MLB SIGNING BAN ON MEXICAN PROSPECTS TO END

Major League Baseball and the Mexican League have reportedly worked out a new agreement that outlines how MLB organizations will sign Mexican prospects.

For the first time ever, young Mexican ballplayers will receive the entire signing bonus called for when they sign their first contract to play for teams north of the border. According to Puro Beisbol editor Fernando Ballesteros, LMB teams holding the prospect's domestic rights will also receive an amount of money equal to 35 percent of the signing bonus from the MLB organization. The new pact is expected to be formally announced at next month's Winter Meetings in Las Vegas.

Prior to the new arrangement, LMB teams holding domestic rights to Mexican prospects as young as 14 years old were able to negotiate the sale of those rights outside the country, then typically give the prospect 25 percent of the proceeds.  The system sometimes inflated the price a Major League organization would have to pay LMB franchises for signing young Mexicans, leading MLB teams to seek less-expensive talent in places like Venezuela and the Dominican Republic while the Mexican player would have to remain at home in order to play.  

The old system was also subject to chicanery, with one egregious example being right-handed pitcher Luis Heredia, a 6'5" Mazatlan native who signed a contract with Pittsburgh at age 16 in 2010.  The deal was facilitated by Pirates Latin America scouting director Rene Gayo, who reportedly took his own cut of a reported US$2.6 million deal between the Bucs and the former Veracruz Rojos del Aguila, who owned Heredia's rights in Mexico.  MLB subsequently investigated Pittsburgh's signing of Heredia, who spent seven years in the Pirates system and registered a career 26-26 record with a 3.88 ERA before his release following the 2017 season, and (at the behest of Liga president Javier Salinas) decreed in January that no big league scout could work simultaneously for an LMB team. Two months earlier, the Pirates fired the Miami-born Gayo after 13 years with the organization after his role in the signing was confirmed.

However, that was not enough to put the issue of LMB player control to rest and in the wake of the "Rookiegate" scandal involving the Quintana Roo Tigres, Mexico City Diablos Rojos and Texas Rangers, MLB subsequently instituted a ban on its member organizations from signing Mexican prospects via Liga franchises until a new system considered more fair to the young players could be hammered out.  A number of Mexican League teams with the financial means to develop their own homegrown prospects, such as the Tijuana Toros and Mexico City Diablos Rojos, have benefitted from such sales in past years.

For his part, Heredia (who never advanced higher than Class AA) has not pitched since last year's release from the Pirates.  The 24-year-old's Mexican League rights have been retained by the former Veracruz franchise, which was moved by owner Jose Antonio Mansur to Nuevo Laredo last winter while his hometown Mazatlan Venados hold Heredia's Mexican Pacific League rights.

CULIACAN NEARS FIRST HALF LMP TITLE WITH 3 GAMES REMAINING

Culiacan catcher Ali Solis

With three games left in the Mexican Pacific League's first-half schedule, the defending champion Culiacan Tomateros are on the verge of clinching first place in the standings along with the eight points assigned to the top finisher in each half. Ali Solis' walkoff single to deep short brought in Rico Noel from third base with the winning run Sunday as Culiacan nipped Mexicali, 3-2, in front of 15,557 fans at Estadio Tomateros. A native of Mexicali, the 31-year-old Solis played pro ball for 13 seasons, with cups of coffee in San Diego (2012) and Tampa Bay (2014), before batting .366 in 21 games for Fall champions Monterrey in his Mexican League debut this year. THis is his eighth winter with the Tomateros.

Sunday's victory gave Culiacan a 20-12 first-half record, three games ahead of Mazatlan (17-15). It's been an unusually close race in the LMP over the first 35-game half of the 2018-19 season and while there's now a smidgen of breathing room, Culiacan is six games ahead of last-place Los Mochis (14-18) in the eight-team circuit while the second-place Venados are only two games up on Jalisco and Obregon, who are tied for sixth at 15-17. Needless to say, the four upcoming midweek series will be hard-fought as teams try to finish as high on the table as possible to secure as many points as possible heading into their respective second-half schedules Friday. For the record, Culiacan will be at Hermosillo, Mazatlan will visit Navojoa, Los Mochis is hosting Mexicali and Jalisco will welcome Obregon to Guadalajara in three-game series starting Tuesday as the MexPac wraps up the half.

After a number of hitters were flirting with a .400 average most of the first half, bats have been cooling down leaguewide the past couple weeks and now nobody is within 40 points of that magic mark. Mazatlan's Alex Liddi, a former Mariners infielder and a key player with Tijuana's 2016 Mexican League championship team, is tops in the LMP with a .358 average, seven points ahead of Navojoa's Victor Mendoza, who's been a backup first baseman for Monterrey the past six summers. Mendoza's Mayos teammate, Jovan Rosa (a one-time Cubs prospect and four-year vet of the independent Atlantic League) homered in consecutive games against Obregon to tie Jalisco's Manny Rodriguez for the MexPac lead in roundtrippers with seven apiece. Rodriguez is tops in RBIs with 26, two more than Rosa's 24, while Navojoa second baseman Alonzo Harris (who led the LMP in batting much of the first half and still packs a .342 average) tops the stolen bases list with 16 in 18 attempts.

Mazatlan's Konner Wade limited Obregon to one run while scattering seven hits last Thursday to run his record to a perfect 5-0 on the season. The Arizonan has won his past four starts and his 2.27 ERA would tie Elian Leyva of Jalisco for second in the LMP (behind the 2.23 of Mexicali's David Reyes) but Wade's 31.1 innings pitched are barely below the 32 IP required to qualify. There's a spirited battle for the strikeouts lead, with Mexicali's Javier Solano (35) one K ahead of Jose Hernandez of Mazatlan and Obregon's Sean Nolin. Hernandez, a 22-year-old Astros minor leaguer, has whiffed his 34 batsmen in just 26 frames while walking only three. Even with those impressive numbers, the Venados' hometown product is 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA in six starts after giving up seven runs in three innings against Hermosillo last Friday.

