LAMP: In Big Blow To Caneros’ Offense, Asael Sanchez Out For Season With Knee Injury

The only thing that might be hurting more than Asael Sánchez’ knee is the Caneros de Los Mochis offense.

In Saturday’s game against the Charros de Jalisco, Sánchez injured his knee in the second inning when Jared Serna hit a fly ball to left field. Sánchez gave chase, and while running to catch the ball, he injured his left knee.

A team statement following the game revealed that Sánchez was taken local hospital where he was evaluated by specialists and underwent an MRI. The imaging revealed that he suffered a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and would have to undergo surgery, and that he’ll miss the rest of the season.

Last week in this space, World Baseball Network noted how the Charros de Jalisco’s explosive offense was more than compensating for their somewhat anemic pitching. The Caneros are in the opposite situation: they have outstanding pitching, posting the third-best team ERA in the league with a 3.42 mark and the league’s lowest WHIP at 1.230, but they don’t score a lot of runs.

And now, with Sánchez out, the Caneros’ offense is in real trouble. The 31-year-old led the league with five homers and the team with 20 RBIs, but those numbers are now frozen. Behind Sánchez, Eric Filia’s 11 RBIs are second on the team, and while Josh Rehwaldt and Leonys Martin each have four homers this season, they haven’t produced much else.

The Caneros are 14-9 thus far despite scoring 94 runs against 88 runs allowed. Without Sánchez, though, it’s tough to see Felix Fermin’s team continuing at this pace without a trade or signing to bolster the offense.

Sanchez Is the Aguilas’ New Saves Leader – Jake Sanchez of the Aguilas de Mexicali is the new all-time saves leader for the franchise, posting his 125th save on Nov. 5 when the Aguilas beat the Venados de Mazatlan 3-0. Sanchez struck out Keven Lamas looking, got Fabricio Macias to fly out, and then struck out Leo German swinging to record the milestone save, passing Mexican baseball legend Isidro Márquez who recorded 124 saves with the Aguilas. He’s now just nine saves away from the all-time lead in the LAMP, which is also held by Isidro Marquez.

Pitcher of the Week – Two spectacular starts earned CJ Van Eyk of the Aguilas de Mexicali the league’s Pitcher of the Week award. In starts against the Venados de Mazatlán and the Naranjeros de Hermosillo last week, Van Eyk threw 13 innings, allowing eight hits, two unearned runs, and struck out 14. He got his first taste of Triple-A action this summer, throwing 89 1/3 innings in 17 starts with Buffalo, the affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, striking out 73 and walking 40 with a 4.94 ERA.

Also nominated were Jared Wetherbee of the Jaguares de Nayarit, who allowed two runs and struck out 15 in 12 innings of work across two starts, and Touki Toussaint of the Naranjeros de Hermosillo, who struck out 10 and allowed three runs in a complete game vs. Mexicali.

Player of the Week – Former Washington National Harold Ramirez of the Naranjeros de Hermosillo was named the Player of the Week after batting .375 in six games, hitting a home run and driving in eight runs. Ramirez is tied for second in RBIs with Asael Sanchez, each having 20, and trail only Bligh Madris of the Charros de Jalisco with 25. Also nominated were Jacob Amaya of the Jaguares de Nayarit, who hit two homers in six games with six RBIs, and Alex Mejía of the Aguilas de Mexicali.

Reliever of the Week – Garret Alexander of the Tucson Baseball Team was named Reliever of the Week, recording three saves, throwing 4 2/3 innings, and striking out six last week. Also nominated were Alexis Vera of the Jaguares de Nayarit, who threw four innings and recorded three holds, and Jonathan Haab of the Algodoneros de Guasave, who posted a pair of saves.

Photo: Asael Sanchez hit a grand slam on opening night to get the Caneros de Los Mochis past the Yaquis de Obregon, and hit another the next night. But three weeks into the season, the Caneros’ RBI leader injured his left knee and will miss the rest of the season. (Photo Courtesy of LAMP)