OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

jasg224 · 02-21-2024, 04:08 PM

The 1938 Season has come to an end, and before we see how the teams did, there's some exciting news I missed last month:

Rookie tosses league's first no-hitter!

May 14th, 1938 - Mexico City

It was a cloudy afternoon at Parque Huitzilopochtli, as the Águilas faced the Aulladores de Mérida. On the mound for the home team was Eulalio Garza, a 23 year-old who joined the team this offseason after playing for his university team in Nuevo León. The rookie was pitching to an ERA of 2.44, but was coming off a terrible game against León where he allowed 10 runs on 14 hits. That evening though, 4,780 people would witness history.

Facing one the best lineups in the league, Garza retired 13 Howlers in a row before losing the perfect game after 4 and a third, by hitting Guillermo Cigarroa. The Mérida left-fielder stole second with 2 outs and Quirino Ek hit it hard and deep to center but César Porras managed to get to the ball. One inning later, Garza allowed the second baserunner of the game after giving up a 7-pitch walk to Enrique Canul. A foul-bunt strikeout and a double play got Garza out of the sixth without giving up a hit. Antonio Monterrosa led off the 7th with Garza's second walk of the game, but he was caught stealing and the defense got two more outs. The last three outs were easy flyballs, with Garza hugging catcher José Canto after his 97th pitch ended up in Isaac Mendez' glove for the final out.

It was a great achievement for Garza and the Águilas, and he publicly thanked the other 7 players behind him and specially the one in front. With only 5 strikeouts, 8 ground outs (1 double play), 12 flyouts and 1 caught stealing, the defense had a lot do with Garza becoming the first pitcher to allow no hits over a complete game.*

*Extra-temporal side note: San Luis pitcher Juan Rocha allowed no hits, no walks and struck one batter out in a called game on June 10th, 1938. San Luis were winning 2-0 in the 6th when the game became unplayable due to the rain, making it an official game. Since he didn't even pitch long enough for it to be considered a Quality Start, much less a complete game, this will just be one of those "did you know" type factoids in the league's history.

Now, let's see who won the 1938 Ullamaliztli Title:

To nobody's surprise, the Tunas de San Luis managed to hold on to their lead, clinching the title on July 1st, after defeating Puebla 2-1 in a game where Carlos Renderos' line drive to left-center with players on first and third meant the title for San Luis. Puebla kept it as close as possible but never really threatened San Luis and they were 5 games apart going into that all-important San Luis vs Puebla series. Other than that, no other team really challenged for the title and the Tunas win their 2nd one in a row!

Here's the breakdown for every team (stats are for the entire season):

Tunas de San Luis - 1st (NC), Last year: 1st (48-36), 19-14 in the final stretch

There wasn't a more consistent team on all sides of the ball than San Luis this year, and it shows given their 6 win improvement relative to last year. They ended up being the 2nd best offense, despite none of their players hitting at a Tlatoani level. Their all around talent showed however, with only 3 of their players being below average (OPS+) and 1B Daniel Aguirre being the most involved out of the bunch (45 games, 7 starts, 68 at bats: .227/.235/.227). It was their pitching that shone the brightest, allowing 2.3 runs per game (1st in the league). Both Roberto Mestre and Francisco Camacho are top candidates for the Atlatl Award.

In a very surprising move, Ricardo Martínez has decided to move on from the club, following a half-million dollar offer from businessman Oscar Juárez. The Salamanca, Guanajuato native has made his money from the booming agriculture industry in his native state of Guanajuato. He's expected to keep the budgets where they are, while keeping a balanced, patient, hands-off approach to running the two-time Champions.

