Liga Mexicana de Beisbol Preview: The Zona Sur Is the Diablos Rojos del Mexico’s Division to Lose

Since Lorenzo Bundy arrived in Mexico City to manage the Diablos Rojos del Mexico, the team for which he starred as a player in the mid-1980s, the Diablos have claimed back-to-back titles in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol.

And now, the pressure is on to win a third straight championship and become the first team to do so since the Industriales/Sultanes de Monterrey took three straight LMB titles from 1947-49. They open the season tonight at 9 p.m. EDT against the Piratas de Campeche, who they beat four games to two in the third round of last year’s playoffs on their way to the club’s 18th championship.

“We know we’re going to have a lot of competition from day one, from the first game, and that’s why our roster is built to play from day one until September,” Bundy told the Diablos Rojos website. “I really like the roster, I like my team. Last year, when I was asked how I felt about the team, I said it felt different from the 2024 team. Now I’m telling you that I feel and see this team differently than the 2025 team, and that’s not in a negative way, quite the opposite.”

In 2024, Bundy and the Diablos had a No. 1 starter with a Cy Young pedigree in Trevor Bauer. Last year, while the Diablos didn’t have a starter of Bauer’s caliber, they got 48 total starts from Justin Courtney, Wilmer Font, Ricardo Pinto, and Zac Grotz, and another 19 total starts from Jose Bravo, Dan Straily, and Brooks Hall.

But the real strength of the Diablos’ pitching staff in 2025 was the bullpen. When his starters would go to the dugout, Bundy used bullpen, which included J.C. Mejia, Nick Vespi, Jimmy Yacabonis, and the top closer in the LMB, Tomohiro Anraku, to shut the opposition down.

“If we receive five innings… who comes in the sixth? Here comes the seventh. Here comes the eighth. Here comes the ninth. This is the formula,” said Diablos manager Lorenzo Bundy in Spanish following Game 3 of last year’s Serie del Rey. “And everything starts with the opener. If the pitcher opens, we give him five innings, and then we are already in a position to use the people that I want to use. And the good thing is that these four guys don’t throw a lot of pitches.”

With former MLBers James Kaprelian and Shane Greene in the rotation, you can expect that formula to return to Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu as well as all the other ballparks the Diablos visit over the course of the season.

At bat, the Diablos have a lineup that could compete with any Triple-A club, with Jon Singleton and Robinson Cano, likely playing his final season, holding down the right side of the infield, and Carlos Sepulveda and Maikel Franco on the left. Julian Ornelas and Jose Marmolejos are two of the best outfielders in the league.

The LMB’s 93-game regular season isn’t a sprint, but it isn’t the 162-game marathon that Major League Baseball’s regular season is, either. With weaker teams in Quintana Roo, Tabasco, and Leon in their division, and one of the strongest rosters in LMB history, it’s the Diablos’ division to lose.

Tonight’s Matchup – Ricardo Pinto will start the season opener for the Diablos against Miller Hogan for the Piratas de Campeche. The game is schedule

Where to Watch – All Liga Mexicana de Beisbol games are streamed live with a subscription on LMB TV, and a season subscription is on sale for MX$799 (about US$46) until April 30. Select games, including tonight’s season opener between the Piratas de Campeche and Diablos Rojos del Mexico, are streamed live on the YouTube page for Latin American network Claro Sports.

Diablos Rojos del Mexico

2025 Regular Season – 63-25, First in Zona Sur
2025 Playoffs – Won 4-0 vs. Yucatan in first round, won 4-0 vs. Puebla in second round, won 4-2 vs. Campeche in third round, won 4-0 vs. Jalisco in Serie del Rey.
Manager – Lorenzo Bundy (Third Season)
Notable Players – 1B Jon Singleton, 2B Robinson Cano, SS Carlos Sepulveda, 3B Maikel Franco, OF Julian Ornelas, OF Jose Marmolejos, C Francisco Mejia, SP Ricardo Pinto, SP James Kaprelian, SP Shane Greene, SP Justin Courtney, RP Nick Vespi, RP Jimmy Yacabonis, RP Tomohiro Anraku.

Outlook – When your team’s owner is a billionaire, as Alfredo Harp Helu is, and you play in a sparkling stadium in the second-largest city in the world, you’re starting a step ahead of most of the rest of the league. Add to that a lineup loaded with elite talent, a manager who is among the most intelligent in baseball, and a deep pitching staff, and it’s hard to see the Diablos not finishing atop the Zona Sur. It’s their division to lose.

