Finally, let's talk about the expansion teams!
Let's do it alphabetically, so first goes the
Tuzos de Aguascalientes:
I tried out the AI's capability for this for the first time and it delivered quite nicely. I think it captured my idea of a miner gopher perfectly.
National Railways of Mexico have designated Ricardo Díaz as the bridge between the company and the club. He's been given a conservative budget to begin with, but it could easily turn into bigger bucks if the team does well. Díaz, together with sporting director Gerardo Lara and manager Cristóbal Segui will hope to compete for the title as soon as 1942.
They've brought along several players from the amateur leagues, hailing from Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, Querétaro and Guanajuato. None of them are expected to be good, but of course the offseason is underway and the team is surely going to reinforce. They did, however, bring two players who could be their backbone in their inaugural season.
RHP Primitivo Espinosa - 39 year old from El Marqués, Querétaro
At his age, Espinosa continues to work on his craft. Even though he can't throw hard anymore, he's very smart and knows how to locate all 6 of his pitches. He should adapt easily and be a steady arm in the Gophers' rotation.
CF Armando Vela - 38 year old from Zacatecas, Zacatecas
In line with the railroad theme, he's been known to have "an engine that never quits". And what an engine it is. His bat is merely average, but he has the speed to turn outs into hits and singles into doubles frequently. This speed will also help him in the outfield, were paired with his very safe hands (or glove in this case), he might be one of the best there is at his position.
These two will prove to be players to build around before the Tuzos' inaugural season.
Now let's talk about the
Cardenales de Monterrey:
Another beautiful logo with the bird head in front of Monterrey's famous Cerro de la Silla.
The team owned by steel magnate Evaristo Treviño also hopes to compete by 1942. Treviño is willing to pour money into a winning team, but of course will be wary of his investment not being wasted which is why some have called him "demanding". Salvador Martínez and Juan Ramírez will run the game side of the club.
With a core of Nuevo León players, alongside others from Coahuila and Tampico, the club might need only a few new players before they compete. As is Aguascalientes' case, their best players are towards the veteran side of the spectrum although these players are even better.
2B Raúl Alvarado - 34 year old from Acuña, Coahuila
Alvarado is a very versatile fielder who can play both infield and outfield. As he's aged, he puts less balls in play. However, he is an extremely disciplined and strong hitter. He poses a threat to hit it out of the park when he gets a pitch he likes. If he manages to adapt, he should compete for hitting awards.
1B Leocadio Garza - 37 year old from Galeana, Nuevo León
"Primo" Garza is another very disciplined hitter with real power behind his swing. If he performs as expected, he's already the best first baseman in the league.
Overall, the talent on the Monterrey roster is better than the one in Aguascalientes' roster and they could be contenders as soon as this season.
Next time up, we'll go over the offseason moves. Thanks for reading!