A year ago, the Naranjeros de Hermosillo rolled to the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico championship, going 12-1 through the playoffs on their way to the Caribbean Series and sweeping the Venados de Mazatlan in the Championship Series.
And then they got to loanDepot Park, and the stellar pitching that got the Naranjeros to winter ball’s jewel event had a difficult week. When the Hermosillo pitchers held the opposition to three or fewer runs, the Naranjeros were 2-2, and when they needed more run support, they didn’t get it, going 0-2 in games when they allowed four or more runs.
So naturally, the Naranjeros loaded up on arms in the LAMP’s two drafts, selecting nine pitchers in the Mexican Player Draft and seven more in the Foreign Player Draft.
But there was no bigger prize on the table than the Naranjeros’ first-round pick in the Foreign Player Draft — 2020 Cy Young Award winner and 2024 Liga Mexicana de Beisbol Pitcher of the Year Trevor Bauer, who was nothing short of spectacular for the Diablos Rojos del Mexico this past summer. Bauer went 10-0 with a 2.48 ERA in the regular season, and made a heroic appearance in relief in game seven of the LMB semifinals, helping the Diablos come back from three games down to win the series and get to the Serie del Rey.
In addition to Bauer, former MLB pitchers Matt Dermody and Ian Krol could give the Naranjeros one of the best staffs in winter ball history should they come to Hermosillo.
At bat, the Naranjeros return Agustin Murillo, who led the club with 28 RBIs last year and Irving Lopez, who drove in 26 runs. If Sean Bouchard, who split the summer between Triple-A Albuquerque and the Colorado Rockies, and Aaron Altherr, who led the club with seven homers and drove in 27 runs last year, both return, the Naranjeros will be tough to beat.
Manager – Juan Gabriel Castro (Second Season)
2023-24 Record – 37-31, Second in LAMP
2003-24 Playoff Results – Won Championship Series 4-0 over Algodoneros de Guasave
First Game – Friday, October 11 vs. Yaquis de Obregon, 8:30 p.m. EDT
Mexican Player Draft Selections (Position – 2024 Team or MLB Organization/League)
Number indicates round in which player was selected
1. Ramiro Villanueva (P – Minnesota Twins/MLB)
2. Jeremy Cano (P – Detroit Tigers/MLB)
3. Joe Castillo (P – Sultanes de Monterrey/LMB)
4. Angel Chicuate (P – Toros de Tijuana/LMB)
5. Sergio Burrel (C – Dorados de Chihuahua/LMB)
6. Michael Cervantes (P – Leones de Yucatan/LMB)
7. Saul Arias (P – Free Agent)
8. Oscar Martinez (P – Leones de Yucatan/LMB)
9. Ivan Pacheco (P – Free Agent)
10. Julio Alvarez (P – Free Agent)
11. Luis Lizarraga (IF – Free Agent)
12. Alejandro Gomez (OF – Guerreros de Oaxaca)
Foreign Player Draft Selections (Position – 2024 Team or MLB Organization/League)
Number indicates round in which player was selected
1. Trevor Bauer (P- Diablos Rojos del Mexico/LMB)
2. Spencer Patton (P – Olmecas de Tabasco/LMB)
3. Matt Dermody (P – Toros de Tijuana/LMB)
4. Ian Krol (P – Saraperos de Saltillo/LMB)
5. Austin Puckett (P – Charros de Jalisco/LMB)
6. Max Kuhns (P – Bravos de Leon/LMB)
7. Ricky Ramirez (P – Olmecas de Tabasco/LMB)
Photo: Pitcher Wilmer Rios, left, of the Naranjeros de Hermosillo of Mexico serves as a bat boy with teammate Aaron Altherr during a game between Mexico and Nicaragua at loanDepot Park as part of Serie del Caribe 2024 on February 6, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Luis Gutierrez/Norte Photo/Getty Images)
