) and RBIs (45). He's also represented Mexico in the last two Caribbean Series and gone 9-for-37 (.243) at the plate with a homer and five RBIs over 10 games.

LAGUNA SINKS SLOWLY IN THE NORTH, LOSE 6TH IN ROW

Michael Crouse of Laguna swingin' in the rain

As Monclova (29-10) and Tijuana (28-11) continue their battle for the Mexican League's North Division lead and Mexico City (21-15), Oaxaca and Puebla (both 22-17) engage in a three-way battle for first in the LMB, the 13-23 Union Laguna Algodoneros lost their sixth straight game Sunday, dropping a 7-6 decision at Leon as the Bravos' Cedric Hunter and Liga batting leader Felix Pie both belted solo homers in the fourth inning off Laguna starter Pedro Fernandez.

It's been a tough season so far in Torreon for the Cottoneers and first-year manager Jonathan Aceves, an ex-catcher who took the reins of the Algodoneros from Ramon Orantes (who is now skipper in Tabasco).  Union Laguna has combined an ineffective offense with a poor pitching staff in a team effort to fall into the cellar, 14.5 games behind first-place Monclova and a half-game behind 15-24 Durango.

Let's begin with a look at the Algodoneros at the plate.  Among the LMB's 16 teams, Union Laguna ranks at or near the bottom of the table in all three Triple Crown categories: Batting (.286 for 16th), homers (38 for 15th) and RBIs (195 for 13th) while outranking only Durango in stolen bases (12 in 25 attempts) as the Algodoneros' 5.75 runs-per-game average is better than only Quintana Roo (5.58) and Campeche (5.53).  The lone offensive category in which Laguna rates among the league's best is a dubious one: The Algodoneros' 309 strikeouts (8.58 per game) is second only to Durango's 358 for the most whiffs in the circuit.

Helmsman Aceves is not completely without weapons.  Outfielder Francisco Ferreiro has quietly moved into fifth place in the LMB's batting derby with a .396 average while playing in all 36 games through last weekend.  A 29-year-old Culiacan native, Ferreiro was a Saltillo reserve between 2014 and 2017 before signing with Laguna as a free agent just before the LMB's Fall 2018 season, during which he hit .316 in 31 games before becoming a first-time starter this spring.  Outfielder Michael Crouse is only batting .256 but the former Jays farmhand from British Columbia leads the team with nine homers and 29 RBIs.

One familiar face on an otherwise no-name roster is first baseman Dustin Geiger, who signed with the Algodoneros on May 3 after his release from Yucatan.  The one-time MiLB Organizational All-Star from the Cubs system who represented Durango in last summer's LMB midseason showcase is batting .286 with two homers over his first eight games with Laguna.  However, in a league where 12 teams are batting higher than .300, the Algodoneros only have three starters above that mark.

Algodoneros starter Frankie de la Cruz

Then there's the Laguna pitching, which (like the offense) is struggling.  Among pitching Triple Crown figures, the Cottoneers are tied with Tabasco for 14th in the Liga with 13 wins (Campeche in the South has 12), last in strikeouts ( 203) and next-to-last with a 7.85 ERA.  As with their offense, Laguna ranks high in pitching in two less-than-positive categories: their 31 hit batsmen trail only Yucatan's 39 while their 1.85 WHIP is the Liga's third-highest.

With all the mound mess surrounding them, two pitching staff members have pitched well for Aceves:  Starter Frankie de la Cruz is 4-1 and sixth in the league with a 3.19 ERA while setup man Roman Pena is 0-0 but has a better (if non-qualifying) ERA of 2.84 in 22 outings from the bullpen.  Pena and de a Cruz, a 2017 All-Star for Saltillo amid an 11-4 campaign, are the only two pitchers on the Algodoneros staff with an ERA under 4.80.

