May 1947 - Ullamaliztli Namiqui Report
Standings
Tuzos de Aguascalientes (32-17; 16-10 in May; +2 pos.)
The Gophers went on an absolute tear this month. They lost the first series of the month in Monterrey, but recovered by sweeping León and getting a series win against Águilas. Another series loss against Mérida was followed up by sweeps of Tampico and San Luis. They ended the month on a cold note, losing series with Puebla and Guadalajara. Their pitching and defense is carrying them into first place, as they're the team that has allowed the least runs. At the same time, they're 3rd in runs scored.
Rotation:
Raúl Romero - 6-2, 85.1 IP, 2.43 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 27 BB, 39 K
Daniel Rivera - 6-3, 87 IP, 1.55 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 20 BB, 41 K
Luis Flores - 3-3, 65.1 IP, 1.65 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 13 BB, 30 K
Vinicio Arizpe - 4-2, 61 IP, 1.77 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 16 BB, 20 K
Jacinto Santos - 3-3, 68.1 IP, 3.82 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 17 BB, 30 K
Closer - Luis Chavez - 40.1 IP, 6 SV, 1.79 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 11 BB, 18 K
Top hitters:
2B José García - .289/.336/.368, 10 2B, 3 3B, 18 RBI, 8 SB
SS Roberto Jiménez - .259/.326/.410, 10 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 25 RBI, 2 SB
CF Ricardo Santos - .222/.302/.322, 10 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 6 SB
3B Nestor Rentería - .302/.353/.362, 10 2B, 1 3B, 25 RBI
RF Jordán García - .242/.291/.404, 11 2B, 6 3B, 3 HR, 27 RBI
Jaguares de México (31-17; 14-11 in May; No movement)
The Jaguars remain hot, sweeping Mérida and San Luis to start the month. They hit a cold streak towards the end, losing series with Guadalajara and León and being swept against Monterrey. They end the month on a series win against rival Águilas de México. On all accounts the best offense in the league, their bullpen and defense help what can be considered a mid-tier rotation. Bad news struck them to end the month, when 1B Gabriel Barrón ruptured a knee ligament. In other better news, they secured William Middleton at least until 1949.
Rotation:
Antonio Juárez - 4-4, 76.2 IP, 2.82 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 17 BB, 37 K
Pablo Hinojosa - 5-2, 69.2 IP, 3.49 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 15 BB, 31 K
Carlos Casillas - 6-4, 72.2 IP, 3.22 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 22 BB, 48 K
Ramón Ortiz - 4-1, 62.1 IP, 2.74 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 23 BB, 31 K
Javier Fernández - 4-2, 64 IP, 3.66 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 22 BB, 22 K
Reliever - Ricky Repollet - 24 G, 11 SV, 45.1 IP, 1.39 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 14 BB, 12 K
Top hitters:
3B William Middleton - .376/.438/.572, 11 2B, 6 3B, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 4 SB
2B Francisco Rojas - .284/.360/.431, 10 2B, 7 3B, 2 HR, 18 RBI, 3 SB
SS José Serrano - .259/.322/.323, 8 2B, 1 3B, 30 RBI
LF Antonio Cervantes - .291/.345/.406, 11 2B, 3 HR, 23 RBI
RF Salvador Velázquez - .293/.389/.426, 12 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 34 RBI, 3 SB
Tunas de San Luis (25-20; 8-14 in May; -2 pos.)
Besides getting rained out a lot (July will see them play a total of 4 doubleheaders to make up), San Luis slumped hard. They were swept by Jaguares and Aguascalientes and also lost series against Puebla and Guadalajara. They went 3-9 since May 15. Their rotation is still 2nd best in the league and they're scoring runs at a rate of just over 4 runs per game, so perhaps a bounce back with a full schedule will allow them to reclaim the first spot.