Best hitters:
OF Guillermo Aceves - .283/.305/.379, 9 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 27 RBI, 19 SB
LF Miguel Muñoz - .277/.318/.356, 13 2B, 3 HR, 31 RBI
RF Roberto Hernández - .259/.322/.349, 8 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 26 RBI, 4 SB

Rotation:
RHP Roberto Mestre - 13-4, 1.31 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 10.5 K%
LHP Francisco Camacho - 10-2, 1.53 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 12.9 K%
RHP César Plascencia - 10-8, 2.60 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 12 K%
LHP Roberto Bañuelos - 21 G, 8 GS, 5-4, 2.76 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 9.7 K%, 2 SV

Serpientes de Puebla - 2nd (NC), Last year: 4th (43-41), 17-16 in the final stretch
After last year's finish, Puebla will be happy to be back in 2nd place though perhaps disappointed as they race could have been closer. This team was the best offensive team in the league, as well as leaders in OBP, OPS, WAR, wOBA and HR. Their pitching was great, allowing the 2nd least runs in the league and was helped by a defense that made the least mistakes. There's a lot of talent in this squad, and with 1939 being the last year of the league as we know it, they might be all in for next year.

Best hitters:
2B Fernando del Toro - .318/.394/.447, 20 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 45 RBI
1B Mario Morales - .284/.376/.427, 10 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 29 RBI, 2 SB
LF Héctor Ramírez - .285/.338/.402, 15 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 33 RBI, 1 SB

Rotation:
RHP Victor Villarroel - 9-8, 1.85 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 17.6 K%
RHP Antonio Aguilar - 6-8, 2.80 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 7 K%
RHP Rafael Sianez - 10-8, 2.43 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 9.7 K%
LHP José García - 10-9, 2.77 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 9.4 K%

Obsidianas de Guadalajara - 3rd (NC), Last year: 2nd (46-38), 18-15 in the final stretch
Not a bad season for Guadalajara as they finish with the same record as last year. Their pitching and offense continues to be good, the only issue here is that there's better in the league. The talent is there, so it might be a question of finding consistency throughout the season before a Championship comes to Guadalajara.

Best hitters:
LF Oscar Valladolid - .395/.419/.452, 14 2B, 1 HR, 31 RBI, 118 H
1B Guillermo Villanueva - .305/.328/.397, 13 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 5 SB
CF Raúl Pérez - .244/.281/.320, 11 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 33 SB

Rotation:
RHP Jacinto Santos - 9-6, 2.13 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 13 K%
LHP Carlos Casillas - 10-9, 2.32 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 11.7 K%
RHP Faustino Campos - 10-8, 2.71 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 9.9 K%
RHP Roberto Olmos - 10-5, 1.87 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 10.5 K%

Jaguares de México - 4th (+1), Last year: 5th (43-41), 21-12 in the final stretch
It was only a handful of batters that carried Jaguares to a 4th place finish, as the team came in 3rd for batting WAR and 1st in Zone Rating, but 5th overall in runs scored and 4th in runs against. Their rotation was alright, with Andrés Amaya leading the league in innings pitched, but there are definitely areas for improvement ahead of next season.

Best hitters:
RF Salvador Velázquez - .298/.372/.371, 15 2B, 4 3B, 25 RBI, 10 SB
CF Armando Rodríguez - .297/.317/.407, 17 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 41 RBI, 7 SB
SS Omar Morales - .306/.342/.375, 8 2B, 6 3B, 20 RBI, 13 SB

Rotation:
LHP Andrés Amaya - 14-8, 2.14 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 8.9 K%
RHP David Garza - 8-11, 2.63 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 8.2 K%
RHP Ángel Urquidi - 10-6, 2.20 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 7.8 K%
LHP Mario Rodríguez - 3-6, 36 G, 2 GS, 10 SV, 1.83 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 11.3 K%

Flechas de León - 5th (-1), Last year: 3rd (45-39), 16-16 in the final stretch
This can be called a disappointing season for León, given the big moves made in the offseason. They led the league at a couple points early in the season, but fell hard at the end of april and never recovered. Their stars had bad years, with only new signing Francisco Escamilla and star catcher Victor Albornoz getting OPS's higher than last season. Perhaps this season was a fluke and we'll see León's true talent shine through next season.

