Luis Moreno pitches for the Caimanes de Barranquilla at the 2023 Baseball Champions League Americas in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. (Photo Courtesy WBSC)
By Matthew Tallarini
World Baseball Network
Colombian right-handed pitcher Luis Moreno signed with the Tigres de Quintana Roo for the 2024 Liga Mexicana de Beisbol season, the organization announced on their website and social media pages Saturday.
Moreno, 25, was born in Santa Rosa, Colombia, and has been with the San Francisco Giants organization since he signed as an international free agent to a minor league contract on Oct. 1, 2016.
This winter, Moreno is playing the second winter league season of his career with the Caneros de Los Mochis, and he has been the closer since the start of the season last month. Moreno is 0-1 with a 4.76 ERA in 12 games, throwing 11.1 innings, recording seven saves, allowing 12 hits, six earned runs, two home runs, six walks, and striking out nine batters with a 1.588 WHIP.
Moreno played in the inaugural World Baseball Softball Confederation 2023 Baseball Champions League in Merida, Mexico, this fall for the Caimanes de Barranquilla of Liga Profesional de Béisbol Colombia. He appeared in two games, posting a 3.86 ERA and throwing 2.1 innings while allowing three hits, one earned run, one walk, and two strikeouts.
The Caimanes de Barranquilla played in the championship game of the 2023 Baseball Champions League and lost to the 2022 American Association champion Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 8-0.
This past season, Moreno played at High-A San Jose, posting a 5-2 record with a 4.18 ERA, throwing 64.2 innings in 30 appearances out of the bullpen and recording three saves. He allowed 63 hits, 30 earned runs, five home runs, 24 walks, and 70 strikeouts while facing 279 batters.
In 2022, Moreno spent the season in the Arizona Complex League for the Giants, and landed on the 60-day injured list on Aug. 22, 2022. Moreno posted a 3-3 record with a 4.37 ERA over 22.2 innings with 16 appearances out of the bullpen, allowing 22 hits, 11 earned runs, two home runs, 10 walks, 24 strikeouts and a 1.412 WHIP.
Moreno played during the 2021-22 winter league season in Liga Profesional de Beisbol Colombia with Caimanes de Barranquilla. In the 2022 Caribbean Series at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, he helped Colombia win their first Caribbean Series title, beating Gigantes del Cibao of Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana in the championship game 4-1.
In the 2021-22 winter season, Moreno went 1-1 posting a 3.00 ERA throwing 15 innings in seven appearances in two starts allowing 12 hits, five earned runs, no home runs, eight walks, and 18 strikeouts.
During the 2022 Caribbean Series, Moreno went 1-0 and did not allow an earned run during the tournament. Moreno threw three innings in four appearances out of the bullpen and allowed one hit and two walks while facing 11 batters.
Moreno has risen above the High-A level with the Giants. In six seasons in the low minors, Moreno has a 26-13 record with a 4.26 ERA in 107 games and 33 starts, throwing 319 innings and allowing 324 hits, 151 earned runs, 25 home runs, 105 walks, and 287 strikeouts with a 1.345 WHIP.
The Liga Mexicana de Beisbol has yet to announce their start date for the 2024 regular season. The LMB’s Liga Invernal which started on October 12 will have its last day of their regular season on November 26. All of the 2023 LMB Liga Invernal Mexicana’s games are played from Thursday to Sunday.