Rotation:
Alejandro Ubilla - 4-6, 81.2 IP, 2.31 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 15 BB, 36 K
Francisco Barajas - 5-1, 78.2 IP, 2.52 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 16 BB, 39 K
José Pérez - 4-1, 65 IP, 2.91 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 19 BB, 35 K
Andrés Amaya - 4-2, 49.2 IP, 2.17 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 14 BB, 18 K
Willie Barrios - 8 G, 4 GS, 2-3, 40.1 IP, 3.12 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 17 BB, 15 K
Closer - Héctor Contreras - 15 G, 9 SV, 18 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 8 BB, 20 K
Top hitters:
CF Aureliano Domínguez - .326/.393/.470, 12 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 26 RBI, 3 SB
LF Alberto Campana - .322/.356/.514, 5 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 23 RBI, 4 SB
SS Harold Montgomery - .230/.287/.285, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 18 RBI
RF Arturo Benavides - .271/.340/.354, 4 2B, 2 3B, 8 RBI
C Ernesto González - .258/.320/.297, 4 2B, 1 3B, 17 RBI, 1 SB
Next is
Serpientes de Puebla (26-22; 16-9 in May; +1 pos.)
Puebla looked solid all month long, winning series in Guadalajara, León and Aguascalientes and at home against Monterrey, Jaguares and San Luis. Their only series loss this month came at the hands of Mérida. They're 6th in runs scored, aided by a handful of top players. But their real jewel is their rotation, 3rd best in the league.
Rotation:
Victor Villarroel - 8-1, 64.2 IP, 2.37 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 23 BB, 23 K
Jesús Martínez - 5-3, 69.1 IP, 2.34 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 19 BB, 28 K
Jesús Espinoza - 1-5, 65 IP, 3.74 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 20 BB, 31 K
José Hernández - 4-3, 51.2 IP, 4.35 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 24 BB, 26 K
Eloy Medina - 8G, 1 GS, 1-0, 18.1 IP, 0.98 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 6 BB, 5 K
Out for season (torn rotator cuff on may 14th): Antonio Moreno - 2-3, 57.2 IP, 1.25 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 11 BB, 34 K
Closer - Manuel Tecuapetla - 25 G, 11 SB, 34.1 IP, 2.10 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 8 BB, 29 K
Top hitters:
3B Pedro Ayala - .298/.342/.426, 12 2B, 4 HR, 27 RBI
RF Ivan Alvear - .322/.386/.383, 8 2B, 1 HR, 20 RBI
2B Edgar Velez - .342/.410/.433, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 17 RBI
SS Heraclio Rincón - .338/.368/.432, 11 2B, 1 HR, 19 RBI, 2 SB
CF Armando Correa - .271/.297/.335, 6 2B, 3 3B, 9 RBI, 5 SB
Cardenales de Monterrey (25-25; 15-12 in May; +3 pos) are in 5th place
The other expansion team picks up some steam in May, grabbing wins against Tampico and Águilas, as well as sweeping Jaguares and Mérida. The Cardinals are 9-2 to end the month. Their offense is the second best in the league, powered by reigning Tlatoani Guillermo Meraz and César Loaiza, who appears to have returned to his prime at age 34. Their rotation is struggling and mediocre defense behind them isn't helping much. Consistency in preventing runs is needed before Monterrey can compete.
Rotation:
Carlos Delgado - 6-1, 65 IP, 2.49 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 24 BB, 44 K
Juan Martínez - 5-3, 71.2 IP, 2.39 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 24 BB, 28 K
Edgar Vasquez - 4-4, 67 IP, 2.82 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 20 BB, 27 K
Antonio Rodríguez - 4-4, 67.1 IP, 4.81 ERA, 1.83 WHIP, 47 BB, 30 K
Alex García - 3-4, 45.2 IP, 4.73 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 22 BB, 16 K
Reliever - Roberto Valero - 2-0, 1 SV, 23 IP, 0.78 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 6 BB, 14 K
Top hitters:
1B César Loaiza - .340/.391/.472, 12 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 38 RBI, 1 SB
C Guillermo Meraz - .305/.374/.455, 7 2B, 6 HR, 34 RBI, 1 SB
2B Jesús Ramírez - .328/.373/.434, 14 2B, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 3 SB
RF Manuel Ramírez - .305/.348/.382, 7 2B, 1 HR, 17 RBI
SS Luis Estrada - .292/.356/.351, 7 2B, 2 3B, 18 RBI, 6 SB
In 6th place:
Flechas de León (22-27; 13-13 in May; +1 pos)
It looks like Leon's competitive window is coming to a close. Series losses to Aguascalientes, Puebla, Guadalajara and Águilas offset wins against Monterrey and Jaguares and a sweep of Tampico. Despite having a top half rotation, their offense is very lackluster. Their defense is somewhat efficient behind their pitchers, though their bats are not too good. After 4 years in Guanajuato, 1B Clyde Sullivan has announced he will return to Texas with his family at the end of the season.
Rotation:
Esteban Ramírez - 2-4, 84 IP, 2.57 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 31 BB, 35 K
Alejandro Hernández - 3-3, 66.2 IP, 2.29 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 18 BB, 31 K
Leovigildo Esparza - 2-2, 69.2 IP, 2.71 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 17 BB, 20 K
Luis Euceda - 2-2, 56.2 IP, 5.08 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 13 BB, 28 K
Urbano Sepúlveda - 1-3, 61.2 IP, 3.65 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 22 BB, 19 K
Reliever - Rodrigo Juárez - 1-1, 15 IP, 1.80 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 9 BB, 4 K
Top hitters:
RF Mario Díaz - .384/.423/.537, 14 2B, 7 3B, 1 HR, 34 RBI, 2 SB
2B Francisco Castro - .295/.369/.363, 11 2B, 1 3B, 16 RBI, 9 SB
1B Hunab Ku - .244/.292/.321, 7 2B, 1 HR, 15 RBI
LF Marcos Olivares - .249/.296/.348, 12 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 19 RBI, 4 SB
3B Miguel Galván - .254/.316/.324, 12 2B, 19 RBI
7th, another club that has been slowly rebuilding after competing early in ULN history:
Obsidianas de Guadalajara (21-29; 16-11 in May; +3 pos)
It was a strong month for the Obsidians, grabbing wins against Tampico, Monterrey (sweep), León, Jaguares, San Luis and Aguascalientes. Their rotation is statistically the worse in the league and their hitters are 9th best, so their small rise this month is a surprise. 6 of their wins this month were by just one run, and a further 6 came by only 3 runs or less. Nobody is expecting them to compete, but it's fun to see them go on a small run.
Rotation:
Diego Hernández - 4-4, 76.1 IP, 3.89 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 23 BB, 32 K
Daniel Sánchez - 2-5, 66.1 IP, 3.53 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 18 BB, 22 K
Gerardo Uribe - 4-5, 74.1 IP, 4.48 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 23 BB, 28 K
Arturo Ortiz - 4-4, 67.1 IP, 2.67 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 24 BB, 31 K
Juan Cárdenas - 1-5, 50.1 IP, 7.33 ERA, 1.95 WHIP, 19 BB, 26 K
Closer - Elías Hernández - 3-1, 9 SV, 46 IP, 2.35 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 12 BB, 29 K
Top hitters:
3B Fausto Alcántara - .260/.336/.370, 14 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 5 SB
LF David Arroyo - .242/.303/.395, 7 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 29 RBI
1B Sergio Ramírez - .269/.344/.312, 5 2B, 1 3B, 13 RBI
3B Mateo Castañeda - .243/.314/.312, 7 2B, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 1 SB
RF Carlos Torres - .268/.326/.333, 13 2B, 19 RBI, 4 SB
The defending champions are getting a tough hangover,
Jaibas de Tampico currently sit 8th (20-28; 8-17 in May; -4 pos.)
Their offense remains 5th overall, but their defense took a hard hit after losing Rich Faircloth this offseason. They're 8th in runs allowed (213), though it is clear their gloves aren't helping much. The Crabs are 10th in errors commited, 8th in Zone Rating and 9th in defensive efficiency, that explains why their staff is still leading in stats like FIP despite allowing the 3rd most runs in the league.
Rotation:
John Nestle - 4-5, 85.1 IP, 2.53 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 20 BB, 39 K
Felipe Osorio - 2-3, 57.1 IP, 4.08 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 18 BB, 28 K
Juan González - 4-3, 74 IP, 3.65 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 23 BB, 35 K
Luis Cruz - 4-4, 60.2 IP, 2.37 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 18 BB, 30 K
Roberto García - 3-6, 70 IP, 4.11 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 20 BB, 33 K
Closer - Miguel Mata - 2-1, 8 SV, 19.2 IP, 1.83 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 2 BB, 11 K
Top hitters:
LF Edwin Esparza - .323/.360/.487, 14 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 30 RBI, 12 SB
RF Orlando Melara - .261/.341/.352, 9 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 23 RBI, 2 SB
CF José Contreras - .309/.342/.429, 15 2B, 4 3B, 20 RBI, 7 SB
SS Oscar Hernández - .306/.361/.419, 6 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 28 RBI
3B Raúl Martínez - .279/.330/.355, 7 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 23 RBI, 1 SB
Second-to-last,
Águilas de México having a season like they're already used to (20-28; 12-13 in May; No movement)
Despite being the 7th best offense by runs scored, they have been entertaining to watch and are 3rd in both OPS and home runs! Their rotation is the 7th best, with the defense behind being unspectacular and currently 3rd worst in errors commited. They also took a big blow at the beginning of the month when lefty Filiberto Soto underwent elbow surgery. While Jaguares have 2 championships, Águilas have never even finished in the top half of the table. It's easy to dismiss them as Mexico City's "other" ball team. However, they're a relatively young team and have been working hard on developing prospects these last couple of years.
Rotation:
David Guevara - 4-4, 71.1 IP, 2.52 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 25 BB, 28 K
Santos Ulloa - 1-2, 35.1 IP, 3.82 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 7 BB, 18 K
Alfonso Simental - 3-4, 64.1 IP, 3.22 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 28 BB, 32 K
Alejandro Rivera - 1-5, 61.1 IP, 3.52 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 17 BB, 19 K
Artemio Holguín - 3-3, 46 IP, 5.09 ERA, 2.04 WHIP, 28 BB, 22 K
Reliever - Mario Quintana - 1-2, 1 SV, 24 IP, 1.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 7 BB, 12 K
Top hitters:
2B Antonio Sánchez - .262/.338/.417, 14 2B, 5 HR, 28 RBI, 2 SB
SS Omar Tiscareño - .316/.365/.368, 9 2B, 19 RBI
C Miguel de León - .262/.326/.351, 5 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 20 RBI
CF David García - .298/.379/.393, 8 2B, 3 HR, 23 RBI
1B Ricardo Palacios - .228/.317/.326, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 3 SB
Finally,
Aulladores de Mérida occupy the last spot on the table (20-29; 9-17 in May; -4 pos.)
A terrible May saw the Howlers move all the way to the bottom of the table. Their bats cooled off and with LF Jonathan Cervantes tearing his shoulder, they're only expected to struggle even more. They can't prevent any runs either, as they have the 2nd worst rotation and one of the worst defenses (though they commit few errors) in the league. This may be the first time in 8 years that Mérida have more losses than wins.
Rotation:
Omar Huerta - 4-3, 74 IP, 2.07 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 17 BB, 33 K
Raúl Cobo - 3-6, 63.1 IP, 4.12 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 16 BB, 18 K
José Barrios - 3-4, 67.1 IP, 4.01 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 22 BB, 26 K
Sergio Fonseca - 4.6, 58.2 IP, 5.52 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 20 BB, 24 K
Esteban Pérez - 1-1, 24.1 IP, 4.44 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 9 BB, 9 K
Closer - Felipe Nava - 2-3, 8 SV, 39.1 IP, 3.66 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 7 BB, 15 K
Top hitters:
1B Esteban Casillas - .300/.351/.384, 6 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 26 RBI, 1 SB
RF Manuel Vargas - .219/.309/.281, 4 2B, 4 3B, 12 RBI, 2 SB
C José Trujillo - .278/.329/.373, 10 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 2 SB
2B Oziel Rojas - .289/.316/.360, 6 2B, 4 3B, 18 RBI, 5 SB
3B Carlos Renderos - .240/.263/.332, 11 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 16 RBI