Best hitters:
1B Francisco Escamilla - .307/.336/.406, 12 2B, 6 HR, 39 RBI, 2 SB
C Victor Albornoz - .282/.362/.369, 7 2B, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 3 SB
CF Juan Negrete - .276/.306/.383, 15 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 30 SB

Rotation:
LHP Alejandro Carranza - 6-5, 1.67 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 14.1 K%
LHP Jonathan Estrada - 7-7, 2.73 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 13.4 K%
RHP Juan González - 9-4, 3.14 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 10.2 K%
RHP Luis Cruz - 6-10, 3.47 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 9.9 K%

Águilas de México - 6th (NC), Last year: 8th (35-49), 14-18 in the final stretch
The team's manager Alejandro Elías retired after slightly improving on last year's record, his final record was 108-144 and this year's 6th place finish was his best ever. The club's directors while now be looking for a new man to run this bare-bones squad.

Best hitters:
LF Edwin Acosta - .280/.346/.366, 9 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 24 RBI, 3 SB
RF Luis García - .308/.340/.357, 12 2B, 2 3B, 23 RBI, 3 SB
CF Reynaldo Caratachea - .243/.279/.336, 12 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 7 SB

Rotation:
RHP Eulalio Garza - 6-8, 2.62 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 10.2 K%
RHP Ezequiel Anguiano - 8-10, 3.11 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 11.7 K%
LHP Leo Álvarez - 8-7, 2.87 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 10.4 K%
RHP Antonio Castañeda - 10-7, 3.06 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 11.2 K%

Aulladores de Mérida - 7th (NC), Last year: 6th (40-44), 14-18 in the final stretch
It's impressive how a team this talented can go from Champions, winning 55 games, to almost last place with 18 less wins in just two years. Considering this team was 3rd in runs scored, as well as top 2 in several other offensive categories, they really only have their pitching and defense to blame. This team came 6th in runs against and starters ERA, 7th in defensive efficiency, 5th in Zone Rating and errors, overall not their best year on the defensive side of the game. Perhaps it's time they sacrifice some offensive power for defensive stability?

Best hitters:
RF Edwin Esparza - .311/.353/.394, 12 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 30 RBI, 3 SB
LF Celestino de la Rosa - .287/.353/.372, 19 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 29 RBI, 10 SB
SS Antonio Monterrosa - .324/.349/.374, 13 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 24 RBI, 2 SB

Rotation:
RHP Jesús Pérez - 7-9, 2.82 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 9.9 K%
LHP Roberto García - 7-12, 2.18 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 9.1 K%
RHP Jonathan Tirado - 3-6, 4.47 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 8.4 K%
RHP Felipe Martínez - 3-4, 2.77 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 5 K%

Jaibas de Tampico - 8th (NC), Last year: 7th (36-48), 11-21 in the final stretch
It seems GM Sergio Mora has gotten tired of the way the club is going, considering the decision not to renew any of the coaching staff's contracts for next year. Perhaps Tampico isn't the most talented squad, but overall they seem to have more talent than what they've shown in the league's 3 years. Hopefully the new manager and his staff can drag the team out of the bottom 2.

Best hitters:
1B Julio Ortiz - .310/.350/.350, 12 2B, 30 RBI, 2 SB
RF Ulises Dueñas - .266/.317/.336, 8 2B, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 9 SB
CF Nicolás Zúñiga - .280/.315/.325, 13 2B, 1 3B, 11 RBI, 38 SB

Rotation:
RHP Francisco Barajas - 6-10, 2.62 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 10.7 K%
RHP Israel Pastrana - 7-9, 2.60 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 11 K%
RHP Zenón Sandoval - 4-14, 4-35 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 9.4 K%
LHP Miguel Zúñiga - 5-11, 3.94 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 7 K%
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe the race wasn't as exciting this year, but it still was a very interesting year of ball game. There seem to be some teams trending up, some down but it all might change next year when The Big Free Agency happens. As a reminder, 2 years ago players made barely over $100 per season while teams made profits of well over $100k, so they negotiated for $500 contracts and freedom to negotiate after the 1939 season. There's also some big personnel moves for the first time, so next year will be a very interesting one to watch!

