The second week of the Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional season has wrapped up, with the Tigres de Aragua making an early statement to the rest of the league.
Aragua went 4-0 during the week and now sits atop the standings at 8-1. They’re the only team in the league with fewer than four losses, putting them in strong position for an early push toward the Round Robin playoff stage with a red-hot start.
The Tigres relied on strong starting pitching during opening week, but in Week 2, their offense started to get it going as well. Leading the charge is former major leaguer José Martínez, who has been one of the best performers of the season. The 36-year-old, who appeared in 432 MLB games and played for the Tigres last year, homered twice off former Detroit Tigers farmhand Cleiverth Pérez in a 5-4 win over the Cardenales de Lara.
After hitting seven home runs in 57 games last winter, Martínez already has two in his first nine games this season. He leads the LVBP with a 1.208 OPS, anchoring a the Tigres lineup.
The Caribes de Anzoátegui also caught fire in Week 2. After starting the season 1-4, they have since gone 5-0, fueled by improved pitching and a red-hot offense. Cuban right-hander José Rodríguez was a key contributor, tossing six innings of one-run ball (unearned) against the Bravos de Margarita on Wednesday to pick up the win.
Offensively, former Royals minor leaguer Balbino Fuenmayor led the charge. Over the final five games of the week, he went 9-for-17 with a home run and now owns a 1.063 OPS, tied for second in the league with three homers. He took home player of the week honors with the performance. With his home run, he sits 12th all time in LVBP history with 81 career home runs. He needs 19 more home tuns to be just the 5th player ever with 100 home runs in the league and the 35 year old has shown he has plenty left in the tank.