The
1942 Ullamaliztli Namiqui season is ready to begin! But first, we have to check in with the experts to see what they think will happen this year. Here are the results of the Preparation Week:
Top Hitters:
RF David Arroyo (TAM) - 4-8, 1 HR, 3 RBI
C Miguel de León (JAG) - 8-15, 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI
LF Griff Billington (AGU) - 4-9, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI
Top Pitchers:
Jonathan Estrada (AGU) - 14.0 IP, 0.64 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 18.3 K%
Faustino Campos (PUE) - 5.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 4.8 K%
Vinny Arizpe (AGU) - 6.1 IP, 1.42 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 4.0 K%
Owners might negotiate to add another week in the negotiations with players this offseason. Now, onto the full predictions:
This season is apparently not going to be even close.
Flechas de León, under newly appointed Antonio Huerta, are set to win their first ever title. Their stacked lineup with stars such as Oziel Rojas, Andrés Suárez, Ángel Ziranda and others is ready to back up a rotation led by Esteban Ramírez and Luis Cruz. They're set for their best season ever, but mentality will make all the difference as they've seen the championship slip by them several times.
Reigning champions
Aulladores de Mérida are going to be the closest competitors to León. This team made the most signings to improve their active roster, adding Salvadoran Atlatl Juan González to lead their rotation. Their lineup is well balanced, with Edwin Esparza looking for his 500th hit with the club and legendary catcher José Trujillo hoping to reach 500 games with the Monkeys. The Yucatán club is looking more than able to win two titles in a row, but only San Luis has been able to complete that feat.
Obsidianas de Guadalajara is another club with plenty of talent, coming in second place last year. Their rotation led by Javier Fernández, Pablo Hinojosa and Manuel Jiménez continues to be one of the most talented in the league. Their lineup is also well-balanced with award winners in César Loaiza, Salvador Velázquez, Rogelio Herrán and Antonio Tapia. Despite the lack of superstars, this team has several veterans of the game and consistency on both sides of the ball will be key in their bid for the title.
The other most recent champions in
Jaguares de México have yet to build a championship caliber squad around José Serrano and Manuel Vargas, but them and Antonio Sánchez might just be talented enough to allow them to compete for the title. On the pitching side, Carlos Casillas leads a mediocre rotation. A handful of talented players might be enough to keep Jaguares in the race this year, but improvement will be much needed in the future.
The rest of teams show a real lack of talent this year, with
Tunas de San Luis the only club with potential to spoil everyone's day as Roberto Mestre goes for his 3rd Atlatl award in 7 years. In the lineup, Carlos Renderos, Victor Albornoz, Oscar Valladolid and Fernando del Toro are all dangerous bats. At the bottom of the table sits
Serpientes de Puebla, the only club that reduced their payroll this season. Young outfielder Alberto Campana and pitcher Faustino Campos might want out of the club before the midseason point.
We're ready to go! It looks like it's going to be a cut-and-dried season, but surprises always seem to spring up in this league. Next time up, we'll go over the first two months of the season. Thanks for reading!