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The Central American Baseball Association lowered its active roster size from 24 to 23 players. This matches MLB for the lowest roster size of any pro league, forcing teams to be more judicious with who they have active on any given day.



Monterrey continued its CABA record playoff streak, extending it to 11 seasons. The three-time reigning Mexican League champs again had the top record, winning the North Division at 101-61. Tijuana gave them chase at 98-64, which earned the Toros the wild card for the sixth time in seven years. Juarez (92-70) and Mexicali (90-72) also had nice seasons in the North, but couldn’t keep up with the perennial powers. Ecatepec won the South Division for the fifth time in six years, but they needed an extra game to do it. The Explosion tied with Leon at 95-67 atop the division, but Ecatepec claimed the tiebreaker game to advance again.

Tijuana’s Jacky Castillo repeated as Mexican League MVP and joined elite company as a four-time winner. The 31-year old third baseman led in home runs (61), RBI (144), total base (408), and WAR (11.4). Castillo added a .330/.388/.706 slash. It was the fifth time he led the ML in homers and the fourth time smacking 60+. Leon’s Hector Lopez repeated as well as Pitcher of the Year. The 31-year old lefty led in ERA (1.84), WHIP (0.86), and FIP- (62). Lopez added a 17-8 record over 220.1 innings with 260 strikeouts. Also notable was Tijuana’s Leonardo Perez winning a third consecutive Reliever of the Year. Sadly, he would suffer a torn flexor tendon in the postseason and miss the next 14 months. Perez would have some brief success later in MLB, but this effectively was the final time he was elite as a closer.

Tijuana overcame the one-game disadvantage and being on the road to take the wild card round 3-2 over Ecatepec. This was the Toros’ first Mexican League Championship Series appearance since falling to Monterrey in 1992. The Matadors meanwhile had been in the MLCS each year of the 1990s and had a 7-1 record. Monterrey would be denied a second four-peat though, as Tijuana shockingly upset them 4-1. This was the seventh Mexican League title for the Toros, but they hadn’t won it since all the way back in 1923; 75 years prior.



Salvador entered 1998 as the reigning Central American Baseball Association champ and winners of three of the last four Caribbean League titles. The Stallions again had the best record in the CL, taking the Continental Division at 101-61 for a fifth consecutive playoff berth. Honduras was close behind at 99-63, which earned the Horsemen the wild card. Honduras secured its seventh playoff berth of the 90s. In a competitive Island Division, Haiti narrowly repeated as champs. The Herons were 94-68, edging Bahamas by one game and Santo Domingo by three. Although just short of the playoffs, this was a new franchise record for the Buccaneers, who had largely stunk since joining CABA in the 1962 expansion.

Honduras slugger Stevie Montoya won Caribbean League MVP in what was only the second year as a starter for the 29-year old Mexican first baseman. He set a new CABA record with 148 runs scored, topping the previous mark of 144 by Kiko Velazquez in 1940. Montoya also had 164 RBI, tying the record set three years earlier by Pedro Enciso. His 469 total bases also broke Maikel Loya’s 463 record from 1995 and remained the top mark until 2024. Montoya also led in home runs (58), total bases (469), slugging (.746), OPS (1.148), wRC+ (196), and WAR (9.9). He had the second best batting average (.370) in all of CABA, but was denied the Triple Crown by Bahamas’ Tito Infante at .395. Infante posted the fifth highest average to that point by a CABA player.

Meanwhile, Salvador’s Rafael Perez earned a third straight Pitcher of the Year award. For the third consecutive year, the 30-year old Dominican righty won the ERA title (2.30) and was the WARlord (10.1). He also led in WHIP (0.97), quality starts (27), and FIP- (59) while adding 284 strikeouts in 274.1 innings with a 20-8 record.

Haiti rolled to a wild card round sweep of Honduras, giving the Herons repeat appearances in the Caribbean League Championship Series. They were denied again by Salvador, who took the CLCS in six games. The Stallions made it a Caribbean League three-peat and won their fourth pennant in five years. They were the fifth team to win three straight in CL history, joining Guatemala (1969-71), Santo Domingo (1960-62), Puerto Rico (1943-45), and Havana (1911-13).



Salvador carried on their dominance into the 88th CABA Championship, topping Tijuana 4-1. The Stallions repeated as overall champs and won their third ring in five years. The win also gave Salvador six titles overall (1915, 64, 65, 94, 97, 98). Pitcher of the Year Rafael Perez was also finals MVP, going 3-0 in 23.1 playoff innings with a 0.39 ERA and 32 strikeouts.



Other notes: Antonio Desir became the eighth pitcher to reach 250 wins and the 23rd to 3500 strikeouts. 2B Santiago Rosas won his seventh Gold Glove. MVP Jacky Castillo, 3B Adrian Tovar, and CF Leonardo Andrade both won their eighth Silver Sluggers.