LAMP: Aguilas de Mexicali Add Two Power Bats to Lineup; Two Teams Announce Preseason Schedules

When winter rolls around in Baja California, pitchers facing the Aguilas de Mexicali had better be on their game.

The Aguilas will have two of the premier power hitters in Mexico for the 2024-25 season, with Cuban outfielders Yadir Drake and Yadiel Hernandez confirming they’ll be playing at El Nido this winter.

Hernandez clubbed 14 homers for the Aguilas in 29 games last winter, while Drake had five homers and 34 RBIs in 49 games with the Algodoneros de Guasave in the 2024-25 Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico season. Playing for hte Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos, he is currently sixth in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol with 22 home runs this summer and batting .347/.447/.662 with a 1.079 OPS.

Drake has 19 homers and 67 RBIs for the Leones de Yucatan of the LMB this summer, with a 1.081 OPS and a .377/.485/.636 batting line over 347 plate appearances in 77 games.

“After analyzing the team and our stadium, we have made some changes to strengthen our offense; the arrival of Yadir Drake, a proven hitter in Mexican baseball, will help us greatly; we have no doubt he will hit,” said Grimaldo Martinez, the Aguilas’ sports advisor, on sports program Tiempo Extra. His comments were relayed in a story on the league’s website.

The pair gives Mexicali power from both sides of the plate in the middle of the lineup.

“Our goal is very clear, to reach the finals, and we know that in short series anything can happen,” said Martínez. The Aguilas finished 34-33 in the 2024-25 regular season and lost four games to one in the playoff quarterfinals to the eventual champion, the Charros de Jalisco.

Tomateros de Culiacan Have 15 Exhibition Games Scheduled – The Tomateros de Culiacan have a 15-game preseason schedule lined up for the fall, including four games at the 2025 Baja Series, the annual preseason series played in La Paz, Baja California del Sur.

Culiacan will open training camp on September 8, with preseason action beginning on September 21 at the Sinaloa Classic against the Caneros de Los Mochis. They’ll host an unnamed team from the United States in Culiacan on September 22, and then face the Algodoneros de Guasave on the road on September 23 before traveling to La Paz for the Baja Series.

In La Paz, the Tomateros will face the Charros de Jalisco on September 25. On September 26, they will face the Cañeros de Los Mochis, then the Águilas de Mexicali on September 27, and Jalisco September 28.

On October 1 and 2, Tomateros host Venados in Mazatlán, and then travel to Puerto Vallarta a three-game set against the Cañeros de Los Mochis. The Tomateros will then participate in the Governor’s Cup, to be held in Guamúchil, Sinaloa, October 7-9. They’ll again host the Juegos con Causa — games for a cause — October 11 and 12 before starting the regular season on October 15.

Los Mochis will play a similar preseason schedule, opening camp on September 8 before kicking off preseason action at the Sinaloa Classic, facing Culiacan, Guasave, and a team from the U.S. The Cañeros will also head to La Paz for the Baja Series, will face Culiacan in a three-game set in Puerto Vallarta, and play in the Governor’s Cup in Guamúchil, Sinaloa. They’ll cap the preseason with Quadrangular del Bienestar Games, organized by DIF Sinaloa, to benefit the children in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.

Photo: Yadir Drake of Cuba reacts while batting during the World Baseball Classic quarterfinal game between Cuba and Australia at the Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Wednesday, March 15, 2023. Drake will play for the Aguilas de Mexicali in the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico this winter. (AP Photo/Toru Hanai)