RODRIGUEZ NAMED LIGA PLAYOFF MVP - Baseball Guru



Baseball Mexico

Monthly Mexican Baseball Review

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JANUARY 2011

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe we’re in the year 2011. People who say time moves faster as you get older are absolutely right. Shoot, I’m still waiting for 1995 to begin. The things you miss when you look down for just a moment…

Anyway, I just wanted to give thanks to all our BBM subscribers for being interested in Mexican baseball. I’m lucky enough that I get to combine three of my favorite things (writing, baseball and Mexico) into the BBM blog and newsletter, so it’s a bonus that fans think enough of this to sign on. This seems as good a time as any for a quick report card of sorts on how BBM is doing, however subjective my criteria may be:

In December, the blog topped 3,000 pageviews for the first time after just missing that milestone in November. Not a huge number by any stretch, but the gains in readership have been steady since the good folks at Blogspot started tracking stats in July (total pageviews since then should top 14,000 sometime today). What’s remarkable is the number of different countries the blog is getting readers from: Not just the USA and Mexico, but there’ve been a lot of folks in Korea, Germany, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom logging on. There’ve even been readers from places like Slovenia, Denmark and Iran (!). It’s impossible to guess how much getting a couple of mentions in Baseball America has helped, but it surely hasn’t hurt. Hopefully, getting a byline with a review of the 2010 Mexican League season in this year’s BA Almanac will spur added interest.

Coverage of Mexican baseball on the Baseball de World website has been nothing short of terrific and Baseball Guru as always has been steady. The OurSports Central site has been good about covering the Mexican League since my Viva Beisbol days and a number of other sites have mentioned BBM. Websites in Mexico haven’t caught on to BBM the way they did VB in 2005 and 2006, but that’s okay…there’s not much demand for English-language coverage of their game there.

Now as far as WHAT you’ve been getting, I do think BBM has been for the most part a pretty interesting blog/newsletter. I’ve tried to steer towards stories focused on news of specific leagues, teams and players because it’s not hard to find standings and scores on other sites. Sometimes it’s a tough call regarding HOW to cover certain stories because I have to balance my desire to be a positive Anglo voice for Mexican baseball and your right to expect objective hard-news stories on things that don’t always provide positive views. I’m writing BBM as a fan, but I also see the need for honest journalism. I should say what a great source of information the Puro Beisbol website has been. Fernando Ballasteros does a super job there, and what I do would be a whole lot harder without him. Gracias, Fernando!

With the Mexican Pacific League playoffs getting underway tonight, the BBM blog will be heavy with game coverage all the way through the Caribbean Series next month in Puerto Rico. While spring and fall training camps and regular seasons allow more room for feature stories, the postseason is where champions are crowned and fans are most interested in who wins and who loses. Stay tuned to the blog for planned daily coverage of the Mex Pac playoffs…to many, the REAL season begins tonight!

Thanks again for your interest in Baseball Mexico. I hope I’ve made it easier for you to keep up.

-Bruce Baskin

Stories from December’s BBM Blog

CULIACAN WINS SECOND HALF TITLE, EARNS TOP PLAYOFF SEED

With an 8-1 win over Los Mochis Thursday night, the Culiacan Tomateros finished the second half of the Mexican Pacific League schedule with a 20-13 record to tie with Mochis and Hermosillo for first place in the standings. That brought the calculators out for the “runs average” tiebreaker, in which a team’s scoring differential in games they’ve played determine their standings placement. Culiacan had a 141.79 RA to take first place and 8 points, Hermosillo was awarded second place and 7 points with a 112.43 RA and Mochis earned third place and 6 points by finishing with a 107.78.

In the overall two-half scoring race, Culiacan picked up 14 points with an LMP-best 39-29 record to gain top seed for the playoffs and will play Mazatlan (8.5 points) in the first round. Guasave (12.5) and Mochis (9.5) will square off in an opening set while Hermosillo (12.0) and Obregon (12.0) play in the other best-of-7 series. The Naranjeros will have home field advantage in that one after beating the Yaquis 7 of 12 games between the two teams during the regular season.

Individually, Guasave’s Eduardo Arredondo won the batting title with a .401 average, while Hermosillo’s Luis Alfonso Garcia led with 21 homers and 60 RBIs. Mochis’ Alberto Castillo’s 9 wins led pitchers, Obregon’s Luis Mendoza had an LMP-best 2.11 ERA and Mexicali’s Andy Sisco had 85 strikeouts.

NARANJEROS ADD DESSENS, CASTILLA TO ROSTER

In a final push to prepare for their title defense, the defending Mexican Pacific League champion Hermosillo Naranjeros have added pitcher Elmer Dessens and third baseman Vinny Castilla while reactivating shortstop Jose Luis Sandoval and outfielder Chris Roberson from the disabled list.

The 39-year-old Dessens pitched six scoreless innings in three games for the Orangemen last winter and is 23-25 with a 3.41 ERA lifetime in the Mex Pac. The Hermosillo native is 52-64 in 14 major league seasons, including a 4-2 record with a 2.30 ERA in 53 appearances for the New York Mets in 2010.

Castilla, 43, retired from MLB in 2006 after 15 years in the majors, where he is the all-time leader among Mexican-born players with 320 homers and 1,105 RBIs along with a .276 batting average over 1,854 games. While working in the Colorado Rockies front office, he has remained active in winterball with the Naranjeros, for whom he batted .292 with 7 homers in 30 regular season games last season.

Roberson had been hitting .242 with 11 stolen bases in 55 games while the ageless Sandoval was at .236 in 46 contests for Hermosillo before going on the DL. First baseman Erubiel Durazo, who’s been batting .330 with 11 homers in 55 games, is listed as day-to-day with a groin injury.

FIRED HERMOSILLO SKIPPER ROJAS: “NO CLUB HAS CALLED”

Former Hermosillo Naranjeros manager Homar Rojas is trying to put the kibosh on rumors that he will be managing another Mexican Pacific League club, perhaps this season. “No club has called me,” Rojas tells Puro Beisbol’’s Fernando Ballasteros, “and I am tranquil simply putting together the Reynosa Broncos roster for next season in the Mexican League.”

Rojas led the Naranjeros to the Mex Pac pennant and a Caribbean Series berth last winter, but was fired by Hermosillo after finishing one game out of first place in the LMP’s first half this year with an 18-17 record. Some speculation has had him replacing current Mazatlan helmsman Lorenzo Bundy while other rumors place him in Guasave as a replacement for Algodoneros manager Matias Carrillo, but Rojas himself says that “while I have received calls, it’s from the players themselves who’ve heard the rumors.” He added that in concentrating on his summer gig in Reynosa, he feels almost certain the Broncos will bring in pitcher Brian Adams and infielders Yurendell de Caster, Jesse Gutierrez and Marshall McDougall as imports.

Prior to managing, Rojas was a catcher for 23 years in the minors, hitting 150 homers and topping the .300 mark nine times. The 46-year-old Rojas has managed two LMP championship teams since 2008.

TOMATEROS BRING IN CUBAN INFIELDER TO FILL FOR HONEYMOONING PENA

With third baseman Ramiro Pena off for his marriage and honeymoon, the Culiacan Tomateros have brought in Cuban infielder Yunesky Sanchez to fill Pena’s roster spot. Pena, a Yankees utility man who was part of New York’s 2009 World Series championship team, was batting .238 with one homer and 13 RBIs in 28 games for the Tomateros before taking a break to marry Anahi Sandoval.

In Sanchez, Culiacan picks up a 26-year-old ballplayer whose versatility allows him to play all four infield positions. A player in the Diamondbacks minor league system, Sanchez defected from Cuba in 2004 (where he played for Matanzas) and signed with Arizona in 2007. Since then, he has been a postseason All-Star Team pick in the Midwest League in 2007 and Southern League in 2008. Last summer, Sanchez played for Reno in the AAA Pacific Coast League, where he batted .286 with homers and 52 RBIs in 105 games for the Aces. He was playing winterball earlier this year in Colombia for the Medellin Potros before the league suspended operations this month due to ongoing weather problems.

VALENCIA BACK IN LINEUP FOR YAQUIS

It’s been a long year for second baseman Carlos Valencia, but after two surgeries on his knee and some rehab time in the Mexican Northwest League, the 31-year-old All-Star is back in action with his hometown Obregon Yaquis.

“It was very difficult and very frustrating,” Valencia said about the long road back to the playing field. “As a player you want to be on the field as soon as possible, but I also knew I had to be 100 percent to return and be useful to the team….The important thing is to be healthy and help the team in the playoffs.”

After hitting .311 with 14 homers and a Mexican Pacific League-best 63 RBIs last winter for the Yaquis, Valencia had a tough Mexican League season with the Mexico City Diablos Rojos as knee injuries limited him to 33 games and a .270 average with just five homers. He’d belted 121 homers in his previous seven Liga campaigns, including 32 longballs for Tijuana in 2005. and played for Mexico in the 2009 Baseball World Cup.

Valencia arrived home in Obregon after spending rehab time with the Diablos’ Tuxpan affiliate in the Liga Noroeste, where he hit .195 with no homers and five RBIs in 25 games.

SIX PLAYERS SUSPENDED AFTER BRAWL IN MEXICALI

A bench-clearing brawl between the Mexicali Aguilas and visiting Obregon Yaquis on December 16 resulted in a Yaquis baserunner being flattened, two ejections (including said flattened baserunner) and a total of six suspensions with fines from Mexican Pacific League president Omar Canizales.

With two out in the top of the sixth inning and Obregon leading, 6-1, Yaquis left fielder Jeff Salazar drew a walk and subsequently stole second. After a pickoff attempt by Mexicali pitcher Alejandro Martinez bounced off Salazar into left field, the former Arizona Diamondbacks player exchanged words and then fists with Aguilas second baseman second Oswaldo Morejon, precipitating the brawl. While squaring off with Morejon, Salazar was flattened by a blindside football-style hit from Martinez and lay motionless near second base while bedlam ensued around him. Amazingly, only Salazar and Morejon were ejected.

Canizales took action one day later, suspending Mexicali’s Morejon and Martinez four games each and Moe Munoz for a single game, while dishing out two-game suspensions to Obregon’s Emil Brown and Agustin Murillo plus a one-night sitdown for Salazar. “I feel sad and distressed by the events that occurred,” Canizales said. “We offer our apologies to fans present at the stadium and those following action on TV.”

DIABLOS’ BALLPARK ANNOUNCEMENT: “NO ANNOUNCEMENT”

One of the lures of Mexico for expatriates who settle there can be the slower pace of life. Things happen in their own time. An object lesson in that philosophy is being provided by the Mexican League’s Mexico City Diablos Rojos, who recently issued an announcement concerning their proposed new ballpark that said in essence: “We have nothing to say.”

The December 15 post on the Diablos website reads in part: “With rumors that have been emerging in the wake of statements related to the construction of a new baseball stadium in Mexico City as a possible home of our team, the Board of the Mexico Diablos Rojos makes it known that we have not finalized one agreement related to this issue.

“With the intention of finding the best option that allows the construction of a new baseball park, home of the Diablos and a legacy for Mexico City, we will continue searching and analyzing the alternatives presented to us. At the time we make a decision, we will make it known to the public, while maintaining our headquarters at Foro Sol,” a 26,000-seat stadium built primarily for concerts in 1993.

Plans for a new baseball stadium in Mexico City were announced by the Diablos in early June.

BLACKLEY SIGNS WITH KOREAN TEAM, DONE WITH HERMOSILLO

The Mexican Pacific League’s ERA leader is finished for the winter. Former major leaguer Travis Blackley, who was 5-1 with a 2.09 ERA for the Hermosillo Naranjeros, is home in his native Australia and through pitching for the defending champion after signing a 2011 contract with the Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization. The Tigers ordered him to stop pitching in Mexico despite a Naranjeros website claim that Blackley “did his utmost to get permission” to return to Hermosillo for the rest of the winter.

To replace Blackley on the roster, the Naranjeros picked up another ex-MLB lefty, Randy Keisler, off the Obregon Yaquis roster. Keisler, who went 4-4 in parts of three seasons with the Reds, Athletics and Cardinals between 2005 and 2007, was signed by Obregon in early December after a 3-3 summer with the Mexican League’s Laguna Vaqueros in 2010, but never pitched an inning for the Yaquis.

Elsewhere, Mazatlan’s Leo Rosales is out for the year with a shoulder injury after going 11-for-11 in save opportunities with a 2.95 ERA in 20 appearances. Rosales has been replaced on the roster by import third baseman Brian Barden. The Venados also picked up outfielder Edgar Quintero on loan from Los Mochis. Quintero hit .320 with 13 homers in 96 games for Monterrey in the Mexican League in 2010.

FROM WORST TO WORSE: MAYOS’ YOUNG HURT, LEAVES NAVOJOA

In what has already been a long season for the moribund Navojoa Mayos, the Mexican Pacific League team took yet another hit when perhaps their best player left the team for health reasons. Outfielder Matt Young, who was leading the Mayos in seven offensive categories, went home after hurting himself legging out a hit in a December 5 game against Mazatlan. Navojoa team president Victor Cuevas said in a telephone interview that in a subsequent MRI on Young, “we saw something bad,” adding that Young told him “he’s already had two consecutive years without rest, and he felt tired.”

At the time of his departure, the 28-year-old Young was second to Los Mochis’ Justin Christian in the LMP batting race with a .358 average. A 5’8” Texan, Young played last summer for the Braves’ AAA affiliate in Gwinnett, batting .300 with 88 runs and 39 stolen bases in 134 International League games. Gwinnett PR director Nick Margiasso downplayed Young’s injury, saying the outfielder was worn out with various bumps and bruises and that he’d be “A-OK” and ready for spring training in February.

The Mayos finished a distant last in the Mex Pac’s first half and their aggregate 17-36 record is worst in the league. Attendance has been no better. While 1,092,299 fans have attended LMP games so far this season, only 31,643 of them have clicked the turnstiles in Navojoa.

MONTERREY-CHIHUAHUA WINS ACADEMY ROOKIE LEAGUE CROWN

A combined team of prospects for the Monterrey Sultanes and Chihuahua Dorados have won the 2010 Academy Rookie League pennant with a 44-17 record, beating out Mexico City-Oaxaca by one game. Mexico City-Oaxaca finished their schedule at 43-18 as both teams finished above the .700 mark while the LAR’s other three teams had winning percentages of .400 or less.

Monterrey-Chihuahua topped Mexico City-Oaxaca, 5-3, on December 11 behind Jose Colorado’s three-run homer in the eighth inning to clinch the title at the Monterrey-area academy, where ten Mexican League teams house their young players for training. Five combined teams comprise the on-site league.

Jose Figueroa of Mexico City-Oaxaca led the LAR in four offensive categories: Batting (.363), hits (86), runs scored (60) and triples (8). Monterrey-Chihuahua’s Jaciel Ramos topped the circuit with 5 homers while teammate Jean Rubalcava, who was second with a .359 batting average, led with 48 RBIs.

Among pitchers, Ruben Farias of Monterrey-Chihuahua’s nine wins were best in the LAR, while moundmate Jose Garcia had a league-leading 0.87 ERA. Mexico City-Oaxaca’s Aldo Flores and David Reyes each had 89 strikeouts, while Mexico City-Oaxaca closer Ivan Cota was tops with 8 saves.

OAXACA NAMES VAZQUEZ MANAGER FOR 2011 CAMPAIGN

The Oaxaca Guerreros have appointed veteran manager Marco Antonio Vazquez as skipper for the Mexican League team in the 2011 season. He will replace BBM’s 2010 Manager of the Year, Eddy Diaz, who resigned his post in Oaxaca to become a full-time scout for the Tampa Bay Rays.

A native of Sonora, Vazquez pitched six years in the Liga for five teams in the early 1980’s, going 17-27 with a 4.27 ERA over 107 games. His first managerial job was with Union Laguna of Torreon and Gomez Palacios, turning in a 201-176 record in three seasons between 1989 and 1991 before being replaced in early 1992 by Dave Stockstill.

Vazquez has also spent two stints as manager of the Mexico City Diablos Rojos, who are owned by Alfredo Harp Helu, who also owns the Oaxaca team who just hired him (syndicate ownership is allowed in the LMB). His first go-round with the Red Devils included a Liga pennant in 1994 and berths in the title series in 1995 and 1996. More recently, he managed two years in Mexico City, going 122-91 over 2006 and 2007 and winning division titles both years before first round playoff exits.

Vazquez has also managed winterball teams in Culiacan.

MINATITLAN HIRES CUBAN LEGEND MESA AS MANAGER FOR 2011

The Minatitlan Petroleros of the Mexican League have brought in Cuban manager Victor Mesa to lead the Oilers in 2011. Mesa replaces Salon de la Fama member Jesus Sommers at the helm. Sommers became the Petroleros skipper on May 1, replacing Manuel Cazarin.

Mesa takes over a Minatitlan team that has had its problems on the field and at the box office. The Petroleros finished the 2010 season with a 44-60 record, well out of the playoff picture. Despite coming in 16 games under .500, those 44 wins are the most ever for the Oilers since the team came to Minatitlan in 2007. The Petroleros also entertained just 74,529 fans at Parque 18 de Marzo de 1939, outdrawing only Nuevo Laredo among the 16 Liga teams.

In Mesa, the Petroleros have a manager who was a player and manager in Cuba’s highly-successful amateur baseball league. He led the league in stolen bases 14 times during his 15-year playing career, and was a mainstay on the Cuban National Team between 1981 and 1995. After retiring, he led Santa Clara to a record eight consecutive 50+ win seasons before moving to Mexico. Mesa, known as “El Loco” for his temper and flamboyance, managed Veracruz to a 27-35 record in 2010 before being fired.

ROCKIES REPORTEDLY CONSIDERING OFFERS TO ACEVES, E-GON

Former major league star third baseman Vinny Castilla appears to be wielding some influence these days as an assistant general manager with the Colorado Rockies. On the heels of re-signing Monterrey native Jorge de la Rosa to a new contract potentially worth up to $43 million over four years, the Rockies are said to be interested in signing pitcher Alfredo Aceves and infielder Edgar Gonzalez, both free agent Mexican nationals.

Castilla, an original Rockies player in 1993, was born in Oaxaca in 1967 and enjoyed a solid playing career moved into the Rockies’ front office following his 2006 retirement as an MLB player, although he still plays winterball for Hermosillo and was expected to make his season debut this week.

Aceves fashioned a 15-1 record over three years with the Yankees, but was not tendered a contract offer by New York after undergoing collarbone surgery on December 1. Gonzalez went to Japan and hit .263 with 12 homers for Tokyo’s Yomiuri Giants after spending two years playing alongside his brother Adrian in San Diego. Oakland is also said to be looking at “E-Gon,” but Castilla’s presence in Colorado gives the Rockies the inside track.

HE’S BAAAACK: KARIM COLLECTS 3 HRs, 9 RBIs IN SINGLE GAME

Any question whether Karim Garcia would take any time getting into a groove for Hermosillo after spending spring and summer playing in Korea was answered with an emphatic “NO!” December 12 in a 12-8 Naranjeros win at Navojoa’s Estadio Manuel “Ciclon” Echevarria.

Garcia became the 30th player in Mexican Pacific League history to belt three homers in a single game (and the first since Obregon’s Said Gutierrez in 2008) while joining Armando Murillo, Andy Dyes, Eduardo Jimenez and Tony Zuniga as the only players to ever drive in nine runs in a nine-inning contest. Garcia is now batting .485 with six homers and 19 RBIs in ten games.

The win lifted Hermosillo to a 13-4 second-half record, three games ahead of 10-7 Los Mochis and four up on Culiacan and Mazatlan, who are tied for third at 9-7. Guasave and Obregon are both 8-9 and share fifth, Navojoa holds seventh at 6-11 and Mexicali is last at 5-12.

The Mex Pac passed the one million mark in attendance for the season last week. Hermosillo leads the turnstile derby with an average of 6,611 fans per game. Seven LMP teams are averaging over 5,000, but Navojoa is struggling badly at the gate with just 1,185 per game.

NUEVO LAREDO, CHIHUAHUA DROPPED FROM LIGA FOR 2011

The Mexican League will play the 2011 schedule with 14 teams after both the Nuevo Laredo Tecolotes and Chihuahua Dorados have suspended operations for a season. The announcement was made at the Baseball Winter Meetings in Florida.

In the case of the Tecos, it was a case of the Liga finally saying “enough” to a continued lack of response to the question of who was controlling the team finances in Nuevo Laredo, an enquiry first made in last winter’s offseason. A final order to supply that information was given to the Tecos at the LMB Assembly in Mazatlan earlier this fall, but after it was apparent that none was forthcoming, the Nuevo Laredo franchise was suspended for next year (although rights to the team still remain in the border city).

Chihuahua management then asked for a one-year hiatus while the team seeks a new home. The request was granted. The Dorados entered last winter surrounded by questions about the team’s future in Chihuahua, but enough local investors in Chihuahua were rounded up to keep the team in town for a season. This time, Dorados proprietor Jose Maiz (who also owns the Monterrey Sultanes) asked for a year off to move the team, likely to the city of Leon, where Estadio Domingo Santana is in need of upgrades.

CHICO RODRIGUEZ BECOMES THIRD MEXICALI MANAGER OF SEASON

Maybe Dave Machemer wasn’t the problem in Mexicali after all. The longtime manager in the San Francisco Giants minor league system was fired after he led the Aguilas to an 18-17 record in the first half to finish in a four-way tie for fourth place, one game out of a three-way logjam for first.

Enter Marco Antonio Guzman, a catcher for 19 Mexican League seasons (mostly with Campeche) in the 1980’s and 1990’s. The Tijuana native lasted all of 12 games with the Aguilas, turning in a 4-8 record before being relieved of his duties on December 6 and returned to his previous job as the team’s third base coach. Now it’s Francisco “Chico” Rodriguez’ turn to try living up to managerial expectations.

Rodriguez certainly has the pedigree. As a player, the brother of former major league star Aurelio Rodriguez parlayed a 20-year Mexican League career at shortstop into 2,186 lifetime hits, a lifetime .270 batting average and election to the Salon de la Fama in 2004. He also spent 20 seasons in the Mex Pac, hitting .235. As a manager, Rodriguez took over a moribund Chihuahua team and managed the Dorados to a 59-48 record and a playoff berth last summer after the team went 40-67 in the Liga’s Northern Zone for 2009. He also led Los Mochis to their last Mex Pac pennant in 2002-03.

IT’S A DEAL: PADS TRADE A-GON TO BOSOX FOR FOUR PLAYERS

Although the deal teetered on the brink of collapse at one time, the San Diego Padres finally swapped three-time All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to the Boston Red Sox on December 5 for four prospects to finalize a long-anticipated deal.

Sent packing to the Padres in return for A-Gon are three top Bosox prospects (pitcher Casey Kelly, first baseman Anthony Rizzo and outfielder Raymond Fuentes) and a fourth player to be named later. The Red Sox are said to be interested in signing Gonzalez to a long-term deal. He is slated to earn $6.25 million next season, a bargain for a player of his caliber. Sports Illustrated reported earlier that if the trade fell through, San Diego would keep Gonzalez for the 2011 season and likely lose him to free agency afterward.

Boston media reports say the Red Sox will be taking a wait-and-see approach in spring training to make sure Gonzalez’ right shoulder, which underwent surgery after the 2010 season, will be healthy enough to justify entering into long-term contract talks. The trade forced Gonzalez to miss the opening ceremonies for the Liga Olmeca youth baseball organization Saturday in Mexico City, although his brother Edgar (who plays for Japan’s Yomiuri Giants) was on hand to throw the first pitch.

EX-NL ROOKIE OF YEAR WILLIAMSON PITCHING FOR MEX PAC SLOT

Former National League Rookie of the Year Scott Williamson is hoping to spend the winter in Mexico. Williamson won ROY honors in 1999 after going 12-7 with 19 saves and a 2.41 ERA for the Cincinnati Reds. Now 34, the 6’0” righty spent nine seasons in the majors, fashioning a 28-28 record with 55 saves and a 3.36 ERA (with 510 strikeouts in 439 innings) before arm miseries derailed his career.

After his last MLB outing with Baltimore in 2007, Williamson struggled to get his groove back before spending much of 2010 out of the game while spending eight weeks at the Athletes Performance training facility before signing with the Somerset Patriots of the independent Atlantic League during the season and was dominant, going 11-for-11 in save opportunities with 21 strikeouts in 16 innings. Moreover, his fastball was clocked a number of times at 97 MPH and he appeared to regain his once-nasty slider. “I’m stronger than I’ve been in years,” Williamson stated after the season, and now he wants to spend time in the Mex Pac to show big league organizations in need of pitching that his strong showing last summer was no fluke.

Agent Tom Godfrey says several MLB teams have told him they want to see Williamson pitch in the Mexican Pacific League this winter. “They’ll like what they see,” the pitcher says. “I just need a chance.”

SORIA VISITS BASEBALL ACADEMY IN OAXACA

Kansas City Royals closer Joakim Soria continued his offseason visit to his homeland with a stop at the Alfredo Harp Helu Baseball Academy in San Bartolo Coyotepec, Oaxaca, where he toured facilities (built by and named after the owner of the Mexico City Diablos Rojos) and spoke with a number of prospects.

Soria, who was also given Mexico’s National Sports Award for 2010 last month following another address to prospects at the country’s other top baseball academy near Monterrey, once again told the young ballplayers in Oaxaca about the importance of hard work, quoting a priest who spoke in Mexico City’s Foro Sol dugout while Soria was pitching for the Diablos Rojos: “To be someone who triumphs in life you need three things: Heart, mind and the desire to do what you propose. If you apply these fundamentals in any activity, you will be ‘someone’ in life.”

The 26-year-old right-hander from Monclova surprised his audience when asked who has provided his greatest motivation. Rather than name another athlete, he chose an uncle who “despite suffering a disability at work for Altos Hornos de Mexico (a steel mining company), never gave up. He lost both arms, yet learned to write with his feet and today is a leading systems engineer.”

VENADOS SKIPPER BUNDY SET TO MANAGE ALBUQUERQUE IN 2011

Mazatlan Venados manager Lorenzo Bundy says he is planning to be the skipper for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ AAA affiliate in Albuquerque in 2011. “It is not something that is official,” Bundy told Puro Beisbol, “but I will advance it.” The Isotopes play in the Pacific Coast League.

The 51-year old Bundy was manager of the Dodgers’ Arizona Rookie League in 2010 after spending the 2009 season coaching with the Arizona Diamondbacks for then-manager Bob Melvin. Currently in his third winter managing in Mazatlan, Bundy says he has a good relationship with new Dodgers manager Don Mattingly: “Last year I did the tour with the Dodgers in China and Taiwan, and was in training camp, too.” His Arizona League team was 30-25 last summer to finish third in the four-team Central Division.

This will be Bundy’s second tour of duty managing Los Angeles’ top minor league team after running the Las Vegas 51s in 2007 and 2008. He’s been named the Mexican Pacific League’s Manager of the Year twice and has won LMP pennants with three different teams: Navojoa in 1999-00, Hermosillo in 2006-07 and Mazatlan in 2008-09.

ROCKIES RE-SIGN DE LA ROSA FOR UP TO $43 MILLION

Rather than test the trade market or free agent waters, the Colorado Rockies decided to bring back pitcher Jorge de la Rosa by signing the free agent to a contract worth up to $43 million over four years. De la Rosa will receive a guaranteed $9.5 million in 2011 and $10 million in 2012 plus a player option of $11 million for 2013 (with a $1 million buyout). If he exercises his option, the Rockies have a team option for another $11 million in 2014. The 29-year-old Monterrey native earned $5.6 million with the Rockies in 2010.

According to Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post, de la Rosa turned down better offers from the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals to remain in Colorado, where he is being projected as the Rockies’ number two starter behind Ubaldo Jimenez. The 6’1” lefty was 8-7 in 2010 after winning 26 games for Colorado the two previous seasons. His strikeout rate of 8.95 per nine innings since coming to Denver in 2008 is the all-time best among Rockies starters.

Had de la Rosa accepted another offer, the Rockies would have had to search for a proven starter to replace him in the rotation. Free agents Carl Pavano and Kevin Millwood were potential possibilities, as were trades involving Tampa Bay’s James Shields and Gavin Floyd of the Chicago White Sox.

E-GON VISITS LIGA OLMECA OPENER IN MEXICO CITY

Former San Diego Padres infielder Edgar Gonzalez was on hand December 4 in Mexico City for the annual opening ceremonies of the Liga Olmeca youth baseball organization. The Liga Olmeca is one of Mexico’s biggest and strongest organizations for budding ballplayers, and a number of current and former major leaguers have taken part in past openers, including Vinny Castilla, Jorge Cantu, Esteban Loaiza, Rodrigo Lopez and Alfredo Aceves (last year’s special guest).

Both Edgar and brother Adrian Gonzalez were invited by New York Yankees scout Carlos Fragoso, an Obregon native and current Mexico City resident active with the Liga Olmeca. Fragoso is a godfather to both as the result of a lifelong friendship with their father David, himself a former star amateur ballplayer and father of what ESPN senior writer Jorge Arangure, Jr. once called “the first family of Mexican baseball.”

Adrian was forced to miss the ceremonies in Mexico City because he had to report to Boston while a trade sending him from San Diego to the Red Sox was being finalized. Edgar, who played alongside Adrian with the Padres, played for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan in 2010 and hit .263 with 12 homers.

Opening ceremonies were streamed live on the Liga Olmeca website.

YAQUIS SHUFFLE DECK, BRING IN FOUR NEW PLAYERS

The Obregon Yaquis made a host of moves to improve their performance after a 1-6 start to the second half. Three import players were brought in, the most notable being pitcher Brian Lawrence.

Lawrence, a 34-year-old right-hander, won 37 games for the San Diego Padres between 2002 and 2004 before suffering through a 7-15 season in 2005. Lawrence has largely bounced around the minors ever since, although he did go 1-2 in six starts for the New York Mets in 2007. Last summer he was 11-8 with a 4.42 ERA for the Marlins’ AAA affiliate in New Orleans.

The Yaquis also signed pitchers Randy Keisler and Ryan Houston. Keisler pitched for five teams in six major league seasons to post a 4-4 record and 6.63 ERA. He was 3-3 for Laguna in the Mexican League last summer. Houston has played 12 years of minor league ball since 1999. He joined the Astros’ AAA team in Salt Lake City in 2010 after saving 18 games for Somerset of the independent Atlantic League.

Obregon then cut infielder Nelson Teilon to bring in shortstop Everth Cabrera, who hit .208 in 76 games for San Diego in 2010. Also sent to the LMP player pool were outfielder Leobardo Arauz and infielder Nicolas Garcia.

NORTH REGISTERS 7-0 WIN IN MEXICAN NW LEAGUE ALL-STAR GAME

Luis Navarrete cracked a homer and scored another run to lead the North to a 7-0 shutout over the South in the Mexican Northwest League’s All-Star Game on November 28 in Puerto Vallarta.

Navarrete, who plays for Acaponeta, drilled a three-run cuadrangular in the third inning off Compostela’s Benjamin Sandoval to break a scoreless tie. He scored another run in the fifth on an error. Tuxpan’s Ramon Soto belted a homer in the sixth to pad the North lead as Tuxpan’s Demetrio Gutierrez earned the win in relief with two strikeouts in one scoreless inning. Sandoval took the loss for the South after coughing up four runs on as many hits in two frames. Navarrete was named the game’s MVP.

The North squad was populated by players from Santiago, Tuxpan and Acaponeta while the South was represented by products from Compostela, Tepic and host Puerto Vallarta.

Before the game, several field contests were held among individual All-Stars. Santiago’s Enrique Trujillo made the best throw from center field to home plate, Arturo Rodriguez of Acaponeta beat out other catchers with the best toss from behind home plate to second base and Tuxpan infielder Edwin Wilson outdueled teammate Antonio Lamas in the Home Run Derby.

STANDINGS PAGE (as of 1/1/11)

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE (Second Half Final) W-L PCT GB HOME AWAY PTS

Culiacan TOMATEROS ………………………………... 20-13 .606 --- 9-6 11-7 8.0

Hermosillo NARANJEROS …………………………….. 20-13 .606 --- 12-6 8-7 7.0

Los Mochis CANEROS ………………………………… 20-13 .606 --- 13-5 7-8 6.0

Obregon YAQUIS ……………………………………….. 19-14 .576 1.0 9-6 10-8 5.0

Guasave ALGODONEROS ……………………………. 17-16 .513 3.0 11-4 6-12 4.5

Mazatlan VENADOS ……………………………………. 15-18 .455 5.0 10-8 5-10 4.0

Mexicali AGUILAS ……………………………………… 13-20 .394 7.0 5-13 8-7 3.5

Navojoa MAYOS ………………………………………… 8-25 .242 12.0 3-12 5-13 3.0

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE (Composite Final) W-L PCT GB HOME AWAY PTS

Culiacan TOMATEROS* ……………………………….. 39-29 .574 --- 20-14 19-15 14.0

Guasave ALGODONEROS* …………………………… 36-32 .529 3.0 23-11 13-21 12.5

Hermosillo NARTANEROS*…………………………….. 38-20 .559 1.0 21-13 17-17 12.0

Obregon YAQUIS* ………………………………………. 38-20 .559 1.0 19-15 19-15 12.0

Los Mochis CANEROS* ………………………………… 38-30 .559 1.0 23-11 15-19 9.5

Mazatlan VENADOS* …………………………………… 33-35 .485 6.0 17-17 16-18 8.5

Mexicali AGUILAS ………………………………………. 31-27 .456 8.0 14-20 17-17 7.5

Navojoa MAYOS ………………………………………… 19-49 .279 20.0 8-26 11-23 6.0

DOMINICAN LEAGUE(Final) W L PCT. GB

Este TOROS* ……………………………………………. 27 22 .551 ---

Escogido LEONES* ……………………………………... 27 22 .551 ---

Oriente ESTRELLAS* …………………………………... 27 22 .551 ---

Cibao GIGANTES* ……………………………………… 25 24 .510 2.0

Cibaenas AGUILAS ……………………………………... 24 25 .490 3.0

Licey TIGRES ……………………………………………. 17 32 .347 10.0

PUERTO RICO BASEBALL LEAGUE (Final) W L PCT. GB

Caguas CRIOLLOS* ……………………………………..31 16 .660 ---

Ponce LEONES* ………………………………………….29 19 .604 2.5

Carolina GIGANTES* …………………………………….27 21 .563 4.5

San Juan SENADORES* ………………………………..20 28 .417 11.5

Mayaguez INDIOS ……………………………………… 12 35 .255 19.0

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE (Final) W L PCT. GB

Caracas LEONES* ……………………………………… 35 28 .556 ---

Zulia AGUILAS* …………………………………………. 35 28 .556 ---

Anzoategui CARIBES* …………………………………...34 29 .540 1.0

Aragua TIGRES* ………………………………………….33 30 .524 2.0

Margarita BRAVOS* ……………………………………...31 30 .508 3.0

Lara CARDENALES* …………………………………… 28 35 .444 7.0

Magallenes NAVEGANTES ……………………………. 28 35 .444 7.0

La Guaira TIBURONES ………………………………… 26 35 .426 8.0

MEXICAN NW LEAGUE (Final Composite) GP W L PCT. GB PTS

Acaponeta CACHORROS* …………………………...... 62 34 28 .548 --- 14.0

Santiago TABAQUEROS* ……………………………… 62 33 29 .532 1.0 13.0

Tepic DIABLOS ROJOS* ………………………………. 62 34 28 .548 --- 12.0

Tuxpan COQUEROS* …………………………………... 62 30 32 .484 4.0 10.0

Compostela PUREROS ………………………………… 62 30 32 .484 4.0 9.0

Puerto Vallarta DELFINES …………………………….. 62 25 37 .403 9.0 8.0

*-QUALIFIED FOR PLAYOFFS

ACADEMY ROOKIE LEAGUE (Final) GP W L PCT. GB

Monterrey-Chihuahua …………………………………... 62 45 17 .726 ---

Mexico City-Oaxaca …………………………………….. 63 44 19 .698 1.0

Laguna-Nuevo Laredo ………………………………….. 61 24 37 .393 20.5

Saltillo-Monclova ………………………………………… 63 22 41 .349 23.5

Tabasco-Campeche ……………………………………. 63 21 42 .333 24.5

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE Final 2010-11 Statistical Leaders

BATTING AVERAGE WINS

Sandy Madera, MOC .362 Alberto Castillo, MOC 9

Justin Christian, MOC .356 Matt Buschmann, CUL 7

Geronimo Gil, HER .338 Francisco Campos, CUL 7

Erubiel Durazo, HER .329 Andres Meza, CUL 7

Ramon Orantes, MOC .323 Alfonso Sanchez, MAZ 7

HOME RUNS EARNED-RUN AVERAGE

Luis Alfonso Garcia, HER 21 Luis Mendoza, OBR 2.11

Ruben Rivera, MAZ 18 Marco Quevedo, OBR 2.63

Yurendell de Caster, GSV 14 Matt Buschmann, CUL 2.70

Sandy Madera, MOC 14 Alfonso Sanchez, MAZ 2.73

Ramon Orantes, MOC 14 Andres Meza, CUL 2.74

Agustin Murillo, OBR 14

RUNS BATTED IN STRIKEOUTS

Luis Alfonso Garcia, HER 60 Andy Sisco, MXC 85

Ruben Rivera, MAZ 53 Rolando Valdez, OBR 84

Adan Munoz, NAV 49 Dan Serafini, MOC 62

Sandy Madera, MOC 48 Matt Buschmann, CUL 61

Jose Rodriguez, GSV 47 Walter Silva, MAZ 58

Agustin Murillo, OBR 47

RUNS SCORED BASES ON BALLS

Justin Christian, MOC 60 Andy Sisco, MXC 45

Agustin Murillo, OBR 57 Alejandro Barraza, MOC 36

Jose Rodriguez, GSV 51 Francisco Felix, CUL 36

Erubiel Durazo, HER 49 Dan Serafini, MOC 36

Luis Alfonso Garcia, HER 48 Alberto Castillo, MOC 35

STOLEN BASES SAVES

Justin Christian, MOC 24 Jose Silva, CUL 15

Agustin Murillo, OBR 16 Jose Vargas, HER 13

Jeff Salazar, OBR 16 Luis Ayala, OBR 12

Tim Raines Jr., MAZ 12 Leo Rosales, MAZ 11

Eduardo Arredondo, GSV 11 Francisco Rodriguez, MOC 10

Nelson Teilon, NAV 11

ON-BASE PERCENTAGE INNINGS PITCHED

Tike Redman, NAV .452 Walter Silva, MAZ 91.0

Justin Christian, MOC .452 Dan Serafini, MOC 89.0

Erubiel Durazo, HER .434 Matt Buschmann, CUL 83.1

Barbaro Canizares, OBR .421 Pablo Ortega, MAZ 81.1

Sandy Madera, MOC .418 Alfonso Sanchez, MAZ 79.0

SLUGGING PERCENTAGE WHIP (WALKS+HITS PER INNING)

Luis Alfonso Garcia, HER .602 Matt Buschmann, CUL 1.01

Sandy Madera, MOC .597 Francisco Campos, CUL 1.08

Ramon Orantes, MOC .595 Luis Mendoza, OBR 1.08

Justin Christian, MOC .561 Andres Sanchez, CUL 1.12

Ruben Rivera, MAZ .554 Alfonso Sanchez, MAZ 1.16

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE Final 2010-11 Team Leaders

CULIACAN TOMATEROS

BATTING LEADERS: AVG-Amaury Cazana .268, R-Amaury Cazana 39, HR-Luis Alfonso Cruz 12, RBI-Amaury Cazana 42, SB-Maxwell Leon 11, OBP-Amaury Cazana .322, SLG-Amaury Cazana .442

PITCHING LEADERS: W-Matt Buschmann/Francisco Campos/Andres Meza 7, L-Francisco Felix 6, SV-Jose Silva 15, ERA-Matt Buschmann 2.70, SO-Matt Buschmann 61, WHIP-Matt Buschmann 1.01

GUASAVE ALGODONEROS

BATTING LEADERS: AVG-Yurendell de Caster .319, R-Jose Rodriguez 51, HR-Yurendell de Caster 14, RBI-Jose Rodriguez 47, SB-Eduardo Arredondo 11, OBP-Yurendell de Caster .360, SLG-Yurendell de Caster .546

PITCHING LEADERS: W-Francisco Cordoba 6, L-Daniel Guerrero 5, SV-Alan Guerrero 3, ERA-Francisco Cordoba 4.93, SO-Francisco Cordoba 56, WHIP-Francisco Cordoba 1.51

HERMOSILLO NARANJEROS

BATTING LEADERS: AVG-Geronimo Gil .338, R-Erubiel Durazo 49, HR-Luis Alfonso Garcia 21, RBI-Luis Alfonso Garcia 60, SB-Chris Roberson 11, OPB-Erubiel Durazo .434, SLG-Luis Alfonso Garcia .602

PITCHING LEADERS: W-Marco Tovar 6, L-Josh Butler/Edgar Gonzalez 4, SV-Jose Vargas 13, ERA-Travis Blackley 2.09 (60.1 IP), SO-Travis Blackley-52, WHIP-Travis Blackley 1.11 (60.1 IP)

MAZATLAN VENADOS

BATTING LEADERS: AVG-Heber Gomez .318, R-Ruben Rivera 40, HR-Ruben Rivera 18, RBI-Ruben Rivera 53, SB-Tim Raines Jr. 12, OBP-Ruben Rivera .389, SLG-Ruben Rivera .554

PITCHING LEADERS: W-Alfonso Sanchez 7, L-Pablo Ortega/Walter Silva 7, SV-Leo Rosales 11, ERA-Alfonso Sanchez 2.73, SO-Walter Silva 58, WHIP-Alfonso Sanchez 1.16

MEXICALI AGUILAS

BATTING LEADERS: AVG-Oscar Robles .303, R-Oscar Robles 40, HR-Jorge Guzman 12, RBI-Oscar Robles 42, SB-Reggie Abercrombie 6, OBP-Oscar Robles .403, SLG-Oscar Robles .469

PITCHING LEADERS: W-Andy Sisco 6, L-Victor Alvarez 6, SV-Oscar Villareal 5, ERA-Andy Sisco 4.04, SO-Andy Sisco 85, WHIP-Andy Sisco 1.40

LOS MOCHIS CANEROS

BATTING LEADERS: AVG-Sandy Madera .362, R-Justin Christian 60, HR-Sandy Madera/Ramon Orantes 14, RBI-Sandy Madera 48, SB-Justin Christian 24, OBP-Justin Christian .452, SLG-Sandy Madera .597

PITCHING LEADERS: W-Alberto Castillo 6, L-Three pitchers 3, SV-Francisco Rodriguez/Francisco Villegas 3, ERA-Dan Serafini 3.98, SO-Alberto Castillo, WHIP-Dan Serafini/Alberto Castillo 1.28

NAVOJOA MAYOS

BATTING LEADERS: AVG-Rolando Acosta .315, R-Matt Young 36, HR-Rolando Acosta/Adan Munoz 11, RBI-Adan Munoz 49, SB-Matt Young 7, OBP-Rolando Acosta .378, SLG-Rolando Acosta .512

PITCHING LEADERS: W-Leonardo Gonzalez 4, L-Rodolfo Gonzalez 8, SV-Miguel Saladin 4, ERA-Rodolfo Gonzalez 6.08 (50.1 IP), SO-Carlos Elizalde 47, WHIP-Leonardo Gonzalez 1.71 (51.0 IP)

OBREGON YAQUIS

BATTING LEADERS: AVG-Barbaro Canizares .320, R-Agustin Murillo 57, HR-Agustin Murillo 14, RBI-Agustin Murillo 47, SB-Jeff Salazar/Agustin Murillo 16, OBP-Barbaro Canizares .421, SLG-Barbaro Canizares .533

PITCHING LEADERS: W-Luis Mendoza/Marco Quevedo/Rolando Valdez 6, L-Rolando Valdez/Marco Carrillo 4, SV-Luis Ayala 12, ERA-Luis Mendoza 2.11, SO-Rolando Valdez 84, WHIP-Marco Quevedo 1.08

NOTE: Hitters need 3.1 plate appearances per game played by team to qualify for AVG/OBP/SLG leaders

Pitchers need 1 inning pitched per game played by team to qualify for ERA/WHIP leaders

Ballparks of Mexico

[pic]

Estadio General Angel Flores, CULIACAN

Home of the Mexican Pacific League’s Culiacan Tomateros

Opened: 1948 Fences: LF-290, CF-385, RF-305 Capacity: 16,000

SUGGESTED BASEBALL WEBSITES

Baseball America Website for the modern “bible” of American baseball.

Baseball Cube Very good site for major and minor league stats, including some LMB numbers.

Baseball de World If baseball is being played anywhere in the world, they cover it, including BBM stories.

Baseball Guru Interesting site with info from MLB to Negro Leagues to AAGPBL plus stories from BBM.

Baseball- Perhaps the best site for major league stats available.

ESTO Terrific Mexican sports site with columns by legendary writer Tomas “Tommy al Bat” Morales.

Major League Baseball Official site for the big leagues, with links to several MLB-run subpages.

MLB Caribbean Leagues Great source of info on all four Caribbean Series leagues during winter.

Mexican League Official site for Mexican League administered by MiLB. In Spanish.

Mexican Northern League Mexico’s “Class A” summer league in Sonora and Baja California. In Spanish.

Mexican Pacific League Official site for Mex Pac, very well-maintained. In Spanish.

Minor League Baseball Official site for the affiliated minors, including the Mexican League.

OurSports Central Ultimate site for American minor league sports. Features BBM during LMB season.

Puro Beisbol Outstanding source for Mexican baseball news. Vital for BBM stories. In Spanish.

Salon de la Fama Website for Mexican baseball’s Hall of Fame. In Spanish.

Veracruz Winter League Site for Mexico’s eastern winter league featuring several LMB vets. In Spanish.

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