I'll also take this space to highlight the best retiree of the season:

RHP Iván "Tatán" Moctezuma

Born in the small town of Tezontepec, Hidalgo (pop. just over 6k), Iván found a way onto the Serpientes de Puebla roster which at the time had collected the best talents the east of Mexico had to offer. At 36 years old, he was a part of the rotation which back then also appeared in relief. The following year, Moctezuma was moved to relief duties, but also started a handful of games. At 38 years old, he was traded to Jaguares for LF José Palmerín, but didn't pitch in a single game and retired. Moctezuma was convinced by former manager Francisco Herrera to stay in the game, and he now hopes to fill one of the two open management spots.

Some say he was robbed of the 1936 Atlatl Award, considering he was dominant on the mound and led the league in ERA and WHIP that year. The counter-point is that while Jesús Pérez had slightly worst numbers (1.76 ERA, 1.16 WHIP), he got those numbers pitching in almost double the innings that Moctezuma threw.

1936 - 35 G, 21 GS, 2 SV, 109 IP, 1.57 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 6.3 K%, 3.9 BB%, 2.39 FIP, 5.54 SIERA, 1.7 WAR
1937 - 31 G, 7 GS, 7 SV, 45 IP, 2.00 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 6.9 K%, 10.6 BB%, 3.09 FIP, 6.16 SIERA, 0 WAR
Career - 66 G, 28 GS, 9 SV, 154 IP, 1.69 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 6.5 K%, 6 BB%, 2.60 FIP, 5.73 SIERA, 1.7 WAR

In his short pro career, "Tatán" left a mark on the game, as it was the 1936 Atlatl Award debacle that led to the expansion of the rotation and bullpen the year after. Puebla fans will remember him as one of the best players of the league's first season and he'll hope to forge a new career as a manager now.