Speaking of the Venados, they swung a trade last week that sent pitcher Miguel Gonzalez to Culiacan for veteran slugger Jorge "Chato" Vazquez. Known as "El Mariachi," Gonzalez has spent the past seven seasons pitching in the majors, six as a starter. He won a combined 21 games for Baltimore in 2011 and 2012 but has struggled since. The 34-year-old righty has pitched four winters with the Venados but none since 2010-11. Vazquez, a former Yankees farmhand who belted 32 homers for AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2011, has had an injury-plagued career that began as a 17-year-old with the Mexico City Tigres in 1999. He retired during the 2017 season as a member of the Mexico CIty Diablos Rojos but came out of retirement to play for Durango this year, batting .257 and .297 with a combined eight homers over 46 total games. The 36-year-old Vazquez was hitting .243 with no homers in 14 games when he was traded by his hometown team, for whom he'd played 16 winters.

VIZCARRA: OUT IN YUCATAN, ON HOT SEAT IN JALISCO

Jalisco Charros manager Roberto Vizcarra

The Yucatan Leones have parted ways with manager Roberto Vizcarra, who led the team to the Mexican League Spring 2018 pennant after finishing with a Liga-best 40-17 regular season record. Vizcarra then took the Leones to place first in the LMB South a second time at 32-24 for the Fall campaign before Yucatan dropped a first round playoff series to Oaxaca. A 72-41 record with two first-place finishes and a championship in one year would ordinarily be enough to save a manager's job, but losing to the Guerreros may have been what cost Vizcarra his. Oaxaca went 26-30 to come in fifth in the South, then had to beat Leon in a wild-card game to qualify for the postseason; the Guerreros eventually beat Mexico City for the South title before losing to Monterrey in the Serie del Rey.

The 51-year-old product of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora debuted with Leon in 1986 as a 19-year-old infielder and went on to play 23 summers for five teams in the Mexican League, ending his playing career with Campeche in 2008. Vizcarra mostly played first base the final seasons of his career but was proficient defensively at all four infield positions. No matter where he played in the field, he was always useful in the batter's box, stroking 2,581 hits for a career .304 batting average. The 5'9" right-handed hitter was more noted for his speed (470 doubles, 465 stolen bases) than his power (229 homers) and topped the 1,100 mark in both runs scored and runs batted in.

Vizcarra has since been no less successful as a manager. He debuted as a helmsman in 2014, taking Quintana Roo to a Liga-best 65-48 record and a berth in the LMB South finals. The Tigres went 64-47 and won the pennant under Vizcarra in 2015, then turned in a 68-45 mark in 2016 but were swept by Puebla in the first playoff round. "Chapo" was cut loose in Cancun late in a 2017 campaign in which the Tigres fell to 49-56 and lost to Puebla in four straight once more. He was hired by the Leones in the offseason and did manage the Merida team to their first pennant since 2006 last spring, so it's unlikely Vizcarra will be out of work in the LMB for long.

Then there's his current winterball situation with the Jalisco Charros. As with Yucatan, this is Vizcarra's first Mexican Pacific League season in Guadalajara after he was fired by Mexicali last November after managing the Aguilas to a 16-19 first-half record. He'd led the border city to an LMP pennant and Caribbean Series berth just nine months earlier. The Charros hired him a week later to replace ex-MLB outfielder Tony Tarasco as dugout boss. Vizcarra took the Horsemen to a 15-11 record the rest of the way and a berth in the playoff semis last January before losing to Navojoa in six games.

Jalisco is off to a 15-17 start this winter and while the seventh-place Charros are only half a game out of fourth, four LMP managers were either fired or quit less than one month into the season and Vizcarra's future in Guadalajara is said to be in doubt. The Charros have a veteran-laden roster with such stars as Japhet Amador, Manny Rodriguez, Amadeo Zazueta and Agustin Murillo (and that's just the infield), but the pitching has been subpar and the team in general has not met lofty front office expectations. It should be noted that Alfonso "Houston" Jimenez, himself a longtime passenger on the Mexican managerial merry-go-round, is one of Vizcarra's bench coaches while ex-Dos Laredos slugger Marco Antonio Romero (who has managed in the LMB) is also on the Charros' staff. Just in case.

Trades: Tigres add Manny, Solano; Drake goes to Monterrey

New Quintana Roo Tigres pitcher Javier Solano

It's been a rather unusual April as far as the Mexican League goes.  While there has yet to be a manager fired in the first month of 2018's opening season, a number of high-profile players have changed teams earlier than normal.  The Quintana Roo Tigres appear to have come out much stronger as a result by netting disgruntled second baseman Manny Rodriguez from Monclova and veteran starting pitcher Javier Solano from Monterrey, while Durango has shipped 2017 LMB batting champion Yadir Drake to the Sultanes in a move that gives Monterrey's first-year manager Roberto Kelly one more good bat.

Rodriguez, you'll recall, left the Acereros three weeks ago after a series in Puebla after getting fed up with the ongoing shuttling of players between Monclova and the Pericos orchestrated by Gerardo Benavides, who owns both teams.  The 35-year-old MVP of the Mexican Pacific League chose to stay with his family in Southern California rather than continue playing for a Monclova team that was severely lacking in happy ballplayers or chemistry.  Rodriguez himself has been on that shuttle, playing on Puebla's 2016 Liga champions before being shipped to Monclova in February of last year as part of a lopsided deal that sent six players to the Acereros in return for relief pitcher Joaquin Lara, who only won his first LMB career game this month for the Pericos.

After sitting out since April 8, Rodriguez made his debut last weekend for the Quintana Roo Tigres, who acquired him on loan from the Acereros last week, and it wasn't long before the career .316 batter made his mark by belting a decisive two-run homer in Saturday's 3-1 win over Oaxaca at home in Cancun.  Although he was in manager Tim Johnson's lineup as a designated hitter, Rodriguez is expected to take over at second for veteran Carlos "Chispa" Gastelum, a six-time All-Star who has held that job for the Tigres since 2002.  For the season, Manny is batting .292 with two homers and 18 RBIs over 17 games.

Another recent addition to the Quintana Roo roster, Solano gives the Fernando Valenzuela-owned Tigres a young veteran who became a starter for Monterrey in 2015 and had gone 25-12 for the Sultanes since 2016, including a 4-1 mark this year.  However, Solano's ERA was a healthy 6.59 after six starts before being shipped to Cancun for pitcher Jesus Adrian Castillo, a 33-year-old who'd been with the Tigres since 2014 and was a solid 3-2 with a 3.75 ERA after five starts this year.  Although Castillo is having the better year, he has never won more than six games in seven LMB seasons and is generally not considered in Solano's class as a pitcher.  One Mexican columnist says Solano was sent south to avoid legal issues in Monterrey, particularly a civil lawsuit from a former player, but BBM has not verified that story.  He'll join a starting rotation featuring Barry Enright, Tyler Kane, former Marlins hurler Henderson Alvarez and ageless Pablo Ortega.

