There are just three more three-game series remaining for each team in the Liga Mexicana de Besibol before the playoffs begin on Aug. 6.
Each year, the LMB’s Reliever of the Year award is presented to the league’s best relief pitcher. Last year’s winner was closer Tomohiro Anraku of the Diablos Rojos del Mexico, who led the league with 22 saves and posted a 2.98 ERA in 47 appearances and 45 1/3 innings pitched, allowing 25 walks and striking out 46. Here are five candidates for this year’s LMB Reliever of the Year.
1. Brett de Geus, Toros de Tijuana – Brett de Geus announced his arrival in Mexico with authority, dominating as a closer for the best team in the Zona Norte this season. De Geus is second the LMB in saves with 23, he has a 1.57 ERA and a 0.800 WHIP in 46 innings of work across 41 appearances. His strikeouts-to-walks ratio is absurd: he’s struck out 58 and walked two thus far this season. And if you look at advanced stats, which World Baseball Network has independently calculated, his season is even more impressive: his ERA+ is 323, meaning he’s essentially twice as good as the league-average pitcher when it comes to ERA, and his 2.19 FIP is the lowest in the league among pitchers who have thrown eight or more innings.
2. Tomohiro Anraku, Diablos Rojos del Mexico – Last year’s winner is fifth in the league in saves this year, though it’s harder to record saves on a team that scores so many runs that he often comes in to games in non-save situations. His 2.87 ERA and 1.12 WHIP are solid if not stellar, and his ERA+ of 189 and FIP of 3.58 are both above the league average, but probably won’t be enough for the former Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagle to be a repeat winner.
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3. Jacob Barnes, Algodoneros de Union Laguna – Jacob Barnes isn’t a closer with Union Laguna and hasn’t recorded any saves, but the 10-year MLB veteran has been solid over 46 1/3 innings for the Algodoneros, posting a 1.75 ERA and a 1.140 WHIP. His 290 ERA+ is reflective of his dominance and is the second-best on this list (and in the league among qualified pitchers), though his 11 walks push his FIP to 3.82, which is still above average. He’s been an outstanding reliever on an otherwise average team, and while he’s not flashy, he gets the job done.
4. Jimmy Cordero, Olmecas de Tabasco – The Olmecas’ closer is third in the league with 19 saves and has finished out 30 games for the Olmecas, who look to capture home field for the first round of the playoffs this week. His 2.30 ERA in 40 1/3 innings are solid, and Cordero has 47 strikeouts and eight walks to go along with a 207 ERA+ and a sparkling 2.28 FIP.
5. Dan Kubiuk, Piratas de Campeche – Dan Kubiuk has saved 24 wins for the Piratas this year, and has developed into an elite reliever since coming to Mexico in the winter fo 2024-25. In 38 appearances, he’s thrown 37 innings with a 2.68 ERA and 1 1.140 WHIP, 26 strikeouts, and nine walks. His ERA+ is a very good 189, while his nine walks, three hit batsmen, and two homers allowed have pushed his FIP to 4.28, below the league average of 4.01.
Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) – Fielding Independent Pitching measures a pitcher’s effectiveness based upon statistics that do not involve the play of the fielders, save for the catcher. Essentially, the fewer home runs and walks allowed and more strikeouts recorded, the better a pitcher’s FIP will be. The number is pegged to a constant, which, for World Baseball Network’s calculation of FIP across the LMB in 2026, was 4.01, meaning that a FIP below 4.01 is better than the league average, similar to the way a low ERA is better than a high ERA.
Adjusted Earned Run Average (ERA+) – This statistic seeks to compare the pitcher’s ERA to the league’s average ERA while also accounting for ballpark factors. The higher the ERA+, the better, with the league average ERA+ always being pegged to 100.
Photo: Tomohiro Anraku of the Diablos Rojos del Mexico has been stellar in a late relief role during the 2025 LMB playoffs. (Photo courtesy of the Diablos Rojos del Mexico)
