April 1945 Report
It's been a month and the two teams everyone expected are tied at the top of the table. Jaguares are off to a great start, including a series win after visiting Tampico. Lefties Carlos Casillas (4 GS, 1.59 ERA, 0.97 WHIP) and Pablo Hinojosa (5 GS, 1.71 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) are carrying the rotation as Javier García and Carlos Macías underperform. Their offense has been the best in the league, with South Carolina 3B William Middleton picking up hitter of the month honors after a .342/.436/.570 month and great defensive showings. The rest of the lineup except for CF Andrés Tapia are performing above league average, powering the capital city club to 93 runs scored in 21 games.
What Tampico lacks in offense, they make up for with great pitching. Half of their 14 wins have been shutouts, and though their offense is above average too, their pitching has been the best in the league. A lineup powered by RF Raúl Martínez (.278/.337/.544), C Javier Baca (.339/.420/.356) and SS Heraclio Rincón (.321/.352/.381) backs up the best rotation in the league. Newcomer John Nestle was awarded the pitcher of the month award after getting a 1.07 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in 5 starts. Nestle is followed by Luis Cruz (4 GS, 1.23 ERA, 1.06 WHIP), Rich Faircloth (4 GS, 2.03 ERA, 1.03 WHIP), Roberto García (4 GS, 2.12 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) and Roy McAllister (4 GS, 2.73 ERA, 1.09 WHIP), so it's no wonder teams are struggling to score against them.
Puebla are performing similarly to Jaguares, but it is Filiberto Soto (4 GS, 1.24 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) and Israel Pastrana (5 GS, 1.45 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) picking things up for a lackluster rotation. Their lineup isn't as strong, but that isn't saying much as the 3rd highest scoring club still demands some respect. Players like LF David Arroyo (.309/.364/.519), 1B Sergio Ramírez (.365/.377/.473) and 3B Pedro Ayala (.264/.319/.506) are amongst the best in the league this month. The Snakes are an interesting team and could pose a serious threat to the championship favorites.
On the other side of the table, reigning champions San Luis are off to a very slow start. Their offense hasn't been terrible, but bad hitting at the worst time has them struggling to score runs while some terrible defense (they lead the league in errors) sees them allow more runs than their pitching should be allowing. League legends like Roberto Mestre (5 GS, 2.95 ERA, 1.24 WHIP), Faustino Campos (4 GS, 2.43 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) and Andrés Amaya (4 GS, 2.75 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) could turn this slump around if they get some help from a lineup plagued with underperforming stars.
Hitter of the Month
When Jaguares signed Middleton in 1943, he was thought of as a good player but not really a superstar, but this year he has totally exploded. He has yet to strike out in 94 plate appearances, he's walking 4% more than he did last year and his swing has taken a huge leap forward. Middleton's 6 doubles, 3 triples and 2 homers see him lead the league with 18 RBI and a 1.006 OPS as he's on pace to set personal bests in hits, doubles, triples, homers, RBI, AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS and even stolen bases. Pair this up with him being the best defensive third baseman so far and he's already a favorite for the Tlatoani award.
Pitcher of the Month
Nestle looked so good prior to being signed that Tampico offered the 28 year old a 7 year contract to play in Tamaulipas, and it is certainly paying off! Nestle has allowed just 5 runs after 5 starts (3 complete games) and just 6 walks! It helps when you have what might be the best defense in the league behind you, but his talent is definitely showing and it will be great to have him in the league for the best part of the next 10 years.
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May will be another interesting month as a hot race is starting to develop. Thanks for reading!