Meanwhile, Durango has loaned Drake to Monterrey even though the Cuban expat was batting .383 with four homers and 27 RBIs in 30 contests for Matias Carrillo's Generales.  Money may be at the heart of the move, since the Sultanes have plenty of it while Durango (now owned by a group led by former MLB catcher and Mexico City manager Miguel Ojeda) is struggling to right their financial ship after a 2017 season under former owner Virgilio Ruiz during which a number of players, including Drake, went weeks without a paycheck.  Drake hit .385 for the Generales last year to top the Liga before finishing the season in Japan by hitting just .232 in 35 games for the Nippon Ham Fighters.

Durango did pick up injury-plagued veteran slugger Jorge "Chato" Vazquez, who had retired from the Mexico City Diablos Rojos last year after once having been considered one of the New York Yankees' more intriguing prospects.  Vazquez went 0-for-3 with a walk in his Generales debut Saturday night against Monclova and is hoping the back problems that derailed his LMB career are behind him.  The 5'11" 250-pounder, who turned 36 this month, once played under Ojeda in the nation's capital.


Sultanes still rule LMB North, three-way battle for South supremacy

Monterrey Sultanes outfielder Domonic Brown

The Monterrey Sultanes continue to rule the roost in the Mexican League's North Division with a 21-10 record, three games ahead of defending champion Tijuana and surprising Aguascalientes, but the LMB South has evolved into a three-way duel between Yucatan, Mexico City and equally-surprising Quintana Roo, with only one game separating the troika as the LMB's Spring season heads into its final month prior to June's playoffs.

Although it can't really be called a "surprise" that Monterrey has done well over the first month of the campaign, few expected that manager Roberto Kelly's team would be showing as much power as they have.  Kelly stated at his hiring over the winter that speed and aggressive baserunning would be the hallmark of his offense.  The Sultanes are one of six Liga teams batting over .300 (they're at .305), but it's the longball, not the stolen base, that's been the driver of a club averaging nearly six runs per game.  Monterrey stands second in the LMB with 42 homers, behind only Leon's 44 roundtrippers.  Much of that production belongs to Ricky Alvarez, who leads the loop with 11 homers, while ex-MLB outfielder Domonic Brown (who hit 27 homers for Philadelphia in 2013) has seven and third baseman Agustin Murillo has six.  Although Monterrey has been successful on 25 of 36 stolen base attempts to rank fifth in that category (Chris Roberson and Leo German have six swipes apiece), that's not why the Sultanes have been winning.

While Tijuana was expected to be in contention for a second consecutive pennant, Aguascalientes was accorded second-tier status after star first baseman Jesse Castillo was dealt to Monclova in the offseason.  Instead, Rieleros manager Homar Rojas has cobbled together a very good everyday lineup with the likes of catcher Carlos Rodriguez, second baseman Michael Wing, third sacker Jose Vargas and a pair of old-timers in first baseman Saul Soto (who turns 40 in August) and outfielder Cristhian Presichi (38 in July).  Wing is batting .353 with four homers, Presichi is at .345 and Soto has a .306 average with a team-high five homers.  Beyond Roy Merritt (2-0 and 2.97 in six starts), the Rieleros rotation has been so-so but closer Anthony Carter (2-2/7 saves/2.29 ERA) and middleman Linder Casto (3-0/3 holds/1.69) have headed up a strong bullpen.

The LMB South has become a three-way race between Yucatan (22-10), Quintana Roo (20-10) and Mexico City (21-11).  The Diablos Rojos are the most productive offensively, averaging 6.5 runs per outing playing in Mexico City's rarified air, but Yucatan's traditionally-strong pitching staff leads the Liga with a 4.02 ERA, a half-run better than the Diablos or Tigres, and it's pitching that generally wins games and pennants.  A more interesting battle may be shaping up for the fourth and final playoff berth in the South as Puebla (16-14) and Leon (16-16) are only a game apart in the standings.  While the Pericos have reached the Serie del Rey the past two years (winning the title in 2016), the Bravos have won five games in a row while Puebla has dropped five straight.

Tijuana's Isaac Rodriguez, the LMB Rookie of the Year in 2015, leads the league with a .409 average and his 17 stolen bases is one behind teammate Justin Greene's 18 to rank second in the Liga.  Rodriguez already has a career high in steals after he swiped 14 bases last year in 74 games.   Other offensive leaders include Monterrey's Alvarez with 11 homers and Luis Juarez of Yucatan with 38 RBIs.  Tijuana newcomer Kyle Lobstein, a former Detroit starter, has a 1.69 ERA, Monclova's Josh Lowey is in his accustomed spot as strikeouts leader with 46 and three pitchers have five wins apiece: Tijuana's Carlos Hernandez, Mitch Lambson of Puebla and Juan Pablo Oramas has a 5-0 record for the 13-19 Tabasco Olmecas (a 1.98 ERA in seven starts might help explain why).

MEXICAN LEAGUE STANDINGS
North Division:  Monterrey 21-10, Aguascalientes 18-14, Tijuana 18-14, Monclova 15-16, Durango 14-18, Los Laredos 13-19, Union Laguna 11-20, Saltillo 11-21.
South Division: Yucatan 22-10, Quintana Roo 20-10, Mexico City 21-11, Puebla 16-14, Leon 16-16, Tabasco 13-19, Campeche 12-19, Oaxaca 11-21.


Padres, Dodgers to play Mexico Series in Monterrey next weekend

Major League Baseball will return to Mexico next weekend when the Monterrey Sultanes host the defending National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres (featuring rookie star Christian Villanueva) in a three-game series at Estadio Monterrey.  Tickets for all three games at the renovated 22,000-seat venue were sold out two hours after going on sale earlier this year.

