DE LA VEGA, CANIZALES: WE WILL LOSE MONEY

In recent interviews, presidents of both the Mexican League and Mexican Pacific League said their respective circuits and teams WILL lose money in their coming seasons regardless of how their schedules work out. While there's nothing unusual about Mexican professional baseball teams finishing in the red financially at the end of a season, it's unheard of for leaders of the country's top two leagues to predict such an outcome before a game is played.

However, due to the Wuhan virus, the "unheard of" is becoming commonplace throughout the world of baseball. It's no different in Mexico, where as of Sunday, over 113,000 people had contracted the virus and total deaths were approaching the 14,000 mark. All leagues south of the border have postponed their seasons indefinitely and while the Mexican League is hoping to play a shortened 48-game season plus playoffs beginning August 7, one call from a federal health authority could scuttle that plan.

Facing that uncertainly, both Mexican League president Horacio de la Vega and his Mexican Pacific League counterpart, Omar Canizales, are already hoisting fiscal white flags and hoping to minimize the pending damage the Wuhan virus will cause their loops. "We are in a losing scenario," de la Vega told the El Jonronero website. "The teams are not going to gain or break even. We are trying to minimize costs to the maximum." The LMB's proposed schedule would partly address that by eliminating games outside a team's division in order to cut air travel costs while avoiding potential contagions.

De la Vega, who noted his 45th birthday last week, says the majority of Mexican League teams can't afford to play games behind closed doors as leagues in Asia have done because they can't survive without gate receipts or concessions and merchandise sales, but he admits they may have no choice in some places: "The entire league can't play behind closed doors, but if in a particular state the local authorities mandate that the only possibility is to play behind closed doors, we are considering that some places may start behind closed doors." The governor of Coahuila, where three LMB teams play (including defending champion Monclova), has said that teams will have to limit the number of people admitted to ballparks in order to adhere to social distancing policies.

Mexican Pacific League president Omar Canizales

Meanwhile, LMP president Canizales echoes de la Vega's assessment that his league is likely going to come up short on the profit/loss statements in the 2020-21 season. One possible result may be Mex Pac teams relying on domestic talent more than players from the United States and elsewhere, who generally cost more money: "We would have to wait and see what kind of players we have available when we start the season so as to make a decision if we are going to bring in foreigners or give priority, as we want to do, to Mexicans." Canizales notes that Major League Baseball has cut dozens of minor leaguers, including at least 14 Mexicans who may be home and available for Mex Pac training camps. "I think we would give priority to our native Mexicans who've played in minor leagues than foreigners," he said, "but the decision of how many foreigners we are going to play with in the season has not yet been made."

Regardless of where players come from, Canizales repeats de la Vega's refrain that his league and its ten teams will look to cut expenses wherever they can, including salaries on the field and in the front office. "It is very likely that we all have to sacrifice something in order to make the season feasible, trying to make the players least affected, but I think it will be necessary to make some adjustments," he said by telephone to RG La Deportiva. "Everything will depend on the level at which we are allowed to play in terms of stadium occupancy," alluding to the possibility that the LMP may have to play in front of unoccupied stands.

Canizales says that the MexPac is now penciling in November 15 as opening day, a month later than usual, should the Mexican League playoffs go into November for the first time ever. He adds that there are three more LMP league meetings between now and October. "We are not against the wall. There is time."

JUAN NAVARRETE NAMED NEW HERMOSILLO MANAGER

After their somewhat convoluted firing of Vinny Castilla last month, the Hermosillo Naranjeros have named Juan Navarrete as their manager for the upcoming 2020-21 Mexican Pacific League season. A former MLB All-Star, Castilla was reportedly let go by the Orangemen sometime in April, but no announcement was made of his firing until last month after some mixed signals from the team as to whether or not the Oaxaca native was still at the helm.

It will not be the first time Navarrete has entered a confusing situation as an LMP manager. His hiring as the first dugout boss of the expansion Guasave Algodoneros was announced at a press conference last June, although his duties as an instructor in the Oakland A's minor league system prevented him from attending. However, Navarette never came to formal terms with new owner Alfredo Aramburo, who bought the team after the reported hiring in mid-July, and ex-MLB pitcher Rigo Beltran ended up being the Cottoneers new skipper instead. Beltran lasted less than a month into last season before he was fired.

Although he's been a manager, coach and instructor in the Oakland system for over two decades after playing minor league ball for seven seasons for the Montreal Expos in the 1970's (he was a teammate of Hall of Famers Gary Carter and Andre Dawson), the Gomez Palacio-born Navarrete spent most of his 21-year playing career as a second baseman in the Mexican League, where he hit .327 with 1,979 hits over 1,607 LMB games before retiring in 1990. He also spent 19 winters playing in the Mex Pac. He was elected to the Salon de la Fama in 1998, by which time his second baseball career was already well underway. Navarrete has tutored such future MLB All-Stars as Miguel Tejada and Max Muncy and is currently a defensive coordinator in the Oakland system.

Monterrey Industriales player-manager Juan Navarrete

Navarrete had already been a Liga player-manager for both Saltillo and the old Monterrey Industriales before he returned to the Saraperos in 1991 for two years as skipper. He then moved in 1993 to Villahermosa, where he piloted the Tabasco Olmecas to their only Liga championship in their 45-year history. Navarrete spent one more year managing the Olmecas before spending the next 25 summers north of the border (although he did return to Tabasco in 2004 and took the team to a 48-48 record and a first-round playoff exit). He's also managed A's farm teams in the Arizona, California and Northwest leagues, winning the 1996 AZL flag.

Besides playing nearly two decades in winterball for Obregon, Navojoa, Mexicali and Guaymas, Navarrete has managed five teams in the LMP: Guasave, Jalisco, Obregon, Mexicali and Los Mochis. He was named Manager of the Year in 2014-15 after leading the Jalisco Charros to a 46-26 record their first year in Guadalajara after moving from Guasave.

Now he'll put on a Naranjeros uniform for the first time as a player or manager, replacing another Mexican baseball legend in Castilla, who took Hermosillo to a 38-27 record in his first year at the helm before falling to Mazatlan in six games in their first-round playoff series. In announcing the 66-year-old Navarrete's hiring, Orangemen general director Pablo de la Pena said about Castilla's ouster, "It was considered that some things failed and the sporting goal was not reached." De la Pena then explained why Navarrete was chosen: "We sought experience and knowledge of the league. We believe that his knowledge and his way of communicating with the players will help us to achieve good results." That same experience and knowledge informs Navarrete what will happen if he doesn't.

The hiring leaves Monterrey and Mexicali as the last two LMP franchises with unsettled managerial situations. The Sultanes have not confirmed that Homar Rojas will be back with the team while the Aguilas have been mum about Pedro Mere's status. Otherwise, besides Navarrete in Hermosillo, the other seven Mex Pac skippers going into the season will be Roberto Vizcarra in Jalisco, Juan José Pacho in Mazatlan, Benji Gil in Culiacán, Oscar Robles in Guasave, Victor Bojorquez in Los Mochis, Lorenzo Bundy in Navojoa, and Sergio Gastelum in Obregón.

TIJUANA TO HOST TWO BASEBALL WORLD CUPS IN NOVEMBER

Two WBSC Baseball World Cups awarded to Tijuana

If the baseball season ever gets started, 2020 will be a good year for international competition in Mexico. On the heels of both Obregon and Los Mochis being named co-hosts of the World Baseball Softball Confederation's U-23 Baseball World Cup between September 30 and October 9, the organization has awarded two more similar tournaments to Tijuana in November (contingent on the Wuhan virus being abated or eliminated altogether in Mexico's sixth-largest city by then).

The fifth U-15 Baseball World Cup is slated for the so-called "Heart Between Two Seas" between October 30 and November 8, with the ninth Women's Baseball World Cup to be played from November 12 to the 21st. Games for both tournaments will be played at La Nida, the 17,000-seat home of the Mexican League's Tijuana Toros, although another venue such as the smaller Estadio Angel Camarena may be pressed into duty if the need for another field arises, especially if the Toros make a playoff run into November. Estadio Camarena, which is being remodeled, was to be the home of the expansion Otay Inustriales of the Northern Mexico League, but the LNM is struggling for survival with an uncertain future. Another ballpark, the 5,000-seat Estadio Manuel Cecena, sits 30 miles to the east in Tecate as a last resort.

WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari said, "Having Tijuana confirmed to host two major WBSC World Cup events in a row represents how much baseball means to the city. This is the first time we've had a city host two World Cups in our history, providing a wonderful opportunity to celebrate baseball and sport as we await the restart of the international calendar."

The U-15 Baseball World Cup had originally been scheduled for August before the pandemic shut baseball down in most of the countries taking part. Of the twelve teams expected to take part, eight currently hold Top 12 status in the WBSC's latest rankings for that category: Japan (1), United States (2), Taiwan (4), Mexico (5), Cuba (7), Venezuela (8), Dominican Republic (10) and Panama (12). Rounding out the field will be Italy (17), Germany (19), So. Africa (24) and Guam (36).

This will mark the first time that Guam has sent a contingent to any World Cup competition since being admitted to the International Baseball Federation (the WBSC's predecessor) in the 1980's after winning the Oceania championship last year. Japan, the United States and Germany won their continental tournaments while South Africa was chosen as Africa's representative after no qualifier was held there. The USA defeated host Panama in the title game of the 2018 U-15 Baseball World Cup while Taiwan finished third.

Mexico pitcher Rosy del Castillo

The Women's Baseball World Cup will likewise feature twelve nations, eight of them ranked in the WBSC's Top 12: Japan (1), Canada (2), Taiwan (3), Venezuela (4), United States (5), Australia (6), Cuba (8) and the Dominican Republic (9). Also represented will be The Netherlands (11), host Mexico (14), the Philippines (15) and France (18). The latter three are making their first-ever appearance at the Women's Baseball World Cup. Like the U-15 tournament, this competition was postponed after originally being scheduled for September.

Japan defeated Taiwan in the 2018 championship game in Florida for their sixth straight World Cup title and will come to Tijuana riding a 30-game win streak. The USA won the first two World Cups in 2004 and 2006. Not only will this be Mexico's first time playing in a Baseball World Cup, last year marked their initial entry in women's baseball competition. Last August 19, in their opening game at the first Pan Am Women's Baseball Championship held in Aguascalientes, pitchers Rosy del Castillo and Veronica Romo combined on a no-hitter in a 16-0 win over fellow debutante Nicaragua. Mexico went on to finish fourth in the eight-team event, overseen by the Pan American Baseball Confederation (or COPABE).

YUCATAN WINS FIRST 2 ON ROAD IN LMB SOUTH FINALS

Yucatan outfielder Jonathan Jones

Over the years, the Yucatan Leones have traditionally been winners in Mexican League baseball because of timely hitting, consistent defense and top-notch pitching.  Power has rarely been a facet for the Merida team but 2019 has been a different year with the new Franklin ball and the Leones unleashed a barrage of homers over the weekend as the defending division champions socked eight homers while winning the first two games of the LMB South finals in Mexico City. 

Yucatan batters belted three homers Saturday against the Diablos Rojos before knocking out five roundtrippers in Sunday's Game Two 14-6 laugher, a game that was actually tied 3-3 until the Leones posted nine runs in the top of the third inning to break the contest wide open.  Three of those five Yucatan homers came in the third as two-run bombs from Sebastian Valle and Xavier Scruggs bookended a solo shot from Leo Heras.  Earlier, Alex Liddi and Luis Juarez went long for the Leones as each ended with three hits and two RBIs apiece.  Cesar Valdez was far from his best on the mound for the winners, giving up three runs on seven hits over five innings of work, but still got the win thanks to that nine-run gift in the third.  Diablos starter David Reyes was chased after allowing six runs (including three homers) in two-plus innings.

In Saturday's series opener, Leones starter Yoanner Negrin tossed seven strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits, while centerfielder Jonathan Jones cracked two solo homers and designated hitter Luis Juarez added a two-run shot in the seventh as Yucatan prevailed, 6-3.  That it was Jones who went deep twice was surprising, as the former Jays farmhand had homered just twice since late June, with his last four-bagger coming on August 6 en route to a career-high 10 homers.  Jones finished the night 4-for-4 at the plate and plated four runs.  Just to show the Leones haven't forgotten their roots, catcher Sebastian Valle (he of the 13 career stolen bases over as many seasons) swiped second base in the seventh off reliever Juan Robles.

The Leones reached the division title set by knocking out Oaxaca in five games in the first round, eliminating the Guerreros with a 3-1 win at home on Sunday, September 8 in Estadio Kukulkan as Cesar Valdez held Oaxaca to one run over seven two-hit innings and Juarez drove in the first Yucatan run with a double and later scored their second tally in the bottom of the first.  A stocky two-time All-Star out of Culiacan, Juarez batted .319 to top the .300 mark for the fourth season in a row (including twice last year) and hit 12 homers, driving in 65 runs despite two trips to the reserve list.

It was a tough way to end the season for Oaxaca outfielder Alonzo Harris, who followed up an MVP-worthy regular campaign (.343 with 39 homers, 45 stolen bases, 117 RBIs and a remarkable 131 runs over 119 games) with a .263 average in five postseason tilts during which he homered twice and scored three times in Game Four but was otherwise fairly quiet at the plate.  Guerreros catcher Erick Rodriguez, a seven-time All-Star (MVP of the 2015 ASG) likewise had a good regular season (.356/12/47 in 87 games) with another ASG appearance, but the 39-year-old Monterrey native faded in the playoffs by going only 3-for-17 with one run while playing all five games. He did steal a base in Game One after collecting only 15 swipes over his 19-year career, none since 2017.

Mexico City outfielder Carlos Figueroa

Mexico City advanced from the LMB South semis by topping Quintana Roo, 4 games to 3.  The Diablos were on the brink of elimination after five games before winning twice at home to send the rival Tigres home to Cancun (for now).  Last Tuesday's game at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu saw the home team come from behind with four runs in the bottom of the ninth, the last coming an a single up the middle by Carlos Figueroa off reliever Juan Noriega that was followed a throwing error by Tigres centerfielder Yordanys Linares, scoring two runs to seal a 5-4 walkoff win.  Quintana Roo starter Javier Solano had allowed run run in eight entradas before giving way to Noriega.  Game Seven on Wednesday was a slugfest, with the Diablos outlasting the Tigres, 13-11, behind Japhet Amador's 4-for-5 performance that included two doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored.  Ex-Twins minor leaguer Alex Robles had a great night in a losing cause for Quintana Roo, going 4-for-5 himself with a homer and seven RBIs, but an eight-run seventh for the Diablos gave the home team a 13-7 lead and the Tigres' four runs in the ninth weren't enough to catch up. 

Quintana Roo's defeat closes their season amid speculation that the Tigres may not be long for Cancun, a popular place for tourists but not so much for baseball fans (think Florida).  Owner Fernando Valenzuela got off to a rocky start shortly after buying the heritage franchise in February 2017 when five prospects who'd belonged to the Tigres before Valenzuela and wife Linda bought the team magically appeared on Mexico City's reserve list after the sale, a move that eventually became the Rookiegate scandal.  However, Cancun has never warmed to the team and rumors are that the Valenzuelas may move them to their historic home of Mexico City even though that could mean using 5,000-seat Estadio Fray Nano, which proved inadequate for AAA baseball over the five years the Diablos used it before opening their new state-of-the-art facility this spring.

