Let's see how the teams are doing after
April 1937:
It's pretty tight all around, with Guadalajara leading the race early in the season. The Howlers are suffering from championship hangover and find themselves in 6th place. Let's break it down:
Obsidianas de Guadalajara
It's been a fantastic start for the Tapatíos, as they completed 3 sweeps this month. The team is 1st in both runs scored and runs allowed so they hope this run can continue for at least two more months.
Best batters:
2B César Loaiza - .398/.444/.548, 5 2B, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 2 SB, Hitter of the Month
SS Ricardo Solorio - .326/.388/.416, 1 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 SB
CF Raúl Pérez - .298/.348/.433, 5 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 11 SB
Rotation:
LHP Carlos Casillas - 7 GS, 1.75 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 10.5 K%, Pitcher of the Month
RHP Jacinto Santos - 6 GS, 1.86 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 11.4 K%
RHP Faustino Campos - 6 GS, 3.06 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 12.4 K%
RHP Roberto Olmos - 6 GS, 1.94 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 11.3 K%
Flechas de León
A great start has the Arrows as a close second to begin the season. This includes a series win against Guadalajara, though losing series against Puebla and San Luis keep them away from the top spot. If they continue or even improve this pace, it'll make for a very interesting title race.
Best batters:
C Victor Albornoz - .346/.407/.385, 3 2B, 6 RBI, 1 SB
1B Carlos Moya - .353/.389/.382, 1 2B, 3 RBI
3B Gustavo Ruiz - .267/.324/.396, 4 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 5 SB
Rotation:
RHP Antonio Aguilar - 7 GS, 3.02 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 9.2 K%
RHP Luis Cruz - 6 GS, 1.93 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 9.0 K%
LHP Alejandro Carranza - 6 GS, 2.66 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 11.9 K%
LHP Jonathan Estrada - 6 GS, 3.59 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 9.5 K%
Tunas de San Luis
San Luis have started off great by winning 5 series, including two sweeps. Losing both series against Tampico means San Luis is in third place. They are the 2nd best offensive team and own the best rotation so this team has the potential to make it a 3 team race for the title.
Best batters:
LF Miguel Muñoz - .359/.393/.487, 4 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 SB
2B Francisco Escamilla - .286/.342/.514, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI
C José López - .329/.382/.400, 2 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI
Rotation:
LHP Francisco Camacho - 7 GS, 1.49 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 11.7 K%
RHP Roberto Mestre - 6 GS, 2.16 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 8.0 K%
RHP César Plascencia - 6 GS, 1.80 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 15.7 K%
RHP Luis García - 6 GS, 1.67 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 7.3 K%
Jaibas de Tampico
To the surprise of a few, the Northeast club is 4th and close to the top. They still have a ways to go on both sides of the ball if they want to truly compete, but don't count them out as dark horses this season.
Best batters:
LF Ricardo Palacios - .356/.456/.471, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 7 SB
LF Abelardo Rivera - .382/.400/.471, 3 2B, 4 RBI
C Jonathan González - .289/.349/.395, 2 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI
Rotation:
RHP Francisco Barajas - 13 GS, 1.19 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 12.0 K%
RHP Israel Pastrana - 6 GS, 2.03 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 11.9 K%
RHP Eulogio Martínez - 10 G, 3.34 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 12.9 K%
RHP Zenón Sandoval - 6 GS, 4.84 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 10.2 K%
Jaguares de México
An uneffective offense has the Jaguars in midtable, though their pitching has been adequate. Their output must improve in order to improve on last season.
Best batters:
CF Armando Rodríguez - .323/.359/.458, 5 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 5 SB
2B Antonio Sánchez - .269/.321/.356, 2 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 6 SB
2B Mario Abeyta - .237/.318/.356, 1 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 SB
Rotation:
LHP Andrés Amaya - 7 GS, 2.98 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 9.4 K%
LHP Luis Helguera - 6 GS, 2.71 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 9.6 K%
RHP Nazario Román - 7 GS, 2.16 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 4.5 K%
LHP Iván Solano - 6 G, 2.23 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 7.5 K%
Aulladores de Mérida
The reigning champions went 8-4 to start the season, but then the wheels fell off. They're still a very capable team, perhaps victims of bad luck or bad timing (they've lost 9 games by 2 or less runs) so they'll be hoping for a May breakout.
Best batters:
LF Guillermo Cigarroa - .382/.400/.500, 6 2B, 1 3B, 7 RBI
SS Antonio Monterrosa - .382/.393/.409, 3 2B, 4 RBI, 5 SB
1B Santiago Salas - .287/.396/.362, 2 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB
Rotation:
RHP Jesús Pérez - 7 GS, 2.10 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 8.1 K%
LHP Roberto García - 6 GS, 3.94 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 7.3 K%
LHP José García - 6 GS, 3.75 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 8.9 K%
RHP Eulalio Sánchez - 6 GS, 2.30 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 7.7 K%
Serpientes de Puebla
It's been a rough start for the Snakes since they managed to win only 3 series this month. Their rotation has been the worst in the league and they've managed to score runs despite also being bottom in several offensive categories. Can they improve? Unlikely, but we'll see.
Best batters:
C Guillermo Mendez - .291/.356/.354, 2 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI
RF Antonio Tapia - .272/.310/.380, 4 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 1 SB
2B Fernando del Toro - .255/.330/.357, 1 2B, 3 HR, 11 RBI
Rotation:
RHP Rafael Sianez - 7 GS, 1.34 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 7.0 K%
LHP Miguel Cazares - 6 GS, 3.33 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 8.0 K%
RHP Martín Pérez - 1 GS, 2.49 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 11.9 K%
RHP Victor Villarroel - 6 GS, 6.35 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 8.1 K%
Águilas de México
Tied at the bottom, the Eagles have collected lots of hits but not enough runs while having an ineffective throwing staff. Perhaps if they capitalize on the hits they've been getting, they can climb up the table.
Best batters:
LF Edwin Acosta - .366/.430/.394, 2 2B, 8 RBI, 1 SB
3B Luis García - .312/.377/.354, 2 2B, 7 RBI
RF Victor Barrios - .318/.355/.375, 5 2B, 6 RBI, 1 SB
Rotation:
RHP Ezequiel Anguiano - 6 GS, 3.74 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 11.9 K%
RHP Antonio Castañeda - 7 GS, 2.84 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 9.4 K%
LHP Leo Álvarez - 6 GS, 3.12 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 15.3 K%
RHP Jonathan Tirado - 6 GS, 3.60 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 8.0 K%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another interesting season start and another close race is starting to shape up. Let's see how the league pans out in two month's time!