The Padres will serve as the home team in Monterrey after the series was moved from Petco Park in San Diego.  This will mark the team's third visit to Monterrey.  San Diego took on the New York Mets in a three-game series during the 1996 season and opened the 1999 campaign against Colorado at Estadio Monterrey, marking the first time MLB opened a season outside the USA or Canada.  The Padres have struggled out the gate this season and are currently last in the NL West with a 10-18 record, ten games behind division-leading Arizona.  While manager Andy Green's roster contains some recognizable names like Wil Myers, Eric Hosmer and Chase Headley, their unexpected star thus far this season has been the Guadalajara-born Villanueva.

A former BBM pick as the Mexican Pacific League's Most Valuable Player in 2015-16 with the Obregon Yaquis, Villanueva was expected to fight for a roster spot with fellow third basemen Headley (a former Padres first-round pick who was reacquired from the Yankees in the offseason) and incumbent starter Cory Spangenberg.  Instead, Villanueva had a three-homer night early in the schedule and has since taken over the hor corner for San Diego and is an early candidate for Rookie of the Year honors.  He's hitting .348 with eight longballs and 18 RBIs to lead the Padres in all three categories despite not being in the lineup for seven games.  Villanueva's batting average would be second in the National League to St. Louis's Tommy Pham with more at-bats, he's tied for second in homers behind the nine of Colorado's Charlie Blackmon and his slugging percentage of .768 would lead the NL with more plate appearances.

The Dodgers, of course, need no introduction.  Skipper Dave Roberts has a star-studded everyday lineup featuring the likes of Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Yasiel Puig, Chase Utley, Joc Pederson and Matt Kemp while Los Angeles' starting rotation includes Clayton Kershaw, arguably the best pitcher in the game, and Alex Wood while closer Kenley Jansen and Josh Fields anchor the bullpen.  Added to the mix is outfielder Alex Verdugo, a 21-year-old Mexican American from Tucson who was called up Saturday from AAA Oklahoma City, where he was batting .276 with four homers in 19 contests. The Dodgers have gotten off to a slow start with a 12-14 record, third in the NL West heading into the week.  However, this is still essentially the same team that came within one game of a World Series win against Houston last fall and they're expected to be in the thick of things when September comes.

ESPN will broadcast the third game of the Mexico Series on Sunday, May 6 at 10AM Eastern time.  Eight-year ESPN veteran announcer Adnan Virk will handle play-by-play duties while former MLB first baseman Eduardo Perez, whose father Tony is a Hall of Famer, will provide commentary.

The Mexico Series was originally scheduled to be played in Mexico City at the new Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu, named after the Diablos Rojos' billionaire owner, but the venue's construction has faced delay after delay and will not be ready before 2019, meaning the Mexican League's 2018 All-Star Game had to be moved to Parque Kukulkan in Merida as well.

Jorge "Chato" Vazquez retires after injury-plagued career

Injury-prone Mexico City Diablos Rojos slugger Jorge "Chato" Vazquez has retired from baseball at age 35.  When healthy, the 5'11" 250-pounder from Culiacan was capable of terrorizing pitchers in any league he played in, pounding out a combined 314 homers with 1,090 RBIs over 1,374 games for his professional career on both sides of the border, homering every 17.1 at-bats along the way.  Great power numbers indeed, but those 1,374 games were spread out over 19 summers and winters dating back to Vazquez' debut with the Mexico City Tigres late in the 1999 season as a 17-year-old.  Given that it's possible to play nearly 180 games in single a year between the Mexican and Mexican Pacific leagues, that's a problem.

After never hitting more than 14 homers in the next four seasons, Vazquez had a breakout year in 2005 for the Tigres (then playing in Puebla) by hitting .379 with 33 homers and 96 RBIs in just 71 games.  That began a string of four injury-plagued years for the Tigres during which the first baseman only played 280 of a possible 440 games but still clubbed 99 homers and drove in 302 runs while never batting less than .323.

That was enough for the New York Yankees to sign him as a 27-year-old for 2009, and he went on to play three years at AA Trenton and AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and knocking out a combined 63 homers in 261 games.  Vazquez' best year was 2011 with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, when he socked 32 homers with 93 RBIs (but also striking out 166 times) in 118 games.  The New York press was intrigued by the stocky slugger, who was invited to the Yankees' spring training camp in 2010, but he never received a call-up to the big club and was let go during spring training in 2012 despite his gaudy numbers in the International League the previous season.

Vazquez returned to the Tigres that spring and continued his pattern of spending time on the DL each of the next five years, hitting 42 homers and topping .300 twice in 232 total games.  Let go by Quintana Roo last winter as part of the Tigres' housecleaning of veterans after the team was sold by longtime owner Carlos Peralta to a group fronted by ex-Dodgers pitching star Fernando Valenzuela, Chato was signed by the Diablos Rojos for the current season.  He got off to a good start in Mexico City, rocking 8 homers with 24 ribbies while hitting .281 over his first 34 games before back problems made it impossible for him to continue playing.  His last game was Tuesday in Cancun against his old team, the Tigres.  Vazquez batted fourth and went 0-for-4 with a walk and a run scored but by then, his back pains were such that 38-year-old Refugio "Cuco" Cervantes (himself a 20-year LMB vet) had already been pressed into service at first after the latter played just six games for Tabasco last year.

Vazquez retires with 201 homers and 703 RBIs in 895 Mexican League games while also cracking a grand slam for Mexico in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and winning MVP honors in the 2011 Caribbean Series as a reinforcement for the champion Obregon Yaquis (he cracked a walkoff homer in the title game, which certainly didn't hurt his chances for the trophy).  He spent nine winters in the Mexican Pacific League, eight with his hometown Culiacan Tomateros, hitting .307 with a total of 71 homers and 234 RBIs in 208 games.   However, for all the things he accomplished on the field, Jorge "Chato" Vazquez will also be remembered as one of those cases of "what might have been" after never playing a full season during his career.

As a sidebar, Vazquez' nickname "Chato" translates to "flat" in English, which is puzzling until you dig a little deeper into Mexican culture.  South of the border, it's common to give someone a handle that is totally opposite of appearance.  Thus, Bartolo Colon might be nicknamed "Flaco" (or "Skinny") while Jose Altuve would be called "Gordo" (or "Fatso").  Within that context, nicknaming someone standing 5'11" while tipping the scales at 250 pounds "Flatty" is entirely within the tradition.