While it's far too early to count a team out for a postseason berth, Union Laguna is not looking like a team on the verge of contention anytime soon.  There are simply too many holes for Aceves and GM Francisco Mendez to fill for the Algodoneros to bring a pennant to Estadio Revolucion for the first time since 1950.

ATTENDANCE UP IN 15 OF 16 MEXICAN LEAGUE CITIES

Stands packed for a Tijuana Toros home game

Six weeks and 288 games into the 2019 Mexican League season, a cursory look at attendance figures shows that 15 of the Liga's 16 teams have seen an increase in average crowds from the Fall 2018 season.

The numbers are encouraging for an organization that suffered a downturn in attendance last year after the 114-game single schedule was scrapped in favor of two 57-game Spring and Fall seasons, each with full eight-team championship playoffs.  While turnout at LMB games in the Spring season was little different from previous full seasons, things went downhill during the second tournament as attendance plummeted leaguewide. For the first time in several years, no Mexican League team averaged more than 10,000 per opening in the Fall 2018 campaign, with Tijuana leading the pack at 9,358.  Monterrey, Yucatan and Monclova also topped the 5,000 mark but there were also seven teams that pulled in fewer than 3,000 fans per game, with Campeche only generating 855 turnstile clicks nightly.

The two-seasons-per-year concept has worked very well for Liga MX soccer (LMB president Javier Salinas' former employer) Apertura and Clausura tournaments in Mexico, but the philosophy failed to catch on with baseball fans and the experiment was scrapped after one year.  A more traditional 120-game schedule split into two halves from April through August with an eight-team playoff for September was adopted for the current season.

Whether it's interest in the Liga's return to a single season, the added attention to baseball brought on by Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's vocal and activist love for the game or a return of the LMB's historic perception as a hitter's paradise, every team except Union Laguna has seen an increase in home attendance figures.  Crowds in Tijuana have increased to 11,862 per opening to lead the LMB while Monterrey is up to 10,665, or 3,000+ higher than last Fall when the Sultanes won the pennant.

Mexico City has benefitted from the opening of Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu, as turnout for Diablos Rojos games has tripled from 2,463 to 9,093.  Yucatan, Saltillo, Monclova and Puebla are all averaging between 5,000 and 9,000 while Quintana Roo, Durango, Dos Laredos and Tabasco sit in the 3,000-5,000 range.  Attendance in Villahermosa for Olmecas games has trebled from 1,151 to 3,090.

The numbers are up in Campeche, too

There are still five teams averaging less than 3,000 fans per night, however.  One of those is Union Laguna, the only franchise to see attendance go down from last fall, but the drop from 3,372 to 2,904 is not all that precipitous.  Even Campeche, which was a train wreck last Fall, has gained from the extra interest. Attendance at Estadio Nelson Barrera for Piratas games has risen from an embarrassing 855 average last fall to a pulse-confirming 2,224 per opening.

It remains to be seen if these increases are long-term in nature or just excitement over the first month of the season.  None of the eight teams hosting at least one series last week saw an uptick at the gate, but in the wake of last Fall's bomb at the box office, the Liga office in Mexico City has to be encouraged that things have at least returned to normal and that their outreach efforts in the digital arena (e.g., the Quien es Quien yearbook is now available for free downloading on the LMB website) are beginning to pay dividends.  Whatever the cause, the effect in the stands has been positive.

Cuarto Bat WRITER'S TOP 6 MEXICAN BALLPARKS (PART 4)

A writer for Mexican baseball website Cuarto Bat, Yasser Trujillo, posted a column in April about his picks for the top six ballparks in the Mexican and Mexican Pacific leagues.  Here is the third part of a series in which we bring you a translated version. You'll find their site at CuartoBat.com, where fans can download a free copy of their February magazine.

3. Estadio Sonora, Hermosillo

Never before has the analogy "an oasis in a desert" been so accurate. And it is within about 10 minutes of leaving the city of Hermosillo, next to the airport and already in desert territory, the Estadio Sonora emerges from the sand.  It resembles the "Pinacate Crater", an emblematic place located in a desert ecological reserve of the state. That natural structure was recreated for the spectacular exterior design of the home of the Naranjeros de Hermosillo.