MONCLOVA, TIJUANA ADVANCE TO LMB NORTH FINALS

Tijuana pitcher James Russell

It took them seven games to do it, but the Monclova Acereros finally knocked defending champion Monterrey out of contention for a repeat pennant by winning Game Seven of their LMB North semifinal series, 5-2, last Thursday in Estadio Monclova.  By reaching the division championships, the Steelers are facing Tijuana, who needed six games to dispatch a pesky Saltillo team few were receiving few playoff projections prior to the regular season but parlayed a second-half title into the fourth and final division seed.  

The Toros then began the division title series with two wins against Monclova over the weekend, including a 5-1 victory Sunday night in Tijuana that was a scoreless tie until the Bulls exploded for all five runs in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by a two-run single by Ricky Alvarez and a two-run homer by Jesus "Cacao" Valdez.  Francisco Peguero got one run back for the Acereros with a solo shot in the top of the seventh but Monclova was unable to catch up before their 27 outs were used up.  Tijuana starter Horacio Ramirez, a former Mariners hurler, got the win by pitching 6.1 shoutout innings and allowing just three hits. 

The division title set began Saturday night in Tijuana as the host Toros shut out Monclova, 4-0, with TJ starter James Russell turning in a standout effort on the mound.  A reliever during his big league days with the Cubs, Braves and Phillies between 2010 and 2016, Russell (son of former MLB All-Star closer Jeff Russell) was signed by the Toros as a free agent in April and inserted into the starting rotation.  Although he pitched into the seventh inning three times in 18 starts and didn't compile enough innings to qualify for the ERA title, Russell had a solid campaign for Tijuana by going 8-4 with a 3.26 ERA (which would've ranked third in the LMB), striking out 66 and walking just 11 in 88.1 innings.  Facing a potent Monclova lineup that averaged .320 and a Liga-best 7.46 runs per game, Russell limited the Acereros to three hits in 6.1 shutout innings, whiffing 11 batsmen (including Chris Carter three times) and walking one before being pulled after 100 pitches.  Maxwell Leon and Isaac Rodriguez each had two hits and one run in support of Russell for the winners.

Monclova's Francisco Peguero and Chris Carter

Like Mexico City in their series with Quintana Roo, Monclova went into Game Six of their series with Monterrey trailing 3-games-to-2 after losing to the Sultanes, 5-4, last Monday as Yamaico Navarro's walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth drove in Tony Campana with the game-winning run.  Campana had two singles and a double as the ex-Cub scored twice for the winners.  The two teams then moved to Monclova for Wednesday's 10-1 Acereros' drubbing of the Fall 2018 champs, with Francisco Peguero clobbering two homers en route to a three-hit night in which he scored four runs and drove in three.  Monclova starter Conor Harber let in one Monterrey one by scattering eight hits and a walk over seven frames.  That brought things to a Game Seven last Thursday and Acereros slugger Chris Carter came up big with two homers and three ribbies as Monclova clinched the series with a 5-2 win.  The former National League HR champion lofted six circuit clouts in the series.  Former Rangers prospect Adam Quintana pitched six innings of scoreless ball for the Acereros, giving up three hits and striking out five.  Quintana finished the regular season with an 8-4 record after pitching out of the bullpen until new manager Pat Listach added him to the rotation in early July for the rest of the schedule. 

Tijuana had a slightly easier time of it in their series with Saltillo, who surprised observers with their second-half title under first-year helmsman Roberto Vizcarra, who has won wherever he's worked during his short managerial career.  The Saraperos trailed the Toros 3-games-to-2 after winning Game Six at home last Monday with a 5-0 shutout over the potent border team.  Former Red Sox pitcher Felix Doubront blanked TJ over 7.2 innings on six hits for the win while Juan Perez gave Saltillo a 4-for-4 night at the plate with a homer and three RBIs.  The series shifted to Tijuana for Game Six last Wednesday, and the Bulls responded with a clinching 6-4 win as Maxwell Leon, Jesus Valdez and Leandro Castro combined for six hits, two runs and four RBIs.  The Saraperos had a wide advantage in baserunners over the game, but the Toros went 5-for-7 with runners in scoring position while Saltillo were just 3-for-12 in similar situations.

While both Monterrey and Saltillo were knocked out of the playoffs last week, their respective managers may face entirely different perceptions from their team owners.  Saltillo's new managing partner Cesar Cantu has to be thrilled with both his team's unexpected on-field success and attendance increase from 4,439 per game last fall to 6,398 this year, so Vizcarra is as secure as any manager in the LMB, although skippers in Mexico may have the shortest leashes in baseball.  On the other hand, even though Sultanes skipper Robero Kelly is only a year removed from his team's first pennant since 2007 and coming off a 72-46 regular season (third-best in the Liga), co-owner Jose "Pepe" Maiz is not known for his patience in the best of times and the former Yankees outfielder may find himself on the hot seat, deserved or not.

MEX PAC TRAINING CAMPS OPEN; MEXICALI BALLPARK RENAMED

Guasave players on first day of training camp

While the Mexican League playoffs are entering their third week with four teams still playing, training camps for the Mexican Pacific League's 75th winterball season have been opening in September in preparation for next month's season openers.  The number of players and even managers reporting when camps open is typically low, but their ranks will swell in the days and weeks to come.  The revived Guasave Algodoneros, one of two new LMP franchises to join the league since last season, joined the Hermosillo Naranjeros as the first teams to open camp on September 9 at the Arturo Peimbert Camacho sports complex in the Sinaloa city.  

The Mex Pac's other expansion team, the Monterrey Sultanes, are coming into their first season with a long history in the summer game, a strong ownership in Grupo Multimedios, a veteran manager in Homar Rojas (Roberto Kelly will not manage winterball in Monterrey) and the country's largest ballpark to play in.  The Cottoneers, on the other hand, have been scrambling to assemble a team in the front office and on the playing field ever since the city of 271,196 (smallest in the LMP) was awarded a franchise after Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador leaned on league president Omar Canizales to help fulfill a campaign promise to return baseball to "The Agricultural Heart of Mexico."  

So far, so good with the Algodoneros as current Durango Generales owner Alfredo Aramburo was recruited to own the team and is said to be seeking to divest all interests in his Mexican League franchise, Rigo Beltran has been settled upon as field manager for the fledgling team, 20 players reported for the first day of training (including six catchers) and work continues to prepare 8,000-seat Estadio Francisco Carranza Limon in time for Guasave's October 13 home opener against Los Mochis.

Jalisco (and Mexico City) slugger Japhet Amador

Meanwhile, defending champion Jalisco's hopes for a repeat were dealt a blow when it was announced that slugger Japhet Amador will not be available to play for the Charros this winter.  The Mulege Giant is still playing for Mexico City in the Mexican League postseason, but will undergo surgery for an Achilles tendon injury at the conclusion of the Diablos' season and require six months to recover.  Amador hit .283 with six homers and 23 RBIs in 27 games for the Guadalajara team last season after being suspended from organized baseball for testing positive for a banned substance while playing in Japan for the Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Another massive longball hitter many had hoped would play in the LMP this winter, Chris Carter, may also end up skipping the Mex Pac campaign.  Carter was originally planning to spend the winter in Venezuela but conditions in that country have made that prospect unlikely.  Carter was picked by Obregon in July's foreigner draft and it was thought he might suit up for the Yaquis this season, but Monclova's MVP candidate (after leading the Mexican League with 49 homers and 119 RBIs) has not signed with Obregon and his LMP rights are thought to be up for trade.  The 6'4" Californian is reportedly drawing interest from teams in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball and could be held out from playing winterball if he signs with an NPB franchise for 2020. 

17,000-seat La Nida ballpark in Mexicali

Finally, the Mexicali Aguilas' ballpark has a new corporate name.  Known casually as La Nida ("The Nest") since its 1976 LMP debut, the 17,000-seat facility will be hosting Aguilas baseball for a 43rd season this winter and has been the scene of the 1985 LMP All-Star Game, the 2009 Caribbean Series and qualifying games for the 2017 World Baseball Classic.  La Nida originally held 9,000 seats but was expanded to its current configuration after remodeling in 2008.  The stadium has been named at times after a fan manufacturer, a housing development firm and (for the upcoming season) a pharmacy.  Since corporate stadium and arena naming rights payments are not extended to media covering the teams playing in them, the media is under no obligation to use those corporate names so, as a formal policy, Baseball Mexico won't...La Nida it is from this point forward.

Murillo weighs Mexicali bid for 2017 WBC first round games

On the heels of hosting a four-team qualifier tournament for next year's World Baseball Classic, the Mexican Pacific League's Mexicali Aguilas are considering a potential bid for first round pool play for the full event in 2017. However, Aguilas team president Dio Alberto Murillo (pictured) isn't sounding like a man who will pursue the possibility with WBC overseers Major League Baseball too strongly.

We have to make a business plan," Murillo was quoted as saying on the Solo Beisbol website. "They (MLB) have a series of requirements that are inspected and if they're not met, they sanction you."

The Mexicali organizing committee has emphasized the need to reduce the cost for tickets to games.  The recently-concluded qualifier featured ducats ranging in price from 160 pesos (about US$9) for general admission up to 1,490 pesos (US$84) for premium Zona Oro seats.  According to Murillo, "We won't bid on it if we can't get tickets that are more accessible than they are now...I think we should give some thought that it be an economically-grounded event."

While a total of 56,111 fanaticos attended the six games at Mexicali's 17,000-seat Estadio B-Air for an average of 9,352 per contest, that's a deceiving number.  The three games involving the host Mexican team drew 43,947 but the other three matches pulled in just 12,164, with the March 18 Germany-Czech Republic game attendance indicating that just 2,187 souls occupied the stands.

Thus far, the Jalisco Charros have announced a bid to bring the WBC to Guadalajara while both Hermosillo and Monterrey have also being mentioned as potential pool play sites although no bids have been submitted for either city.

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.

Mexicali, Gonzalez preparing for WBC Qualifiers

A four-team World Baseball Classic qualifying tournament will be held in Mexicali's El Nido ("The Nest") ballpark next month and the Mexican Pacific League's Mexicali Aguilas are preparing to host the four-day event.

Mexico's national team, conveniently managed by Aguilas skipper Edgar Gonzalez (pictured), will take on sides from Germany, Nicaragua and the Czech Republic from March 17 through 20 at the 19,500-seat facility.  The WBC qualifier will be a double-elimination tournament for the first time after a double round-robin format had been used in the past, with a March 20 winner-take-all final to determine the qualifier for next year's WBC.  Mexico has qualified for all three Classics since its 2006 inception, but was bumped into the qualifiers after finishng last in their pool at the 2013 event.  They will be the favorites at Mexicali going in.

Australia has already won a qualifier tournament at Sydney, knocking out New Zealand, South Africa and The Philippines last weekend.  Panama City will host a qualifier concurrent with Mexicali's festivities, with host Panama taking on Colombia, France and Spain while national teams from Israel, Brazil, Great Britain and Pakistan will gather in Brooklyn, New York for the fourth and final qualifier in September.  The four qualifying teams will join twelve others to form the 16-nation field for next year's WBC.

This will mark Gonzalez' first time managing the Mexican National Team after playing second base at the 2009 and 2013 Classics alongside brother Adrian, currently a Dodgers All-Star first baseman.  In his first winter managing in the LMP, Edgar led the Aguilas to a 38-29 regular season record before advancing through the playoffs to the championship series, where Mexicali lost in five games to eventual Caribbean Series titlist Mazatlan.