Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico Announces New President; Sultanes de Monterrey Relocating to Tepic

The Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico has named Salvador Escobar Cornejo as league president at its spring meetings.

Escobar has previously served in business development jobs with Coca-Cola, Grupo Modelo, TV Azteca, and Grupo Orlegi, and replaces Carlos Manrique, who resigned after three years at the helm of Mexico’s winter league.

The new president has been involved in the business of sports in Mexico for a while, and was a candidate for the presidency of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol in 2019, but that league chose Horacio de la Vega as its new leader.

With Grupo Orlegi, Escobar was involved with the marketing efforts of the business, whose portfolio includes three soccer clubs, including Club Santos Laguna of Liga MX, based in Torreon, Coahuila.

According to a report in El Sol de Mazatlan, the new president will be immediately focused on securing a new broadcast deal for the league.

“It’s an honor to be the head of the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico. There are many challenges ahead, many things to work on. We’re going to work to make the League stronger than it is,” Escobar said in Spanish at a press conference announcing his election as league president.

Sale of Sultanes de Monterrey LAMP Franchise Approved – Along with electing a new league president, the LAMP announced the approval of the sale of the Sultanes de Monterrey franchise to a group led by Carlos Peralta that would relocated the club to Tepic, Nayarit.

The Sultanes, with a history in the LMB that dates back to 1939, joined the LAMP in 2019 as an expansion franchise, along with the Algodoneros de Guasave. With the exception of Monterrey, the LAMP’s franchises are all located on Mexico’s west coast, which puts Monterrey on a geographical island.

Tepic, the capital of the state of Nayarit, opened a new stadium, El Coloso del Pacifico, in the Santa Teresita neighborhood last fall. It hosted group play games in the 2024 WBSC Premier12, but lacked a full-time tenant. The city has a metropolitan population approaching 500,000, and with 9,480 seats, the ballpark will be the smallest in the LAMP if the franchise relocates.

The deadline for the sale of the Monterrey franchise to close is the league’s May meetings.

No News For Navojoa – While Monterrey is loading up the moving trucks, the Mayos de Navojoa, who had been rumored to be relocating to Tucson, Ariz., are staying put.

For now, at least.

“The reality is that Navojoa has been going through a crisis since the pandemic,” said Ingieniero Vega, the president of the LAMP’s board. “Remember, they didn’t have fans, and the second year was restricted, but the number of seats hasn’t improved, and there’s nothing else going on right now. All the speculation is welcome. Today, a committee was formed to help the League grow and for Navojoa to grow with us.”

Playing in the 11,500-seat Estadio Manuel ”Ciclon” Echeverria, the Mayos drew an average of 3,961 fans over 34 home games in 2024-25. It was at least the second time in three years that the Mayos finished last in the 10-team league in attendance, after averaging 3,243 in 2022-23. Historical attendance information for the LAMP is not readily available via the league’s website or media guide.

The Mayos have called Navojoa home since 1959, winning LAMP championships in 1979 under manager Chuck Goggin and in 2000 under Lorenzo Bundy. They finished the 2024-25 season with a 25-43 record, finishing ninth overall, and missing the playoffs. The club finished in the bottom three each of the last three seasons, with their last winning season coming in 2021-22. Navojoa last won a playoff series in 2017-18.

With a population of approximately 165,000, Navojoa is the smallest city in the LAMP, with a population of 90,000 fewer people than the next smallest city in the league, Los Mochis.

Photo: An aerial view of the new baseball stadium in the Santa Teresita neighborhood of Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico. (Google Earth)