Team Mexico - MLB 2025

[jasg224]

Every year I do a solo game where I play out all the games for my team. I usually manage teams or players I like, such as the Toronto Blue Jays or the Los Angeles Angels with Trout and Ohtani. This year I've decided to do something a bit different.


I've relocated the Athletics to Ciudad de México. The team will be owned by billionaire Carlos Slim, but we'll have to see if an $85 billion net-worth makes any difference when we're limited to signing only Mexican or Mexican-American players. The team will play in Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú, a new (it was built in 2019) stadium with 20 thousand seats. I've released all players in the Athletics organization and moved all the Mexican players I could find to our club. Meet the Atléticos de México!



SP1 - L - Samy Nátera Jr. - 25, from Ciudad Juárez, Chih.
Nátera was drafted by the Angels in the 17th round of the 2022 draft. He'll be our Opening Day starter here after an amazing showing in 2024; Nátera allowed a single run in 15 innings pitching at the A+ level.



SP2 - L - Alemao Hernández - 25, from Guadalajara, Jal.
Formerly of the Dodgers and Nationals organization, Alemao pitched for the Diablos del México in 2024. Through 41 innings, he held a 5.05 ERA and 1.63 WHIP. He was also part of a champion Charros de Jalisco squad in the Liga Mexicana del Pacífico, where he had a 3.75 ERA in 11 starts.



SP3 - R - Adrián Martínez - 28, from Mexicali, B.C.
A familiar face, Martínez played his entire MLB career for the Athletics. He has a 5.51 ERA and 1.47 WHIP after 112.2 innings between 2022 and 2023. He was released after 22 innings and an 11.05 ERA in AAA in 2024.



SP4 - R - Taijuan Walker - 32, from Shreveport, USA
Walker was a member of team México during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He allowed no runs in a 4-inning start before being pulled. I suspect that the Phillies will be happy we took the $36M remaining of his contract, while we hope his 2025 is similar to how he's pitching in real life.



SP5 - R - Valente Bellozo - 25, from Mexicali, B.C.
Bellozo made his debut for the Marlins last year, and has so far started 15 games in his young MLB career. His 3.52 ERA and 1.34 WHIP so far shows he has some promise and we'll be hoping for a similar or better performance.



STP - R - Andrés Muñoz - 26, from Los Mochis, Sin.
Muñoz is clearly the most talented pitcher on the staff and we'll be looking for him to close out games and other high leverage situations. The Sinaloan flamethrower was an All-Star last year, and hasn't allowed a run in 12 innings in this one.



STP - L - JoJo Romero - 28, from Camarillo, USA
Romero was also a member of the 2023 WBC México squad, though he allowed 3 runs in the same amount of innings. He's had a 6-year MLB career, though has only thrown 140 innings. Still, he's the 2nd best reliever behind Muñoz.



STP - R - Manuel Rodríguez - 28, from Mérida, Yuc.
In 2021, Rodríguez became the first player from Yucatán to make an MLB debut. Since then, he's pitched 78 innings. Rodríguez is hoping to build on a succesful 2024 with Tampa Bay, when he had a 2.15 ERA in 40 appearances.



MR - L - Omar Cruz - 26, from Hermosillo, Son.
Cruz made his MLB debut a couple weeks ago after a 3.96 ERA season between AA and AAA in 2024. Across all levels, Cruz has a 3.67 ERA and 1.32 WHIP, hopefully he can translate his talent to the major leagues.



MR - L - Anthony Banda - 31, from Corpus Christi, USA
Banda is a 2024 World Series winner, having the best season of his career with the Dodgers. He'll be pitching for his 10th MLB team in México, and hopefully he can get another ring!



MR - R - Humberto Castellanos - 27, from Tepatitlán, Jal.
Castellanos participated in 4 MLB seasons, and is currently pitching in the Chinese Taipei league. Castellanos had a 5.23 ERA in his final season with Arizona in 2024.



MR - L - Brennan Bernardino - 33, from Valencia, USA
Between 2019-21, Bernardino pitched for Toros de Tijuana in the Mexican League. An outstanding 20-21 winter season with Charros de Jalisco, in which they were champions, earned the lefty a 2022 MLB debut with Seattle. Bernardino had a 3.09 ERA that winter, between the LMP and Caribbean Series. Since then, he's held a 3.49 ERA in the Majors.



MR - R - Jeremiah Estrada - 26, from Rancho Mirage, USA
Estrada made his MLB debut for the Cubs in 2022, amd pitched 16 innings in two years before the Padres claimed him. He had a nice 2024 season, with a 2.95 ERA in 61 innings. A nice streak could push him to replace Romero or Rodríguez as a stopper, though questions remain about his control.



