Venezuela Update - Lara and Zulia Fight for Last Playoff Spot
There are four teams locked into the Venezuelan playoffs, the Caracas Leones and Magallanes Navegantes finished with identical records at 41-22. In third place were the La Guaira Tiburones, nine games back at 32-31. The fourth playoff team is the Margarita Bravos who are 30-33. The final playoff team will be decided by one game between the Lara Cardenales and the Zulia Aguilas who had identical 29-34 records for the fifth and final spot. The top five teams out of eight qualify for the playoffs. Now that the season is over, myworld will break down the playoff teams.
Caracas Leones (41-22)
Top Hitter: Josh Thole was clearly the top hitter on the team with a .381 average and three homeruns with 28 RBIs. But he left the team on December 7 and may not return for the playoffs. So the top hitter playing in the playoffs would be ex-Pirate now Yokahama Bay Stars Jose Castillo. Jose is hitting .344 with seven homeruns and 34 RBIs. While Thole was second in the league in hitting Jose was sixth. His 17 stolen bases were second in the league.
Other Hitters to Watch: Jackson Melian has had a good winter. He was once a top prospect with the Yankees whose parents were killed in a car crash after they watched him play in a minor league game. Some say the tragedy had an impact on his path to the major leagues. He is hitting .327 for the Leones, but doesn’t provide a lot of power. Catcher Raul Padron is their power source and he will get more playing time behind the plate if Josh doesn’t return for the playoff run. Raul has 9 homeruns and 26 RBIs but only a .276 average. Jesus Guzman broke the Venezuelan League record last year for RBIs. He got off to a slow start this year and hasn’t been lighting the league on fire like he did last year. Still, a .290 average with 8 homeruns and a team leading 37 RBIs is nothing to be ashamed about. It would be a surprise to see Matt Gamel back after the holidays to participate in the playoffs, especially after his struggles (.211, 1, 4) in his 11 games.
Top Pitcher: Their two best pitchers, Larry Broadway and Hector Rondon have left. So that leaves a slim group to choose from, unless the Indians allow Rondon to return for the playoffs. What is left is Gustavo Chacin (3-3, 4.25) and Jhoulys Chacin (1-2, 4.45) to battle for the top spot. Jhoulys has better stuff and throws harder but they both put up almost identical numbers.
Other Pitchers to Watch: Armando Galarraga recently joined the team and was effective his first two appearances going five innings without allowing an earned run. His next two appearances he gave up six runs in six innings. He is coming off a season with the Tigers where he went 6-10, 5.64 after going 13-7, 3.73 his rookie year. Which Galarraga will show up for the playoffs is a mystery? Guillermo Moscoso has moved to the starting rotation after 13 relief appearances. He has only given up two runs in 12 innings in three starts. Franklin Morales will probably round out the rotation, but a 9.00 ERA and 10 walks in 14 innings may not guarantee a spot. Juan Gutierrez has taken over the closer responsibilities from Edwin Moreno. Juan has four saves in his seven games with a 3.86 ERA. The Diamondbacks are hoping that Juan can fill that closer role for them.
On the Roster but yet to Play: Carlos Carrasco, Alex Gonzalez, Marco Scutaro, Julio Borbon (played for Aguilas in the Dominican Republic. Aguilas didn’t make the playoff so perhaps he will be available for the Leones), Bobby Abreu, Franklin Gutierrez.
Magallanes Navegantes (41-22)
Top Hitter: For the season Robinson Chirinos (.366, 10, 34) has been the best hitter on the team. Since Pablo Sandoval has come on board he has hit .395 with three homeruns and 21 RBIs in 20 games.
Other Hitters to Watch: Michael Ryan (.322, 9, 45) has been one of their more consistent hitters. It will be interesting to see if he comes back after the holidays to appear in the playoffs. Elvis Andrus (.247) has been struggling on offense but they will take his defense. His brother Erold Andrus (.309, 3, 22) can provide the offense. Reegie Corona (.317, 2, 18) leads the league in doubles with 17 and provides a good double play partner to Elvis. Miguel Montero (.255) played 14 games and did not hit as well as Robinson, but he may still take some playing time away from him. Richard Hidalgo (.306, 8, 31) just keeps on hitting. He will be 35 during the middle of the 2010 season. You would think some major league team would like to pick up a solid bench player. Ezequiel Carrera (.269, 1, 14) has a lot of talent and his 14 stolen bases are tied for third in the league.
