The fall and winter baseball leagues see an odd mixture of prospects, grizzled veterans, and legends of other nations. I’ve gathered all the statistics from four leagues — the Mexican Pacific League, the Puerto Rican League, the Venezuelan League, and the Arizona Fall League — and come up with a list of the top performers in each league. I simply took a few key indicators of performance (OBP + SLG [OPS], BB/K ratio, and SLG – BA [ISO] for hitters; ERA, K/BB ratio, K/9 IP, and H/9 IP for pitchers) for individuals and compared them to the league as a whole, expressed as a percentage above or below league average.
First I divided the number of at bats in the entire league by the number of batters. The players whose at bats were greater than league ABs/no. of batters were then sorted by OPS relative to league (iOPS). The players whose iOPS was greater than zero, i.e., above league average, were then sorted by BB/K relative to league (iBB/K). This process was repeated with ISO relative to league (iISO), and the players who were above average in all three categories are the ones I’ve looked at.
The same process was followed for pitchers, with innings pitched replacing at bats, and using the four pitching categories outlined above.
(Note: The Australian League and Maryland Fall League are not included in this survey because their level of play is considerably lower (and I got lazy). The Dominican League is omitted due to Hurricane Georges.)
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s look at the Mexican Pacific League.
Batters
League Totbat MinAB Qualbat Parambat Paramtot OPS BB/K ISO Mexican Pacific 170 105 75 19 11.18 .707 .860 .104
Key. Totbat, total number of batters in league; MinAB, minimum number of at bats needed to qualify; Qualbat, number of batters who qualified; Parambat, number of batters who met parameters (i.e., positive iOPS, iBB/K, and iISO); Paramtot, percentage of total number of batters who met parameters. OPS, OBP + SLG; ISO, SLG – BA.
For the sake of comparison, the MLB OPS, BB/K, and ISO in 1998 were .757, .516, and .154. Batters in the Mexican Pacific League tend to hit a little worse, hit for less power, and draw a lot more walks than in the big leagues (disregarding, of course, level of competition).
Below are the 19 batters, in descending order of at bats, who had enough at bats and were above league average in all three categories, OPS, BB/K, and ISO.
Mexican Pacific League Last First Pos AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB PCT OBP SLG OPS BB/K ISO iOPS iBB/K iISO Leach Jalal OF 245 39 77 20 1 4 37 37 22 13 .314 .404 .453 .857 1.682 .139 21.31 95.63 33.40 White Derrick OF 233 45 75 15 0 6 31 37 34 8 .322 .415 .464 .878 1.088 .142 24.28 26.58 36.15 Ojeda Miguel C 227 22 60 11 0 6 32 31 35 2 .264 .353 .392 .745 .886 .128 5.38 3.02 22.81 Durazo Erubiel 1B 223 51 77 21 1 12 48 32 24 2 .345 .427 .610 1.037 1.333 .265 46.77 55.09 154.33 Agbayani Benny OF 218 31 66 9 1 5 39 35 38 4 .303 .399 .422 .821 .921 .119 16.20 7.14 14.65 Williams Eddie DH 217 58 75 13 0 12 44 40 23 2 .346 .447 .571 1.019 1.739 .226 44.17 102.29 117.06 Robles Javier SS 205 27 50 13 0 6 32 34 25 3 .244 .351 .395 .747 1.360 .151 5.64 58.19 45.37 Seitzer Brad 3B 198 42 56 11 2 7 36 56 33 2 .283 .441 .465 .906 1.697 .182 28.14 97.39 74.78 Rojas Homar C 198 21 55 11 0 6 31 21 11 2 .278 .347 .424 .771 1.909 .146 9.13 122.06 40.79 Jimenez Eduardo DH 195 33 55 15 0 11 46 65 44 0 .282 .462 .528 .990 1.477 .246 40.04 71.83 136.62 Guiel Aaron 1B 195 32 54 8 0 10 32 41 41 3 .277 .403 .472 .874 1.000 .195 23.71 16.32 87.33 Stark Matt DH 189 31 66 10 0 7 44 51 11 0 .349 .488 .513 1.001 4.636 .164 41.60 439.29 57.67 Mendez Roberto OF 160 28 47 10 0 5 23 48 23 8 .294 .457 .450 .907 2.087 .156 28.30 142.75 50.20 Matthews Gary OF 154 35 41 7 0 4 12 44 25 7 .266 .429 .390 .819 1.760 .123 15.87 104.72 18.60 Burkhart Morgan 1B 132 22 37 8 0 7 23 29 17 2 .280 .410 .500 .910 .706 .220 28.75 98.43 111.19 Butler Rich OF 129 16 37 7 1 3 14 19 20 8 .287 .378 .426 .805 .950 .140 13.87 10.50 34.13 Hurst Jimmy OF 117 23 28 6 0 3 25 35 40 7 .239 .414 .368 .782 .875 .128 10.65 1.78 23.24 Valdez Mario OF 112 16 35 10 0 8 22 24 26 0 .313 .434 .616 1.050 .923 .304 48.55 7.37 191.82
Leach, age 30, has been playing professionally since 1990 and has been in four organizations. He split 1998 between Shreveport and Fresno, the Double- and Triple-A affiliates of the San Francisco Giants. He’s seen time at Triple-A each of the past 5 years but never cracked The Show. His career numbers are .286/.346/.423, and last year his MLE was .313/.367/.495. Probably could make a decent fifth outfielder but won’t get the chance.
White, age 29, has accumulated 116 major league at bats over 3 seasons with Montreal, Detroit, the Cubs, and Colorado, hitting .181/.202/.302. His 1998 MLE was .312/.384/.527.
Ojeda, age 24, appears to be somehow affiliated with the Pirates, but the relationship isn’t altogether clear. He played 27 games of Rookie Ball in 1993, 48 games of Short Season Class-A in 1994, and then 18 games of Double-A last year. In 297 minor league at bats, he’s hit .212/.263/.316.
Durazo is a Mexican League veteran. In 1998 he hit .350, with 19 HR and 98 RBI for the Monterrey Sultans.
Agbayani, 27 years old, is perhaps best known for making the Triple-A All-Star squad last season, where he was to be married at home plate before the game in a traditional Polynesian ceremony, only to be recalled by the New York Mets for his first taste of the big leagues after 6 years of toiling down on the farm. He went 2 for 15 in his brief stint with the Mets, and his MLE at Norfolk was .248/.330/.397.
Williams, age 34, has spent most of his career in the minors, though he has managed to hit .252/.319/.398 in 1145 big league at bats, over the course of 10 seasons. The former first round pick’s best season came in 1994, with the San Diego Padres, when he hit .331/.392/.594 in 175 at bats. His 1998 MLE was .292/.342/.510. May continue to surface for a handful of at bats here and there before moving on.
The 29-year-old Seitzer is the younger brother of former Royals infielder Kevin Seitzer. In 8 minor league seasons he’s hit .282/.369/.433. He spent last season at Tacoma, Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. No doubt it was a nice change from 1997, when he played for four different organizations. His MLE last year was .283/.366/.432. Seems like a useful enough player to me.
Rojas, age 35, played in the Dodgers organization from 1987-90 and compiled a .273/.309/.362 record over 762 at bats, mostly at Vero Beach and San Antonio.
Jimenez hit .295, with 20 HR and 85 RBI for the Mexico City Reds in 1998.
Guiel, age 26, is a C level prospect in the Padres organization. He came over from Anaheim in the 1997 deal that sent Rickey Henderson to the Angels. Guiel was injured for much of last season, but hit .311/.410/.519 (not MLE) at Triple-A Las Vegas. In 6 minor league campaigns he’s hit .290/.395/.488. Future fourth or fifth outfielder if all goes well.
Stark, 34 years old, is very popular in Mexico, as he plays there year round. Last year for the Union Laguna Cotton Pickers he hit .408, with 7 HR and 35 RBI. He played in the Blue Jays and Angels organizations before spending a couple of seasons with the St. Paul Saints and finally finding a home in Mexico.
Mendez, age 26, batted 34 times for Pittsburgh’s Rookie Ball club and hit .147/.231/.235.
Matthews, age 24, is a B- level prospect for the San Diego Padres. The son of a former big league outfielder with the same name, Matthews is an excellent athlete who is a natural centerfielder. He makes contact from both sides of the plate, and has a little power and a little speed. And, unfortunately, a knack for getting injured. His 1998 MLE was .267/.355/.392. Reminds me of Brian McRae. See Padres Farm Report: Mike Darr/Gary Matthews for more on Matthews.
Burkhart, age 27, has spent the past four seasons with the Richmond Roosters, of the independent Frontier League. For his career he’s hitting .353/.480/.676, including a gawdy .404/.557/.861 last year in 280 at bats.
Butler, 26 years old, was a prospect in the Toronto Blue Jays organization for many years before being selected by Tampa Bay in the expansion draft a couple years ago. He split 1998 between Triple-A Durham and the big club, hitting .226/.278/.364 for the Devil Rays. He’s got a decent shot at a recurring role as a backup outfielder in the bigs.
Hurst is 27 years old and a hulking (6’6″, 225 lbs.) right-handed hitter. He went 3 for 17 in a brief trial with the Detroit Tigers in 1997. Last year, at Pawtucket, the Boston Red Sox’ Triple-A club, his MLE was .270/.361/.438. In 8 minor league seasons he’s a .257/.340/.445 hitter. His past and future look a lot like those of many of these other guys.
Valdez, age 24, is a B/B- level prospect for the Chicago White Sox. He has a good line drive stroke and above-average plate discipline, but keeps getting passed over in favor of more toolsy players. In 115 big league at bats (all in 1997) he’s hit .243/.350/.330. Wasted all of last year at Triple-A Calgary, where his MLE was .291/.359/.447. Could start for a lot of big league teams right now.
I couldn’t dig up anything on Robles.
Pitchers
League Totpit MinIP Qualpit Parampit Paramtot ERA K/BB K/9 H/9 Mexican Pacific 140 34 62 14 10.00 3.91 1.16 5.36 8.71
Key. Totpit, total number of pitchers in league; MinIP, minimum number of innings pitched needed to qualify; Qualpit, number of pitchers who qualified; Parampit, number of pitchers who met parameters (i.e., positive iERA, iK/BB, iK/9, and iH/9); Paramtot, percentage of total number of pitchers who met parameters.
The MLB values in 1998 for ERA, K/BB, K/9, and H/9 were 4.42, 1.94, 6.61, 9.22. Once again ignoring the discrepancies in talent level, pitchers in the Mexican Pacific League give up fewer runs, hits, and strikeouts, and more walks, than their big league counterparts.
Here are the 14 pitchers who posted above-average values in each of the previously mentioned categories and who pitched the requisite number of innings.
Mexican Pacific League Last First W L G SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA K/BB K/9 H/9 iERA iK/BB iK/9 iH/9 Garibay Daniel 6 5 14 0 95.7 79 37 29 36 77 2.73 2.14 7.24 7.43 30.19 84.92 35.08 14.69 Alvarez Tavo 6 2 16 1 91.0 80 40 39 35 69 3.86 1.97 6.82 7.91 1.30 70.44 27.25 9.18 Rios Jesus 5 2 16 0 89.3 71 36 29 43 63 2.92 1.47 6.35 7.15 25.24 26.67 18.35 17.89 Lopez Rodrigo 2 5 13 0 76.7 51 29 25 30 52 2.93 1.73 6.10 5.99 24.90 49.85 13.83 31.28 Moreno Leobardo 5 2 14 0 73.7 66 30 23 36 54 2.81 1.50 6.60 8.06 28.10 29.68 23.02 7.44 Bernal Manuel 5 4 11 0 71.7 63 28 25 23 50 3.14 2.17 6.28 7.91 19.67 87.94 17.08 9.18 Bailey Cory 3 5 14 2 58.7 47 22 19 28 43 2.91 1.54 6.60 7.21 25.42 32.77 23.01 17.23 Valdez Armando 3 3 35 2 55.3 49 30 23 26 37 3.74 1.42 6.02 7.97 4.28 23.03 12.22 8.51 Palacios Vicente 5 2 30 1 53.3 40 17 13 20 58 2.19 2.90 9.79 6.75 43.87 150.72 82.51 22.52 Aguirre Gaudencio 2 3 18 1 53.3 47 19 15 24 33 2.53 1.38 5.57 7.93 35.23 18.87 3.84 8.96 Cruz Javier 7 2 32 8 48.3 33 16 16 20 42 2.98 2.10 7.82 6.14 23.77 81.55 45.83 29.46 Flynt Will 1 4 8 0 48.0 46 20 11 28 44 2.06 1.57 8.25 8.63 47.22 35.86 53.84 0.99 Del Toro Miguel 4 2 29 5 47.0 35 18 14 25 38 2.68 1.52 7.28 6.70 31.40 31.41 35.69 23.07 Diaz Rafael 3 2 27 10 39.0 29 10 9 21 37 2.08 1.76 8.54 6.69 46.86 52.32 59.22 23.18
Garibay, age 26, worked very briefly in the Dodgers farm system. In 1994, at Double-A San Antonio, he put up the following line: 3 G, 1 GS, 0.2 IP, 10 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 2 HR, 4 BB, 0 SO, 121.50 ERA. That’s the last time he pitched north of the border. Last year, with the Mexico City Tigers, he went 10-2, with a 3.37 ERA in 155 innings.
Alvarez is a 27-year-old who has pitched in the Expos and Pirates organizations. In 874 career minor league innings, he has a 56-51 record and a 3.56 ERA. Last season, at Triple-A Nashville, he went 3-5 with a 4.83 ERA in 86 innings. At the plate he was 5 for 16 with a double and a homer.
Rios spent 1998 with the Monclova Steelers, of the Mexican League, where he finished 16-6, with a 3.00 ERA over 177 innings.
Lopez, 23 years old, is a decent prospect in the Padres system. After a fine 1997 season at Class-A Clinton, he was jumped past Rancho Cucamonga to Double-A Mobile, where he made 4 good starts (3-0, 1.40 ERA, 4 BB, 20 SO) before getting hurt. Don’t know much other than that, but now that I know he exists I’ll be keeping track of him this year. In 253 minor league innings he has a 14-13 record and a 4.02 ERA.
The 25-year-old Bernal pitched in the Royals chain from 1994-97, never making it past Class-A ball. In 297 minor league innings he is 16-20 with a 4.22 ERA, but only 152 SO.
Bailey, age 28, is a former Red Sox prospect who spent 1998 at Fresno, the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A ballclub, where he posted a 7-2 record, 10 saves, and a 2.47 ERA over 95 innings. For his career he is 36-32, with 132 saves in 490 innings. In 94 big league innings, he’s compiled a 5-5 record and a 4.23 ERA.
Palacios, 35 years of age, was a terrific pitching prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization back in the late 1980s. His career minor league record is 31-17, with a 3.12 ERA in 482 innings. In the big leagues, with the Bucs and the St. Louis Cardinals, he is 17-19, with a 4.36 ERA in 361 innings. He last pitched with the Cards in 1995 and has been playing in the Mexican League ever since. Last season, with the Monterrey Sultans, he was 7-2, with a 1.18 ERA and 25 saves in 76 innings pitched.
Flynt, age 31, has a very spotty minor league record, having appeared at Class-A San Bernardino in 1991, then disappearing for 3 years before working a handful of games at Double- and Triple-A in 1995 and 1996, in the Pirates and Orioles chains. He missed 1997, then spent last season with the Bend Bandits of the Independent Western League, where he started 21 games and went 9-8, with a 5.15 ERA and 134 SO in 136 innings.
Diaz, 27 years old, spent parts of 4 seasons in the Cincinnati Reds organization, never making it out of Rookie League ball except for 15 innings in 1991 in Class-A. From 1989 to 1993, he compiled a 9-6 record and a 4.41 ERA over 137 innings. Last year at Monterrey he worked 176 innings, going 14-4 with a 3.02 ERA.
I was unable to find information on Moreno, Valdez, Aguirre, Cruz, or Del Toro.
That’s all for now. Join me next time, when we travel to Puerto Rico!
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