At roughly the 3/4 pole of the 2026-27 season, the Algodoneros de Guasave have already begun to distance themselves from the rest of the league.
With a three-game lead in the first-half standings over the second-place Aguilas de Mexicali and 3 1/2 games on the Naranjeros de Hermosillo, Guasave is well on their way towards locking up a playoff berth early.
First, a quick reminder on how teams qualify for the playoffs: The 68-game Liga Mexicana del Pacifico regular season is divided into two halves. Teams are awarded a number of points based upon where they finish in the standings in each half, with first place getting 10 points, second place getting nine, and so on. Teams from sixth through 10th place receive point values dropping by a half point from five points for sixth place to three points for 10th, thus ensuring that a team that finishes last in the first half can still make the playoffs with a good second half. Points are similarly distributed for the second half.
The teams are then seeded in order of total points for the playoffs, with the team with the highest number of points being seeded first, the team with the eighth-most points seeded eighth, and the teams with the ninth- and 10th-most points missing the playoffs. The teams then play traditional best-of-seven series until the championship is awarded.
Thus, a team finishing in the top half of the league in the first half of the season is almost certain to make the playoffs.
So how have the Algodoneros found success thus far? Largely, via pitching. Their team ERA of 3.00 and 49 earned runs allowed lead the LMP thus far. Their 122 total strikeouts are tied for the league lead. In 73 2/3 innings of work, the bullpen has a 2.58 ERA with a 1.271 WHIP, elite marks for a relief corps in winter ball, where the course of the season can often turn on relief pitching.
The solid pitching makes up for a middle-of-the-pack offense in Guasave, where the Algodoneros are, as George Costanza would say, "Right in the meaty part of the curve - Not showing off, not falling behind." Victor Labrada's four homers and 13 RBIs lead the team in both categories, and Jesse Castillo has seven doubles and 12 RBIs. Since coming over from the Venados de Mazatlan, Juan Mora is 10-for-22 with four doubles and five RBIs. But overall, the 5.06 runs per game the Algodoneros are averaging is good for fifth in the league. Look for Guasave to add some offense when the reinforcement draft comes around.