02-21-2024, 04:08 PM	#39
jasg224 All Star Reserve Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Guadalajara, México Posts: 579	The 1938 Season has come to an end, and before we see how the teams did, there's some exciting news I missed last month: Rookie tosses league's first no-hitter! May 14th, 1938 - Mexico City It was a cloudy afternoon at Parque Huitzilopochtli, as the Águilas faced the Aulladores de Mérida. On the mound for the home team was Eulalio Garza, a 23 year-old who joined the team this offseason after playing for his university team in Nuevo León. The rookie was pitching to an ERA of 2.44, but was coming off a terrible game against León where he allowed 10 runs on 14 hits. That evening though, 4,780 people would witness history. Facing one the best lineups in the league, Garza retired 13 Howlers in a row before losing the perfect game after 4 and a third, by hitting Guillermo Cigarroa. The Mérida left-fielder stole second with 2 outs and Quirino Ek hit it hard and deep to center but César Porras managed to get to the ball. One inning later, Garza allowed the second baserunner of the game after giving up a 7-pitch walk to Enrique Canul. A foul-bunt strikeout and a double play got Garza out of the sixth without giving up a hit. Antonio Monterrosa led off the 7th with Garza's second walk of the game, but he was caught stealing and the defense got two more outs. The last three outs were easy flyballs, with Garza hugging catcher José Canto after his 97th pitch ended up in Isaac Mendez' glove for the final out. It was a great achievement for Garza and the Águilas, and he publicly thanked the other 7 players behind him and specially the one in front. With only 5 strikeouts, 8 ground outs (1 double play), 12 flyouts and 1 caught stealing, the defense had a lot do with Garza becoming the first pitcher to allow no hits over a complete game.* Extra-temporal side note: San Luis pitcher Juan Rocha allowed no hits, no walks and struck one batter out in a called game on June 10th, 1938. San Luis were winning 2-0 in the 6th when the game became unplayable due to the rain, making it an official game. Since he didn't even pitch long enough for it to be considered a Quality Start, much less a complete game, this will just be one of those "did you know" type factoids in the league's history. Now, let's see who won the 1938 Ullamaliztli Title: To nobody's surprise, the Tunas de San Luis managed to hold on to their lead, clinching the title on July 1st, after defeating Puebla 2-1 in a game where Carlos Renderos' line drive to left-center with players on first and third meant the title for San Luis. Puebla kept it as close as possible but never really threatened San Luis and they were 5 games apart going into that all-important San Luis vs Puebla series. Other than that, no other team really challenged for the title and the Tunas win their 2nd one in a row! Here's the breakdown for every team (stats are for the entire season): Tunas de San Luis* - 1st (NC), Last year: 1st (48-36), 19-14 in the final stretch There wasn't a more consistent team on all sides of the ball than San Luis this year, and it shows given their 6 win improvement relative to last year. They ended up being the 2nd best offense, despite none of their players hitting at a Tlatoani level. Their all around talent showed however, with only 3 of their players being below average (OPS+) and 1B Daniel Aguirre being the most involved out of the bunch (45 games, 7 starts, 68 at bats: .227/.235/.227). It was their pitching that shone the brightest, allowing 2.3 runs per game (1st in the league). Both Roberto Mestre and Francisco Camacho are top candidates for the Atlatl Award. In a very surprising move, Ricardo Martínez has decided to move on from the club, following a half-million dollar offer from businessman Oscar Juárez. The Salamanca, Guanajuato native has made his money from the booming agriculture industry in his native state of Guanajuato. He's expected to keep the budgets where they are, while keeping a balanced, patient, hands-off approach to running the two-time Champions. Best hitters: OF Guillermo Aceves - .283/.305/.379, 9 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 27 RBI, 19 SB LF Miguel Muñoz - .277/.318/.356, 13 2B, 3 HR, 31 RBI RF Roberto Hernández - .259/.322/.349, 8 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 26 RBI, 4 SB Rotation: RHP Roberto Mestre - 13-4, 1.31 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 10.5 K% LHP Francisco Camacho - 10-2, 1.53 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 12.9 K% RHP César Plascencia - 10-8, 2.60 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 12 K% LHP Roberto Bañuelos - 21 G, 8 GS, 5-4, 2.76 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 9.7 K%, 2 SV Serpientes de Puebla - 2nd (NC), Last year: 4th (43-41), 17-16 in the final stretch After last year's finish, Puebla will be happy to be back in 2nd place though perhaps disappointed as they race could have been closer. This team was the best offensive team in the league, as well as leaders in OBP, OPS, WAR, wOBA and HR. Their pitching was