The Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional is in its sixth week, and for the first time this season, the Tigres de Aragua are no longer in first place. After dropping five of their last seven games, the Tigres fell from the top spot and are now tied for second with the Caribes de Anzoátegui at 16-12.
Águilas del Zulia have soared to the top of the standings at 15-11 with wins in five of their last seven. They’ve done it in improbable fashion. Their run differential is minus-43, by far the worst in LVBP. Only two other teams have negative run differentials — the closest being Navegantes del Magallanes at minus-20 — and Magallanes sit in last place at 11-17. Águilas also have the league’s second-worst team OPS and second-worst team ERA, yet somehow sit atop the standings as the calendar inches toward December.
In major news, Ronald Acuña Jr. has officially confirmed his start date of Nov. 28 with Tiburones. He and Royals third baseman Maikel García are both expected to debut that day, giving the league a boost with bona fide star power. Their arrival will also be a major lift for Tiburones de La Guaira, who have fallen to 12-16 and, if the season ended today, would miss the round-robin entirely. They will be the clear top duo offensively in the league.
Because of the poor start, Tiburones manager Gregorio Petit was fired Monday morning after an 11-15 record, becoming the second manager this season to be relieved of his duties. Marco Davalillo was named his replacement. Despite a solid offense, pitching ultimately did Petit in. The Tiburones’ 5.44 ERA is the third worst in LVBP, and their road ERA is 6.63. More specifically, the bullpen has faltered repeatedly — eight of their 10 most-used relievers have ERAs of 4.50 or higher, the primary reason they sit at 12-16.
On Wednesday night, Pirates catching prospect Omar Alfonzo and his brother, minor leaguer Eliezer Alfonzo, made LVBP history. They became the second pair of brothers ever to homer in the same game for opposing teams during the matchup between Caribes and Navegantes. The only other brothers to do it were Edgar and Edgardo Alfonzo. Only 5 pairs of brothers have ever homered in the same game in LVBP history.
Although he won’t play the full season, second baseman Jadher Areinamo would be the early MVP favorite if he did. He has been the class of LVBP so far, hitting .363/.417/.735 with 10 home runs and 32 RBIs. No other player has more than seven home runs or 27 RBIs. The 21-year-old, who spent time in High-A and Double-A in the Tampa Bay organization and ranks as Tampa Bay’s No. 24 prospect, has made a strong statement this winter and could earn big-league looks next year with this eye-opening performance.
Standings
1. Águilas del Zulia 15-11
T2. Caribes de Anzoátegui 16-12
T2. Tigres de Aragua 16-12
4. Bravos de Margarita 15-13
5. Cardenales de Lara 13-15
6. Leones del Caracas 12-14
7. Tiburones de La Guaira 12-16
8. Navegantes del Magallanes 11-17