Guerreros de Oaxaca

2025 Regular Season – 53-39, Second in Zona Sur
2025 Playoffs – Won vs. Veracruz 4-0 in first round, Lost 4-3 to Campeche in second round.
Manager – Roberto “Chapo” Vizcarra (Second Season)
Notable Players – C Ricardo Valenzuela, 1B Juan Santana, 2B Alexi Amarista, LF Yonathan Daza, CF Luis Barrera, OF/DH Aristedes Aquino, OF/DH Yariel González, SP Luis Miranda, SP Radhames Liz, SP Raymond Burgos, RP Joey Krehbiel.

Outlook – The Guerreros are a team where the sum of the lineup is far greater than its parts. Oaxaca was second in the league in both batting average and runs scored last year behind the Diablos, and drew the third-most walks in the league. Valenzuela and Amarista each hit 16 homers last year, while Santana, Barrera, Aquino, and Gonzalez all have plenty of power. Miranda, Liz, and Burgos are solid, if not flashy, starters at this level, and adding Krehbiel as a closer could bring the Guerreros closer to their Zona Sur rivals in Mexico City.

Piratas de Campeche

2025 Regular Season – 47-43, Third in Zona Sur
2025 Playoffs – Won 4-2 vs. Puebla in first round, won 4-3 vs. Oaxaca in second round, lost 4-2 to Mexico in third round.
Manager – Lloyd McClendon (First Season)
Notable Players – C Francisco Pena, 3B Addison Russell, 2B Connor Hollis, IF Terrin Vavra, 1B/DH Felix Perez, CF Andrew Stevenson, RF Cal Mitchell, SP Miller Hogan, RP Zac Rosscup.

Outlook – The Piratas made a deep run in the playoffs last year before running into the buzzsaw that is the Diablos Rojos. This year, Lloyd McClendon takes the helm of the Piratas’ ship, which will have some firepower, but might be a tad light on pitching. Addison Russell is the biggest addition, Hollis is solid at second base, and Francisco Pena is among the top catchers in the league. They might not have enough to cool down the Diablos, but they should be competitive for home field advantage in the first round.

Pericos de Puebla

2025 Regular Season – 44-47, Fourth in Zona Sur
2025 Playoffs – Lost 4-2 to Campeche in first round.
Manager – Darryl Brinkley (First Season)
Notable Players – SP Vladimir Gutierrez, RP Silvino Bracho, 2B Samar Leyva, OF Philip Ervin, C Juan Kirk, SS Cristhian Adames, 3B Estamy Urena.

Outlook – The Pericos return a lot of offense, with Ervin, Adames, and Urena all coming back. Those three account for 228 of the Pericos’ 571 runs scored in 2025 and and drove in 251 runs last year. Gutierrez is the top starter, leading the team with 66 strikeouts and a 5.08 ERA last year. Bracho is an elite closer at this level. The Pericos should make the playoffs and will likely have a good chance at having home field advantage in the first round.

El Aguila de Veracruz

2025 Regular Season – 44-48, Fifth in Zona Sur
2025 Playoffs – Lost 4-0 to Oaxaca in first round, Lost 4-0 to Mexico in second round.
Manager – Pedro Mere (Third Season)
Notable Players – SS Jack Lopez, C Ali Solis, LF Sebastian Elizalde, SP Jonathan Bermúdez, SP Paul Campbell, SP Braulio Torres-Pérez, RP Jhan Mariñez.

Outlook – Bermúdez is a good addition to the starting rotation, but beyond his arrival, there’s not much to indicate this team is much different that last year’s squad in Veracruz. Playing in a division with the Diablos Rojos, only three of 10 teams finished above .500 last year, and El Aguila was not one of them. A better than .500 finish could get them home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs, but anything less might mean a date with the Diablos.

Leones de Yucatan

2025 Regular Season – 42-50, Sixth in Zona Sur
2025 Playoffs – Lost 4-0 to Mexico in first round.
Manager – Sergio Omar Gastelum (First Season)
Notable Players – LF Estevan Florial, CF Wynton Bernard, 1B Yadir Drake, IF Marco Jaime, SP Cesar Valdez, SP Yoanner Negrin, SP Felix Pena, SP Ronnie Williams, RP Anthony Gose, RP Derek West, RP Miguel Castro.