great, allowing the 2nd least runs in the league and was helped by a defense that made the least mistakes. There's a lot of talent in this squad, and with 1939 being the last year of the league as we know it, they might be all in for next year. Best hitters: 2B Fernando del Toro - .318/.394/.447, 20 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 45 RBI 1B Mario Morales - .284/.376/.427, 10 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 29 RBI, 2 SB LF Héctor Ramírez - .285/.338/.402, 15 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 33 RBI, 1 SB Rotation: RHP Victor Villarroel - 9-8, 1.85 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 17.6 K% RHP Antonio Aguilar - 6-8, 2.80 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 7 K% RHP Rafael Sianez - 10-8, 2.43 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 9.7 K% LHP José García - 10-9, 2.77 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 9.4 K% Obsidianas de Guadalajara - 3rd (NC), Last year: 2nd (46-38), 18-15 in the final stretch Not a bad season for Guadalajara as they finish with the same record as last year. Their pitching and offense continues to be good, the only issue here is that there's better in the league. The talent is there, so it might be a question of finding consistency throughout the season before a Championship comes to Guadalajara. Best hitters: LF Oscar Valladolid - .395/.419/.452, 14 2B, 1 HR, 31 RBI, 118 H 1B Guillermo Villanueva - .305/.328/.397, 13 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 5 SB CF Raúl Pérez - .244/.281/.320, 11 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 33 SB Rotation: RHP Jacinto Santos - 9-6, 2.13 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 13 K% LHP Carlos Casillas - 10-9, 2.32 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 11.7 K% RHP Faustino Campos - 10-8, 2.71 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 9.9 K% RHP Roberto Olmos - 10-5, 1.87 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 10.5 K% Jaguares de México - 4th (+1), Last year: 5th (43-41), 21-12 in the final stretch It was only a handful of batters that carried Jaguares to a 4th place finish, as the team came in 3rd for batting WAR and 1st in Zone Rating, but 5th overall in runs scored and 4th in runs against. Their rotation was alright, with Andrés Amaya leading the league in innings pitched, but there are definitely areas for improvement ahead of next season. Best hitters: RF Salvador Velázquez - .298/.372/.371, 15 2B, 4 3B, 25 RBI, 10 SB CF Armando Rodríguez - .297/.317/.407, 17 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 41 RBI, 7 SB SS Omar Morales - .306/.342/.375, 8 2B, 6 3B, 20 RBI, 13 SB Rotation: LHP Andrés Amaya - 14-8, 2.14 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 8.9 K% RHP David Garza - 8-11, 2.63 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 8.2 K% RHP Ángel Urquidi - 10-6, 2.20 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 7.8 K% LHP Mario Rodríguez - 3-6, 36 G, 2 GS, 10 SV, 1.83 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 11.3 K% Flechas de León - 5th (-1), Last year: 3rd (45-39), 16-16 in the final stretch This can be called a disappointing season for León, given the big moves made in the offseason. They led the league at a couple points early in the season, but fell hard at the end of april and never recovered. Their stars had bad years, with only new signing Francisco Escamilla and star catcher Victor Albornoz getting OPS's higher than last season. Perhaps this season was a fluke and we'll see León's true talent shine through next season. Best hitters: 1B Francisco Escamilla - .307/.336/.406, 12 2B, 6 HR, 39 RBI, 2 SB C Victor Albornoz - .282/.362/.369, 7 2B, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 3 SB CF Juan Negrete - .276/.306/.383, 15 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 30 SB Rotation: LHP Alejandro Carranza - 6-5, 1.67 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 14.1 K% LHP Jonathan Estrada - 7-7, 2.73 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 13.4 K% RHP Juan González - 9-4, 3.14 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 10.2 K% RHP Luis Cruz - 6-10, 3.47 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 9.9 K% Águilas de México - 6th (NC), Last year: 8th (35-49), 14-18 in the final stretch The team's manager Alejandro Elías retired after slightly improving on last year's record, his final record was 108-144 and this year's 6th place finish was his best ever. The club's directors while now be looking for a new man to run this bare-bones squad. Best hitters: LF Edwin Acosta - .280/.346/.366, 9 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 24 RBI, 3 SB RF Luis García - .308/.340/.357, 12 2B, 2 3B, 23 RBI, 3 SB CF Reynaldo Caratachea - .243/.279/.336, 12 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 7 SB Rotation: RHP Eulalio Garza - 6-8, 2.62 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 10.2 K% RHP Ezequiel Anguiano - 8-10, 3.11 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 11.7 K% LHP Leo Álvarez - 8-7, 2.87 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 10.4 K% RHP Antonio Castañeda - 10-7, 3.06 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 11.2 K% Aulladores de Mérida - 7th (NC), Last year: 6th (40-44), 14-18 in the final stretch It's impressive how a team this talented can go from Champions, winning 55 games, to almost last place with 18 less wins in just two years. Considering this team was 3rd in runs scored, as well as top 2 in several other offensive categories, they really only have their pitching and defense to blame. This team came 6th in runs against and starters ERA, 7th in defensive efficiency, 5th in Zone Rating and errors, overall not their best year on the defensive side of the game. Perhaps it's time they sacrifice some offensive power for defensive stability? Best hitters: RF Edwin Esparza - .311/.353/.394, 12 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 30 RBI, 3 SB LF Celestino de la Rosa - .287/.353/.372, 19 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 29 RBI, 10 SB SS Antonio Monterrosa - .324/.349/.374, 13 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 24 RBI, 2 SB Rotation: RHP Jesús Pérez - 7-9, 2.82 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 9.9 K% LHP Roberto García - 7-12, 2.18 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 9.1 K% RHP Jonathan Tirado - 3-6, 4.47 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 8.4 K% RHP Felipe Martínez - 3-4, 2.77 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 5 K% Jaibas de Tampico - 8th (NC), Last year: 7th (36-48), 11-21 in the final stretch It seems GM Sergio Mora has gotten tired of the way the club is going, considering the decision not to renew any of the coaching staff's contracts for next year. Perhaps Tampico isn't the most talented squad, but overall they seem to have more talent than what they've shown in the league's 3 years. Hopefully the new manager and his staff can drag the team out of the bottom 2. Best hitters: 1B Julio Ortiz - .310/.350/.350, 12 2B, 30 RBI, 2 SB RF Ulises Dueñas - .266/.317/.336, 8 2B, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 9 SB CF Nicolás Zúñiga - .280/.315/.325, 13 2B, 1 3B, 11 RBI, 38 SB Rotation: RHP Francisco Barajas - 6-10, 2.62 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 10.7 K% RHP Israel Pastrana - 7-9, 2.60 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 11 K% RHP Zenón Sandoval - 4-14, 4-35 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 9.4 K% LHP Miguel Zúñiga - 5-11, 3.94 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 7 K% ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maybe the race wasn't as exciting this year, but it still was a very interesting year of ball game. There seem to be some teams trending up, some down but it all might change next year when The Big Free Agency happens. As a reminder, 2 years ago players made barely over $100 per season while teams made profits of well over $100k, so they negotiated for $500 contracts and freedom to negotiate after the 1939 season. There's also some big personnel moves for the first time, so next year will be a very interesting one to watch! I'll also take this space to highlight the best retiree of the season: RHP Iván "Tatán" Moctezuma Born in the small town of Tezontepec, Hidalgo (pop. just over 6k), Iván found a way onto the Serpientes de Puebla roster which at the time had collected the best talents the east of Mexico had to offer. At 36 years old, he was a part of the rotation which back then also appeared in relief. The following year, Moctezuma was moved to relief duties, but also started a handful of games. At 38 years old, he was traded to Jaguares for LF José Palmerín, but didn't pitch in a single game and retired. Moctezuma was convinced by former manager Francisco Herrera to stay in the game, and he now hopes to fill one of the two open management spots. Some say he was robbed of the 1936 Atlatl Award, considering he was dominant on the mound and led the league in ERA and WHIP that year. The counter-point is that while Jesús Pérez had slightly worst numbers (1.76 ERA, 1.16 WHIP), he got those numbers pitching in almost double the innings that Moctezuma threw. 1936 - 35 G, 21 GS, 2 SV, 109 IP, 1.57 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 6.3 K%, 3.9 BB%, 2.39 FIP, 5.54 SIERA, 1.7 WAR 1937 - 31 G, 7 GS, 7 SV, 45 IP, 2.00 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 6.9 K%, 10.6 BB%, 3.09 FIP, 6.16 SIERA, 0 WAR Career - 66 G, 28 GS, 9 SV, 154 IP, 1.69 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 6.5 K%, 6 BB%, 2.60 FIP, 5.73 SIERA, 1.7 WAR In his short pro career, "Tatán" left a mark on the game, as it was the 1936 Atlatl Award debacle that led to the expansion of the rotation and bullpen the year after. Puebla fans will remember him as one of the best players of the league's first season and he'll hope to forge a new career as a manager now. __________________ ¡Todos Somos Charros! 100 Years of Pro Baseball in México What if the mesoamerican ballgame turned into baseball? What if baseball began in England in the 1880s and became popular instead of football?