Pelotero: Mexican League Baseball News

by Bruce Baskin
Published on March 18, 2005 under Mexican League (ML)

After a shortened regular season and extended playoff schedule in 2004, the Mexican League opens another season of independent Class AAA baseball this month in the league's 51st year as a member of the National Association. Last year, the Campeche Piratas won the league pennant by defeating Saltillo, 4 games to 1, in the Championship Series. The Tijuana Toros led all minor league teams in average attendance in 2004 as an average of 12,764 fans went through the gates per opening. The Saltillo Saraperos were second among all teams, also topping the 12,000 per game mark as the Mexican League trailed only the Pacific Coast and International Leagues in fan turnout with more than 3.2 million people attending games in Mexico. All was not rosy down south, however, as San Luis, Cancun and even Campeche each drew fewer than 2,000 patrons per game.

Those fans witnessed a season in which most teams played fewer than 100 games each over two halves as the league decided to shorten the regular season to allow for an extended playoff schedule in which 12 of the 16 Mexican League teams saw postseason action. The relatively few fans in Cordoba got their money's worth as the Piratas made their way through four playoff series to take the pennant. It was the second time the championship flag has flown for the Piratas in their history, having won the title in 1983.

While the league gets the present season underway this month, let's take a look back at last year and see who got the job done and who came up short in 2004...

NORTHERN DIVISION

AGUASCALIENTES RIELEROS

The Railroaders got off to a rough start with a 21-30 mark in the first half, and the second half only went a little better as Aguauscalientes ended the year at 45-55. OF Rontrez Johnson had a good season for the Rieleros, batting .346 with 14 homers and 52 RBIs, while IF Eduardo Rios provided the power with 18 homers and 88 RBIs. On the mound, Francisco Rivera had a 10-2 record.

LAGUNA VAQUEROS

Things were similar for fans in Torreon as the Vaqueros only went 45-54 in 2004. OF Ramon Espinosa was sixth in the league batting race at .365, ageless IF Boi Rodriguez hit .355 with 17 dingers and IF Izzy Alcantara topped the league with 27 homers and added 81 ribbies. Pitching was another story, though, as Emiliano Giron was the best of a bad lot with a 7-5 record and 4.41 ERA.

MONCLOVA ACEREROS

Monclova was near the back of the Northern pack in both halves of 2004 as the Steelers ended the season with an overall record of 39-60. OF Wilfredo Romero led the club with a .325 average and fellow OF Rudy Pemberton hit .322 with a team-high 12 homers, but batting wasn't a strong point last season. The pitching was worse.

MONTERREY SULTANES

One of the proudest franchises in the Mexican League, the Sultanes turned in a solid 56-41 record last season. OF Demond Smith had a great year, leading the ML with a .405 batting average while belting 15 homers and swiping 30 bases along the way while OF Charles Smith went .327/17/77 in 2004. The mound staff was good, too, as Rigoberto Loya had a strong year by finishing 9-3 with a 2.80 ERA.

PUEBLA PERICOS

Puebla was home to two excellent teams last year as the Pericos tied Saltillo for the best record in the league at 63-34, winning the Northern Division's first half title along the way. Seven Parrots topped the .300 mark at the plate, led by IF Luis Martinez' .361 mark while IF Carlos Villalobos had a great year at .337/17/82. The pitchers were paced by Armando Valdez, who tied for the ML lead in wins with 12.

SALTILLO SARAPEROS

Like Puebla, Saltillo had a banner season with a second-half crown and a sizzling 63-34 record. C Noe Munoz finished second in the League with a superb .391 batting average, while OF Eduardo Jimenez turned in a .325 average, knocking out 23 homers and 95 ribbies in only 268 official at-bats. Reliever Hipolito Picardo was virtually unhittable, going 6-0 with 20 saves and a 1.91 ERA.

SAN LUIS TUNEROS

It was a different story in San Luis Potosi, as the Tuneros struggled to a Mexican League-worst 32-66 record in front of sparse crowds. Among the batters, only IF Patrick O'Sullivan made things interesting by hitting .308 with 23 homers and 62 RBIs. Pitching? Gilberto Gonzalez went 5-5 (with a 5.76 ERA), but that was pretty much it. There was a reason San Luis fans stayed home last year.

TIJUANA TOROS

While Tijuana embraced the Toros (now Potros) by leading the minors in average attendance, the team itself turned in a so-so 49-48 record after moving to Baja California from Nuevo Laredo in the offseason. OF Derrick White led the team with a .361 average and also led the Potros with 15 homers and 76 RBIs. Among pitchers, Juan Quintanilla was the best with a 6-2 season to go with a 3.46 ERA.

SOUTHERN DIVISION

CAMPECHE PIRATAS

After playing .500 ball in the first half, the Piratas stormed to the second half title in the South with a 30-17 mark before going 16-6 in the postseason to win the pennant. OF Willis Otanez was very good with a .387 average in limited play while OF Ruben Rivera went .313/10/60, and the pitching was solid as Danny Magee and Francisco Elviro combined for 15 wins for manager Francisco Estrada.

CANCUN LANGOSTEROS

It was a long year for Cancun baseball supporters as the Lobstermen finished dead last in the South both halves to finish with a dismal 40-60 record in front of an ML-low 1,650 fans per game. Import IF Lou Lucca batted .323 with 10 homers while OF Raul Sanchez led the team with 49 RBIs. The pitching was little better, although Uziel Carreon did finish at 5-2 despite a 4.46 ERA.

MEXICO CITY DIABLOS ROJOS

In many ways the flagship franchise of the Mexican League, the Red Devils had a solid season with a first half championship and an overall mark of 60-40 last year after winning two consecutive titles. IF Pedro Castellano led the hitters with a .328 average while IF Raul Saucedo stroked 20 homers and led the league with 97 RBIs. P Jose Silva tied for the league lead with 12 wins for manager Roberto Kelly.

MEXICO TIGRES

The Tigres tailed off after a strong first half showing but still ended the regular season at 54-45 in their third year in Puebla. The hitting was solid as seven regulars topped .300 (OF Manny Martinez hit .351) and IFs Guillermo Garcia and Jorge Robles combined for 47 homers and 132 RBIs. The pitching was average, though closer Santos Hernandez was solid with 26 saves and just five walks in 42 innings.

OAXACA GUERREROS

Oaxaca was a middle-of-the-pack team all the way through 2004, turning in a 25-22 second half showing to finish with an overall record of 50-48 for the regular season. IF Fausto Cruz led the Warriors with a .367 average and IF Pedro Santana was decent with a .309/10/54 season, but Oaxaca didn't light up a lot of scoreboards. P Carlos Elizalde had a strong year with a 10-3 record for 17 starts.

TABASCO OLMECAS

After a terrific first half in which Tabasco finished just two games off the pace for a division crown, the Warriors faded badly to end the regular season with an unimpressive 48-48 mark. The hitting was fairly weak as no regular batted .300. Aging IF Julian Yan did hit 11 homers, but only one other player topped three. Too bad, because the pitching was very good, led by Osvaldo Hernandez' 8 wins.

VERACRUZ ROJOS

Like Tabasco, the Reds suffered through a poor showing in the second half of 2004. Unlike the Olmecas, however, Veracruz was no great shakes in the first half either as they finished the year with a 44-54 overall record. Only IF Juan Melo showed any power at bat, hitting .307 with 14 homers and 60 RBIs. The best P was closer Sixto Baez, who saved 26 games with a microscopic 1.96 ERA.

YUCATAN LEONES

The Leones have long been one of Mexico's most popular home teams, but fans in Merida had little to cheer for last year as Yucatan struggled their way to a 43-57 season. Yucatan was not a good batting team, although vet OF Luis Arredondo was decent enough with a .305 BA and 29 steals. The pitching couldn't make up for the lack of offense, though Oscar Rivera did go 6-5 with a 3.30 ERA.

2004 Mexican League Playoff Results

FIRST ROUND

Saltillo defeated Laguna, 4 games to 0. Monterrey defeated Tijuana, 4 games to 2.*

Puebla defeated Aguascalientes, 4 games to 0. Mexico City defeated Yucatan, 4 games to 1.

Mexico defeated Oaxaca, 4 games to 1.* Campeche defeated Tabasco, 4 games to 1.

*-(Tijuana and Oaxaca advanced to second round as wild card teams)

SECOND ROUND

Saltillo defeated Monterrey, 4 games to 2. Puebla defeated Tijuana, 4 games to 1.

Mexico City defeated Oaxaca, 4 games to 2. Campeche defeated Mexico, 4 games to 1.

SEMIFINALS

Saltillo defeated Puebla, 4 games to 1. Campeche defeated Mexico City, 4 games to 3.

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Campeche defeated Saltillo, 4 games to 1.

Coming Up In The Next Edition Of PELOTERO:

We'll be adding a pair of features at the end of the column to better acquaint our readers with the league and the country. One will be a "Maestros of Mexico" feature in which some of the greatest players from the Mexican League's colorful past will be highlighted, so you'll have a chance to learn about such players as Hector Espino, Andres Ayon, Ronnie Camacho, and the late Nelson Barrera. We'll also take you on a "Mexican League Road Trip" in which each Mexican League city will be highlighted for things that have little or nothing to do with baseball. For instance, while many North American baseball fans are aware that Pueblas is home to two league teams, many don't know how the Battle of Puebla gave birth to the Cinco de Mayo celebrations throughout the continent annually. Stay tuned!

Mexican League Stories from March 18, 2005

• Pelotero: Mexican League Baseball News - OSC Original by Bruce Baskin

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.