Outlook – The strength for the Leones is the pitching staff, with a veteran presence in Cesar Valdez and elite starters in Negrin and Pena. Ronnie Williams had a great winter pitching in Venezuela, and flamethrower Anthony Gose will likely help bridge the gap in the middle innings. But is there enough offense to get the Leones deep into the playoffs? Without Art Charles, the Leones lost a lot of power from last year, though Estevan Florial, who hit 28 homers at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre two years ago, may be a more-than-adequate replacement.

Olmecas de Tabasco

2025 Regular Season – 42-50, Seventh in Zona Sur
2025 Playoffs – Did not qualify.
Manager – Luis Rivera (First Season)
Notable Players – SS Jasson Atondo, 1B/DH Seth Beer, OF Jacob Rhinesmith, OF Roel Santos, OF Leo Heras, 3B Marco Hernandez, IF Agustin Murrillo, IF Yamaico Navarro, SP Luis Cessa, SP Yoennis Yera.

Outlook – New manager Luis Rivera, who was the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico’s manager of the year in 2024-25, managed to get fired twice in the same season last year, getting the axe from the Guerreros de Oaxaca on July 4, then getting hired by the Dorados de Chihuahua six days later, only to be canned again at the end of the season. Former first-round pick Seth Beer will make his LMB debut splitting time between first base and DH, and Heras, Sanots, Hernandez, and Navarro all provide power. Cessa and Yera are competent starters, but is there enough pitching depth to get them into the top six?

Bravos de Leon

2025 Regular Season – 40-50, Eighth in Zona Sur
2025 Playoffs – Did not qualify.
Manager – Miguel Tejada (Second Season)
Notable Players – SP Faustino Carrera, SP Phillips Valdez, RP Robert Gsellman, DH Sandber Pimentel, CF Jimmy Kerrigan, LF Gaige Howard, SS Jermaine Palacios.

Outlook – The Bravos, on paper, have a lineup like many of the second-division teams in the LMB: They have high-end talent at some positions and gaping holes at others. Howard and Kerrigan provide solid bats and above-average outfield play. Shortstop Jermaine Palacios is their marquee infielder, and Pimentel is a power threat, but there might not be enough here to get the Bravos to the playoffs, especially with the talent gap between the top and bottom of the pitching staff.

Conspiradores de Queretaro

2025 Regular Season – 35-55, Ninth in Zona Sur
2025 Playoffs – Did not qualify.
Manager – Dan Firova (First Season)
Notable Players – 1B Henry Urrutia, 2B Yangervis Solarte, IF Alen Hanson, IF Kelvin Gutierrez, OF Abraham Almonte, OF Rainel Rosario, SP Junior Guerra, SP Esmil Rogers, RP Angel Obando, RP Anthony Vizcaya.

Outlook – The Conspiradores had a great first season in the LMB, finishing 50-38-1 before falling to 35-55 record last season. Veteran LMB skipper Dan Firova, who won three titles with the Tigres Capitalinos in 1997, 1998, and 2001, will lead a team with the potential to earn home field advantage for the first round of the playoffs. There’s a lot of MLB experience in the field, quite a bit of power in the lineup, and a relatively deep starting rotation. The bullpen may be a weakness, but you could say that about a lot of teams in the LMB. How far the Conspiradores go will likely be determined by how much they buy in to Firova as a manager.

Tigres de Quintana Roo

2025 Regular Season – 35-58, 10th in Zona Sur
2025 Playoffs – Did not qualify.
Manager – Hector Estrada (First Season)
Notable Returners – CF Miles Simington, SS Cristopher Gastelum, C Alexis Wilson, SP Julio Robaina, SP Steven Moyers.

Outlook – There’s not a whole lot to suggest that the Tigres will be better than last year. Wilson is one of Mexico’s best catchers, Gastelum is a solid young shortstop, and Simington provides good offense. But without homer leader Leonardo Reginatto, who had 14 round-trippers last year, and Gaige Howard, who led the team in batting average with a .321 mark and RBIs with 57, it’s hard to see this club producing enough runs to be competitive for a playoff spot.

2026 Liga Mexicana de Beisbol Key Dates

April 16 – Opening Day

June 26-28 – All-Star Game – Walmart Park – Monterrey, Nuevo Leon

August 6 – Last Day of Regular Season

August 8 – Playoffs Begin

September 8-16 – Serie del Rey

Photo: Robinson Cano of the Diablos Rojos del Mexico celebrates after winning the 2025 Serie del Rey at Estadio Panamericano in Guadalajara, Mexico. (Photo courtesy of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol)