Vinny Castilla, the all-time home run leader among Mexican players in Major League Baseball, is out of work.
Castilla resigned as manager of the Sultanes de Monterrey of the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico after leading the club to a 6-20 record to start the season.
He’ll be replaced by Robinson Cancel, who will take over the team tonight when they head to Hermosillo to face the Naranjeros, who are in third place at 15-11.
Cancel appeared in 15 games with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1999, then toiled in the minors for nine seasons before returning to MLB with the New York Mets in 2008 for 27 games. He appeared in one game for the Mets in 2009 and played two games with the Houston Astros in 2011. He later played for the Sultanes in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol in 2012, batting .323/.389/.497 with an .886 OPS, 12 homers and 48 RBIs.
A native of Lajas, Puerto Rico, Cancel played seven winter seasons in the Liga Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente, six with the Leones de Ponce and one with the Gigantes de Carolina.
As a manager, Cancel has a record of 488-422 in eight seasons managing in the affiliated minor leagues in the Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies organizations, most recently managing the Rockies’ High-A affiliate in Spokane, Wash. the last two seasons, and has previously managed the Caneros de Los Mochis and Tomateros de Culiacan in the LAMP.
Castilla’s Sultanes have struggled mightily, having lost their last seven and posted a run differential of -63 in 26 games, averaging just 2.88 runs per game.
At 6-20, the best the Sultanes could finish in the first half of the LAMP season is fifth. Teams earn points towards playoff seeding based on their finish in each half of the 68-game regular season, so a catastrophic first half of the season won’t necessarily preclude the Sultanes from making the playoffs, though they’ll need to finish near the top of the league in the second half to secure a playoff berth.
Bernard, Stock Named Performers of the Week – Wynton Bernard of the Tomateros de Culiacan and Robert Stock of the Naranjeros de Hermosillo have been named Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week, respectively. Bernard batted .348 with three homers, eight hits, and eight RBIs last week, while Stock was masterful for the Naranjeros on Saturday, throwing 7 1/3 shutout innings, striking out eight and allowing just three hits in a 1-0 win against the Caneros de Los Mochis.
Velasquez Named Mayos’ Bullpen Coach – Hector Velasquez, a two-time LAMP Pitcher of the Year, has been named the bullpen coach for the Mayos de Navojoa. Velasquez made 134 appearances over 13 seasons in the LAMP with Obregon, Mazatlan, and Navojoa, winning the league’s pitcher of the year honors with the Mayos in 2013-14 and 2016-17.
