2011 Caribbean Series Results and All-Stars

The Caribbean Series finished Monday and the team representing Mexico won the championship for 2011.  The Yaquis de Ciudad Obregon finished the series 4-2 to win their first title and the first title for Mexico since 2005.

The Dominican team was unable to repeat their performance from one year ago in which LIDOM champion Escogido won the Caribbean Series title.  The Toros de la Romana represented the Dominican league this year, and though they did not win, they had a good showing and finished in a tie for second. 

There were also three Dominican players and one Cuban player representing the Toros on the Caribbean Series all-star team.  Third baseman Danny Richar, left fielder Ruddy Yan, and center fielder Jose Constanza were the Dominican players to make the all-star team for the Toros.  They were joined by Cuban teammate Raul Valdes.  The Dominican team was only outdone in all-star selections by the Mexican side, which had five selections including MVP Jorge Vazquez.

All four participating countries host the series on a rotating basis.  Next year the tournament will be in the Dominican Republic, and La Romana is hoping to host the event for the first time, though Santo Domingo is always in the running to host.

Caribbean Series 2011 All-Star Team:

Iker Franco, C, Mexico

Jorge Vazquez, 1B, Mexico

Alex Cora, 2B, Puerto Rico

Danny Richar, 3B, Dominican Republic

Henry Rodriguez, SS, Venezuela

Ruddy Yan, LF, Dominican Republic

Jose Constanza, CF, Dominican Republic

Karim Garcia, RF, Mexico

Barbaro Canizares, DH, Mexico

Raul Valdez, LHP, Dominican Republic

Juan Padilla, RHP, Puerto Rico

Jorge Vazquez, MVP, Mexico

Eddie Diaz, Manager, Mexico

This is a partial article.  See the full article at the Dominican Baseball Examiner

Dominican Team Loses on Final Day of Caribbean Series, Mexico Takes Title

Cuban Raul Valdes pitched 7.2 innings of scoreless ball and the Toros de la Romana defeated the Puerto Rican host team Criollos de Caguas in the final game of the 2011 Caribbean Series.  Julio Manon earned his third save of the tournament in finishing out the shutout for the Dominican team.

Alejandro de Aza (White Sox) had a two RBI triple to open the scoring for the Toros in the 4th inning.  De Aza later scored an insurance run off an Esteban German (Rangers) infield single to finish off the scoring.

Puerto Rico had a chance to tie Mexico for the series lead and force a one game playoff, but they ended up in a tie for second with the Dominican Republic.  Both teams had a 3-3 record.

Mexico won their earlier game over Venezuela to finish the tournament 4-2 and take the title. This is the sixth time a Mexican team has won the title and first since 2005 when the Venados de Mazatlan took the title.  It is also the first Caribbean Series title for the Yaquis de Obregon.

Mexico Celebrates the 2011 Caribbean Series Title

Next year's tournament will be in the Dominican Republic with La Romana and Santo Domingo both vying to host the event.

Caribbean Series Final Standings:

Mexico: 4-2

Puerto Rico: 3-3

Dominican Republic: 3-3

Venezuela: 3-3

Dominican Republic wins 4-3 on third day of Caribbean Series

The Dominican team came back with two outs in the ninth inning and down 3-1 to defeat the Puerto Rican squad in day three of the Caribbean Series.  Esteban German scored the game winning run after knocking in two runs on a triple to tie the game in the ninth.  German is a non-roster invitee to Rangers spring training camp in a few weeks.

Fernando Abad pitched 4.2 innings and allowed 1 run for the Dominican team represented by the Toros de la Romana.  Abad is a roster invitee to the Astros camp.  Julio Manon got his second save of the tourney.

Major League veteran Alex Cora had a strong game for the host Puerto Ricans, going 3-3 with two walks.

Alex Cora, By Keith Allison on Flickr 

Mexico beat Venezuela 7-3 in the other game on the day.

Caribbean Series standings:
Dominican Republic: 2-1
Mexico: 2-1
Venezuela: 1-2
Puerto Rico: 1-2

Dominican Republic Beats Venezuela 6-5 in Day Two of Caribbean Series

Kevin Barker hit a home run and had three RBI in leading the Toros de la Romana to a victory on day two of the Caribbean Series.  Venezuelan first basemen Luis Jimenez hit two homers in a losing effort.  Venezuela is represented by the Caribes de Anzoategui.

Kevin Barker continues solid play in winter league action

The starters from both teams had sub-par outings.  Venezuelan starter Amaury Sanit gave up three runs on three innings and Dominican starter Aneury Rodriguez allowed 3 runs in 4.1 innings.  Julio Manon got the save after blowing a save in the first game.

Jackson Melian had a two run homer in the ninth to bring Venezuela within one run, before Manon closed the game.  Wellington Castillo, Jose Constanza, and Michael Martinez each had one RBI for the Dominicans.

Puerto Rico beat Mexico 7-3 in the second game on the day.

Caribbean Series Standings:
Mexico: 1-1
Venezuela: 1-1
Dominican Republic: 1-1
Puerto Rico: 1-1

Dominican Team Loses First Game of Caribbean Series in 15 Inning Affair

The Yaquis de Ciudad Obregon (Mexico) defeated the Toros de la Romana (Dominican Republic) in a 15 inning contest in game one of the Caribbean Series.  Iker Franco drove in the winning run for the Mexican side with two outs and two on in the 15th inning.

The Mexican team tied the game in the bottom of the ninth off  a Barbaro Canizares RBI with two outs off releiver Julio Manon.  The Yaquis had the opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the ninth, but Ricardo Nanita made a sensational catch at the wall to send the contest into extra innings.

Jose Contanza scored the opening run off Mexican pitcher Alberto Castillo in the third inning after he singled to open the inning.  Brock Peterson reached on an error in the sixth inning and was driven in by Rudy Yan.  Alberto Rosario then batted in Rudy Yan and that would be the last runs the Dominican team would score.

Raul Valdes allowed two runs and three hits in six plus innings starting for the Toros.  The Mexican squad scored  two runs in the seventh off sloppy play from the Dominican defense, and that led to Valdes being yanked.  See the box score here.

Both teams see action tomorrow in the double round robin format.  The 2011 version of the Caribbean Series is dedicated to Roberto Alomar, who was recently inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Roberto was also inducted into the Caribbean Series Hall of Fame this year and threw out the first pitch in Puerto Rico's opening game (see story here).

Alomar throws out the first pitch in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

Venezuela beat Puerto Rico 5-3 in the other game on day one of the series.

Caribbean Series Standings:

Mexico: 1-0

Venezuela: 1-0

Puerto Rico: 0-1

Dominican Republic: 0-1

Caribbean Series Preview

The Caribbean Series starts tomorrow in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic is represented by the LIDOM champions, the Toros de la Romana.  The Toros and their reinforcements will be facing the winners of the winter leagues in Mexico, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico.

The Dominican Republic is the defending champion, as Escogido won the series last year.  The Dominican Republic has also won the event 18 times in the 52 years it has been played, which is the most of any country.

MLB.com has a nice preview that you can see here.  Also, Bruce Baskin did a nice job of scouting reports at his Baseball Mexico website and you can see those scouting reports here.

The series is a double round robin event, so each team plays each other two times, and the team with the best record is declared the winner.  The opening game is tomorrow at 3pm EST and features the Dominican team versus Mexico.

The Caribbean Series 2011 Schedule (all times EST)

Caribbean Series Uniforms for Toros de la Romana Presented

Orange Dominicana (a major cell phone and communications company in the Dominican Republic), along with representatives of Comercializadora Deportiva Dominicana (a sporting goods company) and officials from the Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM), presented the official uniforms of the Toros de la Romana for the Caribbean Series.

The uniforms incorporate the colors of the Dominican Republic, along with a Toros hat and the Toros main sponsor (Orange Dominicana) displayed prominently.  The Caribbean Series starts Wednesday, February 2.

The