Top Pitcher: Jose Sanchez 14 starts is second in the league. He has been very consistent, going 4-0, 3.24. The most dominating pitcher may be Radhames Liz. He had three brilliant starts when he was with the Orioles, allowing only one run in 11 innings. The O’s tried to slip him through waivers but the Padres grabbed him. After taking about a month off he has started another three games, allowing two runs, one earned in 11 innings. For the year his ERA sits at 0.83. Opponents are hitting only .189 against him.
Other pitchers to Watch: Jean Machi is tied for the league lead in saves with 16. He is 2-0 with a 1.25 ERA. Deolis Guerra (2-0, 5.63) has four appearances and three starts. His ERA is so high because his first start and his last appearance he gave up all his runs. The two starts in between were solid. The starting rotation may have to rely on two converted relievers. Cedric Bowers (5.06) and Eric Junge (3.72) have both been moved to the starting rotation. Cedric walked 19 in 20 innings so he will fit at the end of the rotation if he starts.
On the roster but probably won’t play: Freddy Garcia (he appeared in one early December game in relief and would fit nice in their starting rotation).
La Guaira Tiburones (32-31)
Top Hitter: Max Ramirez has been their big bat hitting 13 homeruns with 36 RBIs. With the pop come the whiffs as his 63 easily lead the league. A late season addition, Jay Gibbons has been the Tiburones most consistent hitter. He is hitting .389, 7, 18, pretty remarkable for only 18 games played. Jay is hitting over .450 against lefthanders and would make a good pickup by a Japanese team looking for a hitter if a major league team doesn’t pick him up.
Other Hitters to Watch: Gregor Blanco is hitting .304, 1, 23 but none of that is remarkable when you compare it to his 49 walks in 47 games. He has a 49/33 walk to K ratio and his .464 OBA is second in the league. Cesar Suarez (.337, 6, 34), Willie Romero (.301, 5, 34) and the hitting machine Oscar Salazar (.291, 4, 34) all drove in 34. Oscar doesn’t provide the loft to hit balls over the fence, but he does pepper the gaps with line drives.
Top Pitcher: Stephen Randolph has been the most consistent pitcher, giving up three or less runs in his eight starts. He finished the season 4-2, 2.68. His contract was sold to Yokohama Bay Stars in the middle of 2009 and he pitched so well the Bay Stars have decided to keep him.
Other pitchers to watch: Enrique Gonzalez is the other pitcher with 14 starts, but his starts have not been that effective with an ERA of 5.35. Victor Zambrano has pitched much better for the Tiburones (3.40) than Magallanes (7.50). He is 0-4, 5.63 when his numbers are combined between the two teams. Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez took over the closer job, but his 7.20 ERA to start the season is pretty ugly. All the runs he gave up were in his first two appearances. He hasn’t given up a run in his last four appearances. Ronald Belasario (1-1, 2.93) provides an excellent setup man.
On Roster but probably won’t play: Dioner Navarro,
Margarita Bravos(30-33)
Top Hitter: World Cup star Rene Reyes is their most consistent hitter with a .317 average, seven homeruns and 40 RBIs.
Other Hitters to Watch: Not a lot of them. Frank Diaz has been another consistent hitter, with a .313 average, 8 homeruns and 35 RBIs. He is almost a duplication of Rene. They have recently gotten some power from Brent Pill, who in 28 games has hit five homeruns and drove in 19 with a .303 average. After those three, unless Neil Walker returns (.267, 4, 16) this is not an impressive lot.
Top Pitcher: Alberto Bastardo (4-0, 2.77) has been solid and wears the tag of best pitcher now. At the start of the season it was Dodgers rule V pickup Carlos Monasterios (7-4, 4.35). He won his first five games but has struggled afterwards. He did pitch six shutout innings his last start, but prior to that he had given up 10 runs in less than five innings in his previous two starts.
Other pitchers to watch: If Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez (1-2, 3.27) returns and Carlos comes back to form they could have a good three man rotation. The last time Orlando pitched was December 9. They could hand the fourth starter job to Nic Ungs (2-1, 4.03). Antonio Alfonseca (1-1, 4.22, 2 saves) appears to have taken the closer responsibilities away from Edgar Martinez (2-2, 2.76, 2 saves).
On Roster but probably won’t play: Felipe Paulino, Ramon Hernadez.
Lara Cardenales (29-34)
Top Hitter: Alcides Escobar could be the MVP of the league. Not only is he providing them with superb defense, but he has been raking on offense (.385, 2, 19). He also has 13 stolen bases in 16 attempts.
Other hitters to Watch: Tom Evans (.356, 9,43) leads the team in runs scored. His 16 doubles is tied for second in the league. Robert Perez (.313, 8, 46) is second in the league in RBIs, but Luis Jimenez (.319, 9, 41) has just five less RBIs in 25 less games. His production would be astounding if he had played the same number of games as Perez. In spring training last year myworld witnessed him turn on a Clayton Kershaw 95 mile per hour fastball and send it sailing into the Vero Beach dorms. Some Japanese team might have themselves a good hitter if they could sign him. Jose Lopez (.279, 2, 3) does not provide the level of defense that Luis Valbuena (.276, 6, 25) does, but his bat is far superior. He may take some at bats away from Luis now that he has arrived, though the Mariners are talking about moving him to first base in 2010.
Top Pitcher: Stephen Shell (4-1, 4.17) has been the one to take the ball consistently but has been shelled for eight runs in his last two starts covering just 12 innings. Raul Rivero (3-2, 2.91) has been their most consistent starter, giving up three or less runs in seven of his eight starts.
Other Pitchers to Watch: Jose Santiago (3-1, 3.71) and Cuban veteran Vladimir Nunez (1-1, 3.18) provide solid alternatives in the three and four spots. Jose has walked more than he has struck out (8/7) but four of his six starts he has given up three or less runs. Opponents are hitting an alarming .331 off him. In four of the five starts by Vladimir he has given up two or less runs. Opponents are having a little more trouble hitting him with an average of .244. Jason Simontacchi has pitched all over the world. Now he is in Venezuela where he has made two late starts for the Cardenales. His last start was the most effective where he gave up just one earned run in seven plus innings. The Cardenales could decide to keep him for their playoff run if they need a fifth starter. Kelvin Escobar made one relief appearance, but since signing with the Mets it is unclear how much they will allow him to pitch. He pitched one inning without giving up a run, striking out one and walking one. Ryan Houston (0-3, 4.85) is their closer. In addition to his three losses he has six saves. He’s only given up one run in six December appearances.
On the Roster but Probably won’t play: None
Zulia Aguilas (29-34)
Top Hitter: Ernesto Meija is the leading homerun hitter and his .297 average and 41 RBIs are not too shabby either.
Other Hitters to Watch: Alberto Callaspo (.287, 1, 23) is the veteran but his defense pales when compared to newcomer Henry Rodriguez (.385). In 15 games the 19 year old prospect has four doubles and three triples. He closed out the season 12 for 24. Carlos Gonzalez (.273, 7, 21) has provided solid pop for the middle of their order, as has Kenny Perez (.269, 8, 38).
Top Pitcher: Heath Totten (4-7, 3.68) has had more starts (15) than any pitcher in the league. Heath has provided consistent starts despite the paucity of victories.
Other Pitchers to Watch: Josh Schmidt (2-5, 3.65) is another pitcher that is pitching well despite the lack of wins. Dwayne Pollock (3-3, 4.84) would be the number three starter. He has only given up one run in his last two starts, striking out 11 in 11 plus innings. Chris Hernandez (0-3, 2.49) is their closer. His 16 saves ties him for the best in the league.
On Roster but probably won’t play: Alex Ramirez
Aragua Tigres (28-35)
Top Hitter: Wilton Ramos had MVP numbers with a .332 average, 12 homeruns and 49 RBIs. The RBI total leads the league. It is too bad the team missed out on the playoffs.
Top Pitcher: Seth Etherton (2-3, 3.04) was the most consistent.
Caribes Anzoategui (22-41)
Top hitter: The youngster Alexi Amarista (.339, 2, 27) was probably the most exciting player on this team. His 10 triples in 47 games easily led the league.
Top Pitcher: Jim Brower (3-1, 2.17) was a diamond in a rotation filled with disappointments.