The Criollos de Caguas won the 21st LBPRC title in franchise history last season, defeating the Gigantes de Carolina five games to three in the best-of-nine championship series in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente.
The Criollos, led by manager Yadier Molina, a former 19-year veteran with Major League Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals, finished first in the LBPRC last season with 16 home runs, second with 42 stolen bases, and tied the Indios de Mayagüez for runs scored with 150.
2023-24 Record – 21-19
2023-24 Playoff Results – Defeated Gigantes de Carolina in eight games in the LBPRC Championship
Former manager Yadier Molina stepped down as the manager of the Criollos de Caguas during the offseason. In a statement, General Manager Jesus “Motorita” Feliciano stated Molina wanted to spend more time with his family.
His replacement is Ramon Vasquez, who played nine years in Major League Baseball from 2001-09, posting a .678 OPS in 696 career games. He appeared in the LBPRC as a player during the 2004-05, 2008-09, 2010-11, and 2012-13 seasons.
Vázquez, 48, managed Santurce to two championships during the 2015-16 and 2018-19 seasons and won back-to-back titles with the Criollos de Caguas in 2020-21 and 2021-22 as a manager as well. The native of Aibonito, Puerto Rico, is the Boston Red Sox’s bench coach.
Notable Offseason Additions (2024 Stats/MLB Organization or Team(s)/League):
OF Óscar Mercado (.222/.308/.405, .713 OPS, Triple-A Toledo/Detroit Tigers, Triple-A El Paso/San Diego Padres)
RHP Brian Van Belle (30 G, 4.42 ERA, 8.4 K/9, Triple-A Worcester/Boston Red Sox)
RHP Travis Lakins Sr. (24 G, 5.72 ERA, 12.7 K/9, ACL White Sox, Triple-A Charlotte/Chicago White Sox)
SS Emmanuel García (6 G, .263/.300/.474, .774 OPS, Nicaragua/2024 Caribbean Series)
RHP Durbin Feltman (23 G, 3.15 ERA, 9. K/9, Double-A Midland/Oakland Athletics, Triple-A Worcester/Boston Red Sox) – 2023 Statistics
Championship History:
The Criollos de Caguas have won 21 LBPRC championships and five Caribbean Series titles, most recently in 2018 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The Criollos won back-to-back LBPRC championships in 2017 and 2018 and 2021 and 2022.
They went 3-3 at the 2024 Caribbean Series at loanDepotPark in Miami, Florida, failing to qualify for the semifinals as Puerto Rico representatives.
2024 Season Opener:
The Criollos de Caguas will play their first game of the 2024-25 LBPRC season against the Cangrejeros de Santurce at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, at 6 p.m. EST. The game is part of the Choque de Gigantes tournament, held at the Miami Marlins’ home stadium from Nov. 8-10.
The winner of the Pool D game between the Cangrejeros de Santurce and Criollos de Caguas will advance to the final match on Sunday, November 10. The other four organizations competing in the Choque de Gigantes event are the Estrellas Orientales of LIDOM and the Navegantes del Magallanes, Leones del Caracas, and Cardenales de Lara of the LVBP.
WBN LBPRC: https://worldbaseball.com/league/puerto-rico/
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