The implementation of the internal corridor with a view to the field so you do not miss the action if you go to the bathroom or the food area was a completely innovative concept on this side of the border.  It should be remembered that 360 ballparks exist in the United States since the 1950s.

The televisions in each column meant great detail for the fan. Its food area was the largest in 2013, when it was inaugurated.  It laid the foundations for future venues with automated turnstiles to enter through via your physical ticket or on your cell phone, and also with the official store next to the main entrance.

It has a particular and emblematic theme that welcomes you when you arrive in the area with a cactus garden, flower arrangements, and artificial paths that recreate the reddish and ocher Sonoran desert. In addition, it presents several photographic spots and monuments that celebrate the idols of the franchise.

Pioneer in the wave of the new top-level stadiums in Mexican baseball, it is home to the most winning team in the Mexican Pacific League. Estadio Sonora was the initial experiment to change the paradigm of ballparks in this country. At the time it was the best stadium in Mexican baseball.

The Naranjeros were not only the first in Mexican baseball to have a first world stadium according to the needs of the 21st century. They have also been the only team in this wave of new properties to launch their resplendent home with a championship.

Pitchers Osuna, De La Cruz, Crenshaw each record 5th wins

Although April only ended Sunday and the Mexican League is just over four weeks into its 2017 season, three Liga pitchers have already attained their fifth wins of the young campaign.  Union Laguna moundmates Edgar Osuna (pictured) and Dustin Crenshaw are joined by Saltillo starter Frankie de la Cruz as the LMB's co-wins leaders heading into the month of May.

Osuna and Crenshaw are two reasons the Vaqueros  are in a virtual three-way tie with Monterrey (17-8) and Tijuana (18-9) for first place in the LMB North with an 18-9 record.  Although Laguna's battering-ram offense led by 1B Ricky Alvarez (.390 with 8 homers and 40 RBIs) and 2B Anderson Hernandez (.390) has given their pitching staff a lot of cushion, the 5-0 Osuna has more than held up his end of the bargain by winning all five of his starts and leading the LMB with an ERA of 1.61 over 28 innings.  The 29-year-old lefty from Mazatlan won his most recent start last last Thursday by holding the potent Monclova offense scoreless on five hits in five innings in a 6-5 win at Estadio Monclova during which rookie manager Ramon Orantes left Vaqueros closer Esmailin Caridad in for the entire bottom of the ninth as the Acereros posted all five of their runs on six hits and had a man on first with one out before Antonio Lamas tapped into a game-ending 1-6-3 double play.

Crenshaw has needed the Union Laguna offensive support more in compiling his 5-1 record in six starts, although he did toss a five-hit shutout against visiting Durango last Friday in a 9-0 whitewash in Torreon, of course (since the fading Generales still have yet to play a home date).  Crenshaw's season ERA of 4.74 isn't the most impressive but when you have a lineup averaging .315 and 7.85 runs per game, you've got some elbow room to work with.  Crenshaw has exhibited good control by issuing just five walks in 38 innings.  The 6'5" righty attended South Alabama and spent four years in indy ball and was 14-2 for St. Paul of the American Association before joining the Vaqueros last season (going 8-2 with a 2.20 ERA in 12 starts).

Meanwhile, de la Cruz has spun his magic for a Saltillo team that was 13-12 before Sunday's game in Aguascalientes.  The 33-year-old Dominican right-hander is in his 16th year of pro ball, spending MLB time along the way with Detroit, Florida, San Diego and Milwaukee between 2007 and 2011.  The well-travelled de la Cruz has also pitched in Japan and Italy (turning in a 3-4 record and 2.65 ERA in Nettuno last summer) before signing with the Saraperos one day before their season opener.  He put together five quality starts out the chute for Saltillo and his 2.08 ERA was eighth on the Liga table before he was pounded for eight runs (seven earned) on 11 hits in five innings in a 10-5 loss in Aguascalientes.  He's now at 3.40 per nine.

While three teams are locked into the LMB North lead, 16-10 Yucatan has opened a two-and-a-half game advantage over 14-13 Puebla in the LMB South while 13-13 Oaxaca is three games back.  Both Liga newcomers have struggled of late, as Durango has lost seven of their last ten games to fall to last in the North at 11-16 while Leon's 2-8 mark over their most recent 10-game stretch dropped the Broncos into seventh place in the South with a 10-17 record.

Monterrey centerfielder Chris Roberson has regained the Mexican League batting table lead with a .443 average, two points up on Saltillo second baseman Luis Borges.  Tijuana outfielder Corey Brown has homered in five straight games and six of his last seven to take the Liga lead in that category with 10 on the season, just ahead of Toros teammate Alex Liddi's nine longballs.  Brown is also second in the circuit with 38 RBIs, trailing only Laguna first baseman Ricky Alvarez' 41.  Saltillo outer gardener Justin Greene still leads the LMB with 10 stolen bases (Laguna outfielder Ethan Chapman and Tijuana's Dustin Martin both have seven), but Greene hasn't swiped a bag in his last five contests.

As mentioned, Osuna, Crenshaw and de la Cruz each have five wins going into the May calendar while Osuna tops the loop in ERA.  Oaxaca's Irwin Delgado, a 5'9" lefty from Mexicali, struck out eight Quintana Roo batters over 6.2 innings in a Friday night win at home against the Tigres to surpass Monclova's Josh Lowey for the strikeouts lead by a 39-35 margin (de la Cruz is third with 31).  Durango closer Tiago da Silva saw his string of eleven saves in as many appearances at the start of the season snapped, but his eleven saves still top the list by three over Jairo Asencio of Yucatan.

Among the eight month-opening series scheduled for Tuesday through Thursday, the biggest will take place in Torreon when Union Laguna hosts Monterrey in a battle of LMB North co-leaders.  The Sultanes then return home to Estadio Monterrey for a weekend set with the other current co-leader, the Monclova Acereros.  The most-anticipated series of the week may be in Durango, where the vagabond Generales may finally play their home opener against Monclova Tuesday after spending the entire first month of the season living out of their suitcases while renovations on Estadio Francisco Villa have lurched on.  Manager Joe Alvarez' showed much pluck at the schedule's outset but have shown signs of road wear recently.  Here's hoping the Generales finally get to play in front of fans in Durango and start living normal lives (in a baseball sense).  As easy as it's been to poke fun of the people running the team, it's been hard to watch players and coaches endure the odyssey they've faced through no fault of their own.  How do you not root for these guys?

Mexican League standings as of May 1, 2017
NORTHERN DIVISION: Monterrey 17-8, Tijuana 18-9, Laguna 18-9, Mexico City 15-12, Monclova 14-13, Saltillo 13-13, Aguascalientes 13-14, Durango 11-16
SOUTHERN DIVISION: Yucatan 16-10, Puebla 14-13, Oaxaca 13-13, Campeche 11-16, Veracruz 11-16, Quintana Roo 10-15, Leon 10-17, Tabasco 8-18

LMB Schedule for May 2-4, 2017
Monclova at Durango, Monterrey at Laguna, Mexico City at Saltillo, Tijuana at Aguascalientes, Puebla at Tabasco, Veracruz at Quintana Roo,  Campeche at Leon, Oaxaca at Yucatan

LMB schedule for May 5-7, 2017
Aguascalientes at Mexico City, Laguna at Durango, Monclova at Monterrey, Saltillo at Tijuana, Campeche at Puebla, Oaxaca at Quintana Roo, Veracruz at Yucatan, Tabasco at Leon