C Alejandro Kirk - R/R - 26, from Tijuana, B.C.
A Silver Slugger in 2022, while his bat has gotten worst over the years, his defence has improved. Kirk is still the best Mexican catcher and he'll be starting for us. We've taken on his $62M, 5-year deal from Toronto.



C José Treviño - R/R - 32, from Corpus Christi, USA
A Golden Glove in 2022 and arguably a better catcher than Kirk, it was definitely a hard choice to leave Treviño on the bench for now. However, Kirk is a better hitter and is México-born, so that gave him the edge over Treviño for now.



1B Jonathan Aranda - L/R - 26, from Tijuana, B.C.
Aranda is tearing up the MLB with a .338/.443/.646 slash after 22 games in 2025, and we can only hope for a repeat performance in OOTP. He's not a bad defender at 1B, but we'll be using him as our daily DH for now.



1B Isaac Paredes - R/R - 26, from Hermosillo, Son.
I've taken the controversial decision to move Paredes from 3B to 1B, due to him having below-average defense there. His 72 career homers going into the 2025 season make him the 6th best Mexican hitter in this category. If he replicates his 2024 season then he'll jump into 4th place, overtaking Bobby Ávila and Erubiel Durazo. All of this at just 26 means we might be seeing the best Mexican hitter in MLB history. He's someone who likes to pull the ball, and hitting in the elevation of Mexico City could help his approach.



1B Rowdy Tellez - L/L - 29, from Elk Grove, USA
I'm not a fan of Rowdy, but he was a part of the 2023 WBC squad, delivering some big hits as México made the semifinals. His lower hitting and defense ratings keep him as our 3rd string 1B/DH.



2B Alejo López - S/R - 28, from Tijuana, B.C.
Formerly of the Cincinnati Reds, López is better as a versatile defender than as an everyday hitter. His switch hitting and speed are also helpful, so we'll use him mostly as a bench option.



2B Luis Urías - R/R - 27, from Magdalena, Son.
Urías had the talent to be one of the all-time Mexican greats, though clearly he didn't live up to the hype. He reached his peak in 2021 with Milwaukee, but he's still relatively young and a decent defender. Wicho will be our starting 2B.



3B Ramón Urías - R/R - 30, from Magdalena, Son.
Though it took Ramón longer to get to the majors than his younger brother, he's already reached him in most categories. He's also the only one with an award, earning the 2022 Golden Glove at 3B. This is also the reason I've decided to move Paredes to 1B, as Urías' combination of slightly above average hitting and defense make him our starting 3B.





SS Marcelo Mayer - L/R - 22, from Chula Vista, USA
Mayer is the 60th best prospect in the league (in-game), and he's looking ready for a debut with México. He's also the only Mexican player good enough to start at SS every day, so that's what he'll be doing for us.



LF Randy Arozarena - R/R - 30, from Mantua, CUB
His 2023 WBC will never be forgotten, and he'll be our captain here. His 2024 was a bit underwhelming after his 21-23 streak, but he's still good enough to be one of our lineup's motors.



LF Tirso Ornelas - L/R - 25, from Tijuana, B.C.
The better of the Ornelas brothers, Tirso raked in AAA through 2023, 2024 and 2025 before making his MLB debut just a couple days ago. Will this talent translate into MLB? We'll find out, though we're keeping him as an option off the bench for now.



CF Jarren Durán - L/R - 28, from Buena Park, USA
Durán has been one of the best hitters on the Red Sox these past two years, finally becoming an All-Star in 2024. He's a good all-round player and in the top 3 in our squad, making him our starting CF!



RF Alex Verdugo - L/L - 28, from Tucson, USA
Finally, we've got a player who reps México whenever he plays. Verdugo just earned a call up with Atlanta, but his place in RF with us is all but guaranteed.


MiLB Players to keep an eye on
RHP Jeter Martínez (#119 prospect) - AA
LF Alejandro Osuna (#149 prospect) - AAA
RHP Humberto Cruz - A+
1B Joey Meneses - AAA
2B Jared Serna - AAA
LF Luis González - AAA
LF Alek Thomas - AAA
RHP Christian Romero - AA
RHP Manuel Rodríguez - AA
C Brandon Valenzuela - AA
2B Rosman Verdugo - AA

[jasg224]

Game crash after 2 games, will re-write.

[jksander]

Ugh that sucks Interesting idea ...