LAMP: Veteran Catcher Ricardo Valenzuela Joins Jaguares; Mexican Baseball Fiestas Coming to Arizona

Ricardo Valenzuela, a 10-year veteran of the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico, has joined the Jaguares de Nayarit’s preseason camp following his eighth season of summer baseball in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol with the Guerreros de Oaxaca.

Valenzuela, 35, has played in the LAMP with the Yaquis de Obregon and the Venados de Mazatlan before making his way to Monterrey last winter. The Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico native provides some versatility in the field, primarily playing catcher but also having the ability to play the corner infield positions should the need arise.

He posted the best numbers of his career at the plate this year, batting .330/.414/.609 in 64 games with Oaxaca, hitting 16 homers and driving in 53 runs.

In 10 seasons in the LAMP, Valenzuela has a .252/.338/.356 line with a .693 OPS, 21 homers and 148 RBIs.

The Jaguares will travel to Phoenix for the weekend, where they will be participating in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta at American Family Fields, the spring training home of Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers.

Nick Krauth Is First Import to Tomateros Camp – Former University of Connecticut starter and Texas Rangers farmhand Nick Krauth arrived in Culiacan for the preseason. He’ll be getting his first taste of winter ball this season after spending the last four seasons in the Rangers farm system, rising as high as Triple-A Round Rock.

Krauth spent the second half of the season with the Cleburne Railroaders of the independent American Association after being released by the Rangers on July 20. He has a career ERA of 5.39 over 447 innings of work in the Rangers chain, the bulk of which came at Double-A Frisco, where he threw 232 innings over three seasons with a 5.74 ERA, 164 strikeouts, and 97 walks.

First of Two Mexican Baseball Fiestas This Weekend In Phoenix – The first of two Mexican Baseball Fiesta events in Arizona is scheduled for this weekend at American Family Fields. Six LAMP teams will play three doubleheads at the spring training home of the Milwaukee Brewers starting Friday, Sept. 26 at 8:05 p.m. EST.

In Tucson, the Fiesta will feature the Tucson Baseball Team, the Aguilas de Mexicali, Naranjeros de Hermosillo, Yaquis de Obregon, Algodoneros de Guasave, and Jaguares de Nayarit, as well as the University of Arizona Wildcats, who will face the Tucson Baseball Team on Oct. 2 in a matchup of Tucson’s marquee baseball teams.

Tickets for Mexican Baseball Fiesta in Phoenix are available via Brewers.com. Tickets for Mexican Baseball Fiesta in Tucson are available via ticketreturn.com.

A full schedule for both Mexican Baseball Fiestas is below.

2025 Mexican Baseball Fiesta Schedule
All times Eastern Daylight Time

September 26 – American Family Fields, Phoenix
Game 1 – 8:05 p.m. – Yaquis de Obregón vs. Tucson Baseball Team
Game 2 – Naranjeros de Hermosillo vs. Algodoneros de Guasave

September 27 – American Family Fields, Phoenix
Game 1 – 8:05 p.m. – Jaguares de Nayarit vs. Tucson Baseball Team
Game 2 – Naranjeros de Hermosillo vs. Yaquis de Obregón

September 28 – American Family Fields, Phoenix
Game 1 – 6:05 p.m. – Algodoneros de Guasave vs. Yaquis de Obregón
Game 2 – Naranjeros de Hermosillo vs. Tucson Baseball Team

October 2 – Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
Game 1 – 8:30 p.m. – Naranjeros de Hermosillo vs. Yaquis de Obregón
Game 2 – Tucson Baseball Team vs. University of Arizona

October 3 – Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
Game 1 – 8:30 p.m. – Jaguares de Nayarit vs. Yaquis de Obregón
Game 2 – Naranjeros de Hermosillo vs. Algodoneros de Guasave

October 4 – Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
Game 1 – 8:05 p.m. – Tucson Baseball Team vs. Aguilas de Mexicali
Game 2 – Yaquis de Obregón vs. Naranjeros de Hermosillo

October 5 – Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
Game 1 – 5:05 p.m. – Algodoneros de Guasave vs. Yaquis de Obregón
Game 2 – Naranjeros de Hermosillo vs. Tucson Baseball Team

Photo: Ricardo Valenzuela is ready for his 11th season in the LAMP, this time with the Jaguares de Nayarit. (Photo courtesy of the Jaguares de Nayarit)