TIGHT RACES IN OTHER THREE CARIBBEAN LOOPS

Magallenes, Escogido and Arecibo are all on top of the standings in the Venezuelan, Dominican and Puerto Rican Leagues, respectively, but it hasn’t been easy for any of them.

Magallenes has a 34-18 record to hold a one-game advantage over 33-19 Caracas in the Venezuelan League. Zulia is in third place at 27-25. Lara shortstop Alcedes Escobar leads the league with a .403 batting average, while Margarita pitcher Carlos Monasterios has the most wins with 7 victories in 9 decisions.

Escogido leads the Dominican League at 26-17, but 2008 Caribbean Series champion Licey and the Este Toros are right behind at 25-18. Ex-big leaguer Timo Perez (pictured) leads the LiDom with a .352 batting average for Licey. Perez hit .323 for Veracruz in the Mexican League in 2009. Another MLB vet, Cibaenas’ John Halama, is 4-1 and a league-best 2.45 ERA.

In Puerto Rico, 12-8 Arecibo barely leads 11-8 Carolina in the tables. Carolina catcher Orlando Mercado, Jr. is hitting .429 in 14 games to lead the league, but the best offensive performer has been Arecibo’s Michel Abreu, who tops the circuit with 7 homers and 24 RBIs along with a .343 average. Ponce’s Juan Padilla is 4-0 with a 2.63 ERA in 8 games (2 starts).

PELLOW, PEREZ SIGN WITH INDY TEAMS

A pair of big league veterans who played in the Mexican League this summer have signed contracts to finish 2009 with independent teams in Canada and the USA.
36-year-old Kit Pellow, who hit .290 with 12 homers and 51 RBIs for Saltillo and Monterrey, is heading to Calgary of the Golden Baseball League. Pellow played for Kansas City and Colorado in the majors. And in 2008 became the seventh player in Mexican League history to win the Triple Crown for Saltillo, hitting .385 with 34 homers and 107 RBIs.
The 34-year-old Perez is heading to the New Jersey Jackals of the Can-Am League after hitting .323 for Veracruz with eight homers and 37 RBIs in 77 games. Perez played for the 2000 National League champion New York Mets and the 2005 World Series champion Chicago White Sox. Perez was the Class AAA All-Star Game MVP in 2007 playing for Detroit’s International League affiliate Toledo.