There are two weeks remaining in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol’s 2026 season, but with the bulk of the season having been played, it’s not too early to think about who might win the league’s postseason awards.
The LMB’s Pitcher of the Year award generally goes to a starting pitcher, as the league also has a Reliever of the Year award. Last year, Wilmer Rios of the Acereros de Monclova took home the prize with a 4.49 ERA over 104 1/3 innings across 18 starts, striking out 81 and walking 22. A year earlier, Trevor Bauer won the award after a historic 2024 season that saw him go 10-0 with a 2.48 ERA in 14 starts. He led the league in strikeouts with 120 in 83 1/3 innings, set a record for strikeouts in a game when he fanned 19 Guerreros de Oaxaca on June 21, 2024, and struck out nine consecutive batters on April 21, 2024 against the Bravos de Leon.
Of the 521 pitchers who have appeared in at least one LMB game this season, here are five candidates for the 2026 LMB Pitcher of the Year award. An explanation of Fielding Independent Pitching and ERA+ is at the bottom of this article.
1. Daniel Mengden, Sultanes de Monterrey – Mengden started the season with the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos and was sent to Monterrey just after the All-Star break when it became clear that the Tecos weren’t going to make the playoffs. With Dos Laredos, he made 14 starts, throwing 71 innings with a 2.31 ERA, 65 strikeouts, and 15 walks, and in three starts with Monterrey, he’s thrown 18 innings with a 2.50 ERA. The former Oakland A’s and Kansas City Royals starter has a 2.35 ERA over 92 total innings, and also leads LMB pitchers who have thrown at least 80 innings in ERA+ at 216 — 98 points ahead of Odrisamer Despaigne, who has an ERA+ of 118 in 98 2/3 innings. Looking at Fielding Independent Pitching, Mengden is the only pitcher who has thrown more than 80 innings with a better-than-average FIP. With the league average, or FIP Constant, set at 4.00, Mengden’s 3.85 is slightly better than average for the LMB this year.
2. Daniel Martinez, Toros de Tijuana – The league leader thus far in ERA with a 2.11 mark across 76 2/3 innings, Martinez isn’t overpowering, having struck out 59 batters, and has walked 31, but his 51 hits allowed mean that he has a skimpy 1.080 WHIP. With an ERA+ of 240, Martinez has been great while playing on a great team, though his FIP of 4.37 is below the league average, hampered by his comparatively high walk rate. He’s given the Toros a chance to win in each of his 15 starts this year, and it’s easier to do so mentally when you have one of the best lineups in the league providing run support. At just 27 years old, don’t be surprised if a Major League Baseball club gives Martinez a non-roster invite to spring training next year, should a long job action not occur in las grandes ligas.
3. Ronnie Williams, Olmecas de Tabasco – As was mentioned a few weeks ago, Williams, 31, is having a career year after winning a championship with the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional’s Navegantes del Magallanes last winter. He was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise awful Leones de Yucatan club, throwing 70 1/3 innings across 15 starts with a 2.43 ERA, a 1.194 WHIP, 72 strikeouts and 29 walks. Since going to Tabasco, he’s made one start, allowing two runs on four hits over six innings. His 205 ERA+ is third-best among pitchers with at least 10 starts.
4. Adonis Medina, Toros de Tijuana – Medina managed to make an appearance without throwing a pitch earlier this season when the number on his jersey didn’t match the number on the scorecard turned in by Toros manager Roberto Kelly. That one little error, which wasn’t his fault, aside, Medina has been solid for Tijuana, posting a 2.97 ERA in 69 2/3 innings with 68 strikeouts, 21 walks, and a 1.180 WHIP. With a 3.82 FIP, Medina’s a little better than average at preventing walks and homers, and his 170 ERA+ is great, though he’s not quite on the same level as the first three pitchers in this list.
5. Zac Grotz, Charros de Jalisco – At 33, Grotz is in the “have arm, will travel” phase of his pitching career, having pitched in the American Association and three different countries since his last appearance in affiliated ball with Triple-A Worcester in 2021. He’s been solid for Benji Gil’s club this year, with a 3.03 ERA and 72 strikeouts against just 12 walks thus far, which has contributed to his FIP of 3.49, the best number of all 84 pitchers who have thrown at least 47 innings.
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 4.00, meaning that a FIP below 4.00 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: Zac Grotz of the Charros de Jalisco has the best FIP of all pitchers who have thrown at least 70 innings in the LMB this season. (Courtesy of the Charros de Jalisco)
