Starters Odrisamer Despaigne and Vladimir Gutierrez are returning to the Yaquis de Obregon for the 2025-26 season, again giving Obregon a pair of starters with Major League Baseball experience.
Despaigne, who pitched parts of six season in MLB with five different teams, has been stellar in Obregon each of the last two winters, making 15 starts and throwing 87 2/3 innings in 2023-24 with a 2.98 ERA for the Yaquis, and made a start for Mexico as a reinforcement at the Caribbean Series in Miami, throwing six innings and allowing two runs on four hits in a loss to Puerto Rico. In 2024-25, Despaigne made 14 starts, pitching 83 innings with a 2.93 ERA. This summer, he’s made 14 appearances for the Leones de Yucatan, tossing 51 2/3 innings with a 8.71 ERA in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol.
Gutierrez, who joined the Yaquis as a reinforcement for the 2025 LAMP playoffs but didn’t appear in a game, is primed to throw a full season in Obregon. In 2024-25, he began the winter with the Aguilas Cibaenas of LIDOM, throwing 44 2/3 innings over 11 starts with a 4.23 ERA before joining the Yaquis.
He last appeared in Major League Baseball in 2024 with the Miami Marlins, making one appearance and allowing three runs on three hits in four innings.
Sanchez Returns For Ninth Season in Mexicali – Jake Sanchez, the active leader in saves in the LAMP with 124, is returning for a ninth season in Mexicali. In 2024-25, Sanchez went 1-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 18 saves in 31 1/3 innings of work, tying for the LAMP lead in saves for the fourth time in his career.
Jake Mate ♟️🔥
Los @AguilasDeMxli tendrán de nuevo a Jake Sánchez como cerrador, buscando el récord de más rescates de todos los tiempos en la LAMP 🦅🤩#LigaARCO ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/UIFGlIuCJm
— Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico (@Liga_Arco) July 29, 2025
“Having Jake Sánchez closing games gives us the certainty that we will maintain the advantage more often than not. In addition, he is the leader of a group of highly talented national pitchers that we have on the team,” said José Amador, the Aguilas’ Sports Manager, in a press release announcing Sanchez’ return.
Sanchez has had a rough summer pitching in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, where he has 8.90 ERA in 30 1/3 innings over 33 appearances with Veracruz and Saltillo, notching 18 saves.
Tomateros Sign Outfielder Orlando Martinez – Orlando Martinez, a 27-year-old Havana-born outfielder in the Houston Astros’ system, is headed to Culiacan this winter.
Martinez began the year with Aguascalientes in the LMB, where he batted .364/.415/.698 with a 1.109 OPS, 16 homers and 48 RBIs in 54 games before signing with the Astros, who assigned him to Double-A Corpus Christi. With Corpus Christi, he’s batted .313/.387/.374 with nine RBIs in 25 games.
He played 19 games in each of the last two winter season in Puerto Rico’s LBPRC, hitting five homers for Santurce in 2023-24 while batting .196, and going 18-for-61 with Caguas in 19 games last winter.
Martinez batted .246/.303/.396 in 112 career Triple-A games with Salt Lake in the Los Angeles Angels organization from 2022-24.
Photo: Odrisamer Despaigne delivers a pitch during the first inning of a Caribbean Series baseball game against Puerto Rico, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
