The Liga Mexicana de Beisbol’s 93-game regular season has approximately three weeks left, and at this point in the season, it’s pretty easy to tell which teams have a realistic chance at making it to the Serie del Rey.
Contenders
Toros de Tijuana (48-21, First Place in Zona Norte) – The Toros have the best pitching in the league and a strong lineup loaded with former Major Leaguers. Roberto Kelly’s club will cruise to the Zona Sur title, but will they make it to the Serie del Rey? A pair of series losses as the No. 1 seed last year cost him his job in Monterrey. Kelly wants to prove that his teams aren’t just built to win in the regular season.
Diablos Rojos del Mexico (47-25, First Place in Zona Sur) – The best organization in Mexico added the best pitcher available in Trevor Bauer and hasn’t lost since the game after his debut. Potent offense, potent pitching, and one of the smartest managers in baseball makes the Diablos a tough team to beat.
Olmecas de Tabasco (43-29, Second Place in Zona Sur) – The Olmecas have made hay at the plate this year, driving the ball to all fields, and some of those balls turn into home runs when they play at altitude. With former first round pick Seth Beer driving the offense, the Olmecas have a solid lineup. Will it be enough to get past the Diablos?
Caliente de Durango (38-33, Second Place in Zona Norte) – Durango will have a playoff team for the first time since 1978, and if Tijuana gets knocked out early, don’t be surprised if they advance to the Serie del Rey.
Longshots
Acereros de Monclova (38-34, Third Place in Zona Norte) – With the third-best team ERA, the Acereros certainly have the potential for a deep run in the playoffs if they can get some run support. Their OPS, however, is in the bottom third of the league, so it’s unlikely.
Sultanes de Monterrey (37-34, Tied for Fourth Place in Zona Norte) – A year and a managerial removed from a shocking elimination after winning the Zona Norte in the regular season last year, the Sultanes aren’t the team they were under Roberto Kelly. Perhaps they can get it together and win a round in the playoffs.
Charros de Jalisco (37-35, Tied for Fourth Place in Zona Norte) – Any team managed by Benji Gil is going to have a chance. Last year, his team knocked off Zona Norte-winner Monterrey in two separate series in the playoffs to reach the Serie del Rey. Don’t count them out, but they’ve got some hills to climb.
Pericos de Puebla (37-33, Tied for Third in Zona Sur) – The Pericos’ strong offense is held back by weak pitching, as all but one of the 11 pitchers with more than 20 innings this season has an ERA over 4.00, and six have an ERA over 5.00.
Bravos de Leon (37-35, Fifth in Zona Sur) – The Bravos have a ton of power in the lineup, having hit 96 homers thus far, the third-most in the league. But their bats are hot and cold, and the pitching isn’t capable of stealing win when the bats are cold.
Pretenders
Rieleros de Aguascalientes (32-36, Sixth in Zona Norte) – The second-worst team ERA in the league tells you all you need to know.
Algodoneros de Union Laguna (33-39, Seventh in Zona Norte) – Below-average pitching held Union Laguna back this season, and they’ve shedded some of their better bats in recent weeks. They might make the playoffs, but they’re soft as cotton.
Guerreros de Oaxaca (36-36, Seventh in Zona Sur) – A tough schedule early in the year due to construction delays with the brand-new Estadio Yu’va made it tough for the Guerreros to be competitive early on, and they’ve been playing from behind ever since.
Tigres de Quintana Roo (37-33, Tied for Third in Zona Sur) – The Tigres’ offense lacks enough claws to help out their above-average pitching staff. They’re a bat or two short of being a longshot.
Piratas de Campeche (35-33, Fifth in Zona Sur) – The current five-game winning streak isn’t enough to move the Piratas higher in this list. A year after a surprising run to the Serie Campeonato, it’s hard to see the Piratas making much noise in the playoffs this season.
El Aguila de Veracruz (34-37, Eighth in Zona Sur) – El Aguila has won seven of their last 10 to remain in contention for a playoff spot, but earning a playoff spot would almost certainly earn them a date with the Diablos or the Olmecas, and they don’t have the pitching to get by either of those teams.
Wait ‘Til Next Year
Saraperos de Saltillo (28-42, Eighth Place in Zona Norte) – The Saraperos have been playing better of late, but their slow start doomed the season early.
Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (27-45, Tied for Ninth Place in Zona Norte) – It was a tough season on the border, where the Tecos were hampered by sub-par pitching and inconsistent offense. This season might mark the end of Felix Fermin’s run leading the Binationals.
Dorados de Chihuahua (27-45, Tied for Ninth Place in Zona Norte) – The Dorados are a team with both pitching and that is in the middle of the league. They managed to play worse than their statistics would indicate they’re capable of, so the reborn franchise won’t see the playoffs this year.
Conspiradores de Queretaro (30-41, Ninth in Zona Sur) – Their current seven-game skid conspired with the worst run differential in the league to force the Conspiradores into playing out the string rather than playing for a playoff berth over the season’s final three weeks.
Leones de Yucatan (27-43, 10th in Zona Sur) – The Leones, as usual, had great pitching, but they couldn’t get the offense to produce this year.
Photo: Seth Beer, who’s hitting .379/.480/.726 with an astonishing 1.206 OPS, 10 homers, and 33 RBIs through 36 games. (Photo courtesy of the Olmecas de Tabasco)