Yucatan holds off Monterrey, leads LMB South by 2 games

Alejandro Soto (pictured) tossed six innings of three-hit shutout ball and Ronnier Mustelier punched a two-run single to lead the Yucatan Leones to a 3-2 win over the Monterrey Sultanes Sunday night in Merida.  A near-sellout crowd of 11,142 at Estadio Kukulcan watched the Leones win the rubber match of the three-game set to raise their record to 12-8, good for a two-game lead over Oaxaca in the Mexican League Southern Division standings.  Monterrey dropped to 12-7 to fall a game off the pace behind Tijuana and Union Laguna in the LMB North.

Soto, a 6'5" lefty, came to Yucatan in a midseason trade with Oaxaca last summer in the midst of his ninth season with the Guerreros, struck out five without giving up a walk to earn his first win of the 2017 season after he'd been battered for nine runs on 13 hits in 7.2 innings over his previous two starts.  The Leones broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth when Jesus Valdez whacked a leadoff double against Monterrey starter Alfonso Sanchez and later scored on an Ivan Araujo sacrifice fly to put the hosts out in front. Mustelier's two-out singleton an inning later plated Kevin Flores and Leo Heras made it a 3-0 ballgame.

As it turned out, Yucatan eventually needed those two fifth-inning runs.  Reliever Jairo Asencio entered the game for the Leones in the top of the ninth needing three outs to close the win, but instead allowed two runs  by dishing up a Zoilo Almonte single that drove in Chris Roberson with the visitors' first run of the ninth.  Asencio got Luis Juarez to send a grounder to Flores at short for a 6-4-3 double play that scored Gilberto Carrera from third to bring the Sultanes to within a score, but Felix Perez' grounder to Leones first baseman Humberto Sosa ended the contest with no further damage done by the Monterrey order.

Roberson fell behind Oaxaca's Alan Sanchez in the LMB batting race over the week.  Sanchez ended the weekend with a .446 average in 20 games, with Robo six points back at a cool .440 and Saltillo's Luis Borges in third at .426.  Union Laguna's Ricky Alvarez socked four homers in three midweek games to pull into the Liga lead with eight longballs, one ahead of Tijuana's Alex Liddi and Mexico City's Jorge Vazquez.  The injury-plagued Vazquez is in his first year with the Diablos Rojos and so far, his acquisition from Quintana Roo in the offseason is paying dividends for Miguel Ojeda's team.  Alvarez also leads the loop with 34 RBIs in 21 games as the Vaqueros are winning games in the time-honored Liga tradition: Battering opponents into submission by scoring 168 runs over 21 games for an average of 8 runs per outing.  With batting like that, a pitching tee has a chance to earn a win.

Speaking of pitching, Mitch Lively of Leon, Laguna's Edgar Osuna and Saltillo starter Frankie De La Cruz all have perfect 4-0 records and ERAs under 2.00, with Lively's 0.72 mark leading the circuit.  Dustin Crenshaw of the Vaqueros has four wins in five decisions, but his ERA of 6.21 pretty much proves the last point made in the previous paragraph.  Josh Lowey of Monclova is tops in strikeouts with 35 over 32 innings, four up on Oaxaca's Irwin Delgado.  Durango closer Tiago Da Silva has continued his lights-out season for the Generales.  The Brazilian righty has converted saves in all eleven of his appearances out of the bullpen thus far, giving up just one earned run on April 13 in Campeche (but still getting the save).

Among the upcoming midweek series, perhaps the biggest will be in Oaxaca, when the Guerreros try to close the gap against Yucatan in a three-game set.  Next weekend will see the Monclova Acereros visit Torreon to battle Union Laguna.  The Durango Generales STILL have yet to play a home game this season after their scheduled series last week against Veracruz was moved to the port city because Estadio Francisco Villa is still not ready for occupancy.  The Leon Bravos had to wait one extra day after a power outage short-circuited their April 18 home opener against Mexico City.  The two teams split a doubleheader one day later as 4,852 fans filed into Parque Domingo Santana for Leon's first Liga home game since 1991.

Postscript to last Friday's BBM: Mom passed away shortly after 5AM PDT this (Monday) morning after two weeks in a coma. I was in the hospital with her all night and she went quietly, peacefully and with dignity...quintessential Mom.  Thanks for all your prayers.  Glad I wrote this last night while sitting next to her.  I'm not sure if I'll post again before next Monday, but don't count against it.  I love baseball and I love Mexico and its great people and writing about the Mexican League will be good for my sanity and peace of mind.  Did you ever think you'd see the words "sanity" and "peace of mind" in the same sentence as "the Mexican League?"

Ex-Yanks minor leaguer Vazquez traded by Tigres to Diablos

The Quintana Roo Tigres are beginning to make some moves under new owner Fernando Valenzuela.  One recent deal involved sending first baseman Jorge "El Chato" Vazquez to Mexico City for catcher Gabriel Gutierrez in a swap of players who've battled injuries in recent seasons, but who've been effective when healthy.

Vazquez, who turns 35 next month, was one of the Mexican League's leading sluggers between 2005 and 2008, belting 99 homers for the Tigres in that four-year span and batting .323 or better each season.  His performance resulted in a minor league contract with the New York Yankees, for whom the Culiacan product spent three summers from 2009-11, hitting 63 homers in that timespan (including 32 longballs with 93 RBIs for AAA Syracuse in 2011).  However, Vazquez also showed a tendency to strike out, whiffing 166 ties in 500 plate appearances in 2011, and he was surprisingly released in April of 2012 after the Yanks brought in Steve Pearce to play first base at Syracuse that season.

Since returning to Cancun in 2012, the 5'11" right-handed batter has battled a variety of ailments ever since, playing no more than 62 games in any season over the past five years.  He hit .319 with six homers and 31 RBIs in 33 games for the Tigres in 2016.  In fifteen Mexican League seasons, Vazquez has knocked out 193 homers to go with a .317 career average, and the Diablos Rojos hope he'll be able to be the cleanup hitter they've lacked since Japhet Amador went to Japan's Rakuten Golden Eagles last year.

For his part, Gutierrez will never be mistaken for Vazquez in the batter's box, but he was once a highly-regarded catching prospect in the Dodgers system.  Signed by Los Angeles at age 21 in 2005, the Guasave native was Baseball America's Prospect Handbook pick as the best defensive catcher in the Dodgers system in 2007.  However, the injury hex had already started affecting Gutierrez' career and he ended up playing just 282 games over six seasons in five leagues (including a cup of coffee with AAA Las Vegas), batting .249 with six homers and 93 RBIs before heading back south of the border following his release in early 2010.

Hooking up with the Diablos Rojos in 2010, Gutierrez has continued his pattern of providing solid work behind the plate when he's physically capable of putting on the gear.  He played a career-high 101 games for Mexico City in 2014, hitting an eyebrow-raising .356 that year (with a .419 on-base percentage) and scoring 71 runs for the Red Devils.  His seven-year LMB batting average has been a solid .311, but he's only played 374 games since 2010 for an average of 53 games per year.  It's hoped in Quintana Roo that the 33-year-old Gutierrez will be able to form a catching tandem with 35-year-old veteran Iker Franco, who hit .310 in 73 games for the Tigres in 2016.

Acereros drop two of three to Yucatan, still lead LMB Norte

Despite losing twice in a three-game home series against Yucatan over the weekend, the Monclova Acereros nonetheless still held on to a narrow lead in the Mexican League's North Division going into Monday's travel day on the schedule.

The Leones took it to Monclova, 10-1, Sunday night as Yucatan posted six runs in the top of the first inning and were never threatened afterward.  The loss, in front of 8,640 fans at Estadio Monclova, dropped the Acereros' record to 14-6, one game ahead of second-place Monterrey.  Yucatan kept pace with Quintana Roo in the LMB South, with both teams ending the weekend with 13-7 marks.  The Tigres swept a three-game set against Laguna in Torreon, including another Sunday route, 10-2, over the Vaqueros.  Jorge "Chato" Vazquez (pictured above) had two hits and drove in three runs for the defending champs while Max Ramirez clubbed his first homer of the season.  The Vaqueros have lost six in a row to fall to seventh in the North at 10-10, one game ahead of last-place Saltillo.

Perennial contenders in the North, the Saraperos have been in unfamiliar territory as cellar-dwellers, although a 9-11 record isn't a call for pressing the panic button.  Saltillo has found the going tougher at home, with just a 4-7 record at Estadio Francisco I. Madero while going 5-4 on the road.  Still, they haven't had the kind of problems the Oaxaca Guerreros experienced to start their season.  Oaxaca lost their first eleven games before pulling out a 6-5 win at Saltillo (see above) in ten innings on April 15.  The Guerreros have won four of their last ten games but at 4-16, are still a game behind seventh-place Carmen.

Puebla catcher Cesar Tapia has taken over the lead in the LMB batting race with a .415 average, including 4 homers, in 16 games.  Five players are hitting .400 or better.  Aguascalientes shortstop Diory Hernandez still leads the circuit with 7 homers and 28 RBI while seeing his average cool to an even .400, and Puebla outfielder Nyjer Morgan has 9 stolen bases to top the table in that category.  The ex-MLBer is hitting .327.
Among pitchers, Monterrey starter Edgar Gonzalez is off to a great start with a 3-1 record and 0.77 ERA in four starts.  The former Diamondbacks hurler has gone three starts and 18 innings without giving up an earned run and has walked just two batsmen in 23.1 frames.  Gonzalez leads the Liga in ERA and is tied for the lead in wins with eight other pitchers.  One of those, Monterrey's Josh Lowey (3-1), has 32 strikeouts to share the lead with Tabasco's Antonio Guzman.  Well-traveled minor league vet Wirfin Obispo has 8 saves for Monterrey. The 31-year-old Obispo is in his first LMB season after splitting 2015 between AAA Colorado Springs and AA Biloxi.

All 16 Liga teams will open eight series Tuesday night.  The biggest at this point of the season is in Cancun, where the Tigres will host Puebla in a three-game set.  The 12-8 Pericos are one game behind Quintana Roo and Yucatan in the LMB South.  Monclova is in Mexico City to play three against the 11-9 Diablos Rojos in the most important series in the North.

Mexico's WBC Qualifier roster announced, Adrian Gonzalez to play

Now that the Mexican League has given its blessings to allowing Liga players to take part in next week's World Baseball Classic qualifier tournament in Mexicali's La Nida ballpark, the names on Mexico's 27-man roster have been released.

Thirteen of the 27 players in uniforms will be pitchers, including BBM Winter Award winners Hector Daniel Rodriguez (Playoff MVP) and Javier Solano (Pitcher of the Year).  Former major leaguer Oliver Perez will be wearing the green along with Mexican Pacific League ERA champ Alejandro Soto and record-setting reliever Andres Avila.

There are plenty of familiar names among position players, including Caribbean Series title game hero Jorge Vazquez, but none more prominent than Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (pictured), who will play under both his brother and former San Diego and Mazatlan teammate Edgar, Mexico's manager for the four-team tourney and current Mexicali Aguilas skipper, and father David, who'll serve as first base coach.  The 34-year-old Adrian (also known as "El Titan") has played in five MLB midsummer classics, including last year's event, and has a career .290 average with 290 homers and 1,056 RBI's in all or part of twelve seasons.

Here is the complete roster of Mexico's national team for the 2016 WBC Qualifier:

Pitchers (13)
Armando Aguilar, Andres Avila, Arturo Barradas, Carlos Fisher, Jesus Garcia, Geovanny Gallegos, Steven Landazuri, Oliver Perez, Hector Daniel Rodriguez, Jake Sanchez, Mark Serrano, Javier Solano, Alejandro Soto
Catchers (3)
Xorge Carrillo, Erick Rodriguez, Humberto Sosa
Infielders (6)
Adrian Gonzalez (1b), Walter Ibarra (ss), Alejandro Mejia (1b-3b), Agustin Murillo (3b), Esteban Quiroz (2b), Issmael Salas (ut)
Outfielders (4)
Sebastian Elizalde, Leo Heras, Efren Navarro, Juan Perez
Designated Hitter (1)
Jorge Vazquez
Manager
Edgar Gonzalez
Coaches
Rigo Beltran (pitching), David Gonzalez (first base), Bobby Magallenes (bench), Anthony Medrano (third base), Alejandro Pelaez (batting), Jose Silva (bullpen)

The Mexicans will open their qualifier schedule on Thursday, March 17 against the Czech Republic.  Germany and Nicaragua will square off that afternoon.

Vazquez hits walkoff HR, Venados win Caribbean Series title

Jorge Vazquez (pictured) belted a Renee Cortez pitch for a walkoff homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to hand the Mazatlan Venados a 5-4 win over Venezuela's Aragua Tigres in Sunday's title game at the 2016 Caribbean Series in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.  The roundtripper completed a Mazatlan comeback after the Tigres took a 4-2 lead in the top of the seventh inning as the Venados won their second CS title, giving Mexico its fourth crown at Latin America's baseball showcase since 2011.

Aragua's Freddy Garcia and Mazatlan's Eddie Gamboa hooked up in a low-scoring duel at the game's start, with the former Mariners All-Star allowing two Venados runs into the sixth inning and Gamboa likewise giving up a pair of Tigres runs before running into trouble in the seventh.

Mazatlan got on the board in the third when Esteban Quiroz scored from second on Chris Roberson's single to left and then Roberson, who moved to third on a Jeremias Pineda bunt, came in when Garcia let go with a wild pitch to Justin Greene.  The Venezuelans knotted it up at 2-2 in the top of the sixth when Jose Martinez' leadoff single to center was followed by a Hernan Perez line-drive homer to left off Gamboa.

Gamboa's troubles really got started in the seventh when he began by striking out Martinez, who was able to reach first when strike three fooled Mazatlan catcher Sebastian Valle.  Perez then singled up the middle, both runners advanced on Sandy Leon's bunt and Jose Martinez strolled in from third on Teodoro Martinez' single to right, giving Aragua a 3-2 lead.  Perez tried coming in from second on the play but Pineda's throw from right nailed him at the plate for the inning's second out while Leon scooted to second.  At that point, Jovany Lopez relieved Gamboa and promptly walked Juniel Querecuto on five pitches, loading the hassocks.  That brought up Alex Romero, whose flyout to Greene in center was enough to bring Perez in from third and increase the Tigres' lead to two.

It was Aragua's turn to be snakebitten in the bottom of the seventh when, with two out, Gumercindo Gonzalez gave up a single to right by Yuniesky Betancourt.  No great harm done, but Gonzalez was then replaced by Arcenio Leon to pitch to Esteban Quiroz.  Quiroz tapped a comebacker to Leon, who made a throw to first for the third out that was missed by Felix Perez, allowing Betancourt and Quiroz to motor to third and second, respectively.  At that point, Jesus Sanchez was brought in for Perez to get the final out but instead gave up a two-run single to Valle, scoring both Betancourt and Quiroz to bring the score to 4-4.
Jeremias Pineda was eventually retired on a 6-3 groundout off a pitch from Jose Miljares, the fourth Tigres pitcher of the inning.

After neither team scored in the eighth and Steven Hensley got the Tigres' third out in the top of the ninth, Vazquez (a Venados postseason reinforcement from Culiacan) led things off for Mazatlan in the bottom of the frame.  After working the count to 2-0, the 33-year-old former Yankees minor leaguer redirected a Cortez delivery over the wall in left-center for the walkoff win.

Garcia finished with 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and striking out three for the Tigres.  Gamboa tossed 6.1 frames and let in four runs (two unearned) on eight hits, including Perez' homer.  The Venezuelans actually outhit Mazatlan by a 12-7 margin as Vazquez and Roberson each posted two hits on the day.  Hensley earned the win after pitching to just one batter while Cortez was tagged with the loss under partly cloudy skies and a game time temperature of 81 degrees.

The win marks the second for the Venados under manager Juan Jose Pacho, who also led Mazatlan to the CS crown in 2005 at home.

VAZQUEZ BELTS 32 HOMERS, NAMED INTL LEAGUE 2011 ALL-STAR

Although Jorge Vazquez has yet to receive that call to play for the New York Yankees, the 28-year-old Culiacan native made the most of his season with the Yanks’ AAA affiliate at Scranton/Wilkes Barre by cracking 32 homers, driving in 93 runs and being named an International League All-Star for 2011.

Vazquez’ 32 longballs was tops in the IL, leading runner-up Stefan Gartrell of Gwinnet by six, and “Chato” drove in 93 runs for the year, one behind Gartrell for the league lead. The 5’11, 225-pounder batted .262 for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, picking up 119 hits in 118 games but also striking out 166 times (second in the IL to Ryan Strieby of Toledo). Vazquez finished the season in strong form, hitting .314 with six homers in 24 games the final month of the schedule. He was selected Player of the Week twice this year.

The 2011 season was Vazquez’ third in the Yankees system after he was signed by New York as a free agent on December 7, 2008. In that time, he’s hit 63 homers with 217 RBIs in 261 games at the AA and AAA levels Prior to that he’d spent ten seasons in the Mexican League, mostly with the Tigres franchise playing in Puebla (Angelopolis) and Cancun (Quintana Roo). His top two seasons were in 2005 and 2005, when he hit .379 and .359 while whacking a combined 64 homers and 194 RBIs.

VAZQUEZ STRUGGLING FOR YANKS' AAA AFFILIATE AFTER HOT START

Two months into the season at the end of May, Jorge Vazquez looked like a candidate for a call-up to New York Yankees. Although the Culiacan native had cooled down after a torrid April in which he hit .323 with nine homers and 27 RBIs (including Player of the Week honors April 11-18) in just 23 games for the International League’s Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, Vazquez ended May with a decent .281 batting average and 18 roundtrippers.

Then came June.

During the first 19 days of the month, the right-handed first baseman was hitting just .188 with two homers and seven RBIs. The worst of it has come after June 13, when he singled and doubled in a game at Syracuse. Since then, Vazquez has gone 0-for-18 with nine strikeouts in five games and a call-up to Yankee Stadium seems far away. On the surface his current average of .257 with 20 homers and 52 RBIs in 65 games looks respectable, but the parent club has got to be concerned about Vazquez’ 93 strikeouts in 261 at-bats, a pace that would put him over 200 for the IL season.

Still, it would be foolish to write the season off for the 5’11” 225-pounder. After all, this is a guy who was named the Caribbean Series MVP in February after leading Obregon to the first Mexican CS crown since 2005, then impressed the Yankees with his bat during spring training. “He’s got some thunder,” said Yanks senior director of pro personnel Billy Eppler.

VAZQUEZ JOINED BY FOUR YAQUIS MATES ON CS ALL-STAR TEAM

Caribbean Series Most Valuable Player Jorge Vazquez was joined by four Obregon Yaquis teammates on the 2011 CS All-Star Team, announced shortly after the last game Monday night in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

Vazquez, who batted .310 with 2 homers and 6 RBIs in six games, was named as the All-Star first baseman for the tournament won by the Yaquis, who posted a 4-2 record. Also selected were catcher Iker Franco, right fielder Karim Garcia and designated hitter Barbaro Canizares, while Obregon skipper Eddie Diaz got the nod as All-Star manager.

The Dominican champion Este Toros landed four players on the All-Star squad: third baseman Danny Richar, left fielder Ruddy Yan, center fielder Jose Constanza and starting pitcher Raul Valdes. The host Caguas Criollos placed second baseman Alex Cora and reliever Juan Padilla on the list, while Venezuela’s Anzoategui Caribes had just one representative named: shortstop Henry Rodriguez.

The 2012 Caribbean Series will be played in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

VAZQUEZ HOMER IN NINTH GIVES YAQUIS WIN, CS LEADERSHIP

A two-out, three-run homer to right field by Jorge Vazquez in the top of the ninth inning powered the Obregon Yaquis to a 6-3 win over the Este Toros Saturday at the Caribbean Series in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. The win gave the Mexican champions to 3-1 in the CS and sole possession of first place. The Toros are 2-2.

The first five innings featured a pitching battle between starters Adalberto Mendez of Este and Francisley Bueno of Obregon. Both pitchers were replaced after the fifth frame with the Toros holding a 3-1 lead over the Yaquis. The score remained in favor of the Dominicans until the top of the eighth, when Obregon’s Everth Cabrera and Oscar Robles both stroked RBI singles to tie the game at 3-3. Eventually the Yaquis sent postseason hero Iker Franco to the plate with bases loaded and two out, but Franco skied out to center field on a full count to end the threat.

Alan Guerrero retired the Toros in order on five pitches in the bottom of the eighth to set up the ninth inning and Vazquez’ deciding home run, which came after Justin Christian got on board on an infield error and Cabrera singled. Yaquis reliever Luis Ayala held on for the save.

The Yaquis will take on the host Caguas Criollos Sunday at 7:30PM ET. Caguas is 2-2 after topping Venezuela's Anzoategui Caribes, 4-2, Saturday night in 10 innings. The Criollos scored two runs in the top of the tenth without benefit of a single hit, as they moved runners along the basepaths courtesy of three walks, an error and a hit batsman. Caguas reliever Kiko Calero repaid Anzoategui's generosity by retiring the Caribes' side in order to nail down the win. The Venezuelans are now 1-3 as they head into Sunday afternoon's contest with Este.

CULIACAN BEATS MAZATLAN, ONE WIN AWAY FROM SWEEP

The Culiacan Tomateros are taking care of business in their Mexican Pacific League first round playoff series with Mazatlan. Culiacan topped the Venados, 4-1, Tuesday night to take a 3 games to 1 lead in their best-of-seven set. Jorge Vazquez (pictured)went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs for the Tomateros and Francisco Campos turned in five good innings on the mound, letting in one run and striking out three hitters.

Obregon took a 2 to 1 lead in their series with Hermosillo after the Yaquis copped a 2-0 squeaker at home in Estadio Tomas Oroz Gaytan. The Yaquis’ Iker Franco broke open a scoreless tie with a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth and pinch-hitter Albino Contreras sliced a two-out RBI single in the sixth. Four Obregon pitchers combined on the shutout as starter Rolando Valdez got the win with six strong innings.

Leo Heras was 4-for-4 with a homer, two runs and three RBIs to pace Guasave’s 10-7 win over Los Mochis. LMP batting champ Eduardo Arredondo had three hits and three runs for the Algodoneros, who are now up 3 to 2 in their set with Mochis. Cottoneers reliever Sergio Mora got the win in relief with 3.1 hitless innings. Caneros starter Dan Serafini was rocked for six runs on five hits and three walks in 1.2 frames.

Mazatlan, Obregon and Mochis all host fourth games of their respective series Wednesday night.

VAZQUEZ HOPEFUL ON SPENDING 2011 WITH YANKEES

Mexico-born slugger Jorge “Chato” Vazquez is playing this winter for Culiacan in the Mexican Pacific League with an eye on earning a spot with the New York Yankees next spring. After several productive seasons in the Mexican League, Vazquez was signed as a free agent by the Yankees prior to the 2009 campaign. He was an Eastern League All-Star that season while hitting .329 with 13 homers and 56 RBIs for the Yanks’ AA affiliate in Trenton. Vazquez spent the 2010 season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the AAA International League and batted .270 with 18 homers and 62 ribbies.

It hasn’t been an easy two years in North America for the 28-year-old Sinaloa native, however. He suffered a broken right wrist at the end of his season in Trenton. “It was a test,” Vazquez told LMB.com’s Gabriel Medina, “but I kept going.” Vazquez also came down with acute appendicitis early in the 2010 season. “There have been little things in my career,” he says, “but I remembered to toe the line and I’m following my goals.”

Vazquez adds that he’s motivated by the presence of fellow Mexicanos Alfredo Aceves and Ramiro Pena in New York: “It feels good to have two countrymen there. It shows that we can be there.”

JORGE VAZQUEZ JOINS CULIACAN; OBREGON ADDS JOSH HORTON

The Culiacan Tomateros have brought in a veteran Mexican infielder while the revolving door in Obregon keeps spinning with the addition of another import to the injury-riddled team.

First baseman Jorge Vazquez (pictured), who batted .270 with 18 homers and 62 RBIs for the Yankees’ AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre affiliate in 2010, has joined the Tomateros following an eight-week rest on the heels of the International League season. The 28-year-old Vazquez spent eight years in the Mexican League before signing with the Yanks in 2009. He hit .369 with 64 homers for Angelopolis between 2005 and 2006.

Meanwhile, the Yaquis have added A’s shortstop prospect Josh Horton after injuries to fellow imports Justin Ruggiano, Justin Sellers and Doug Clark. Horton was Oakland’s second-round draft pick in 2007 and spent most of the 2010 season with Midland of the AA Texas League, hitting .286 in 108 games. A University of North Carolina product, Horton gives the Yaquis a contact hitter and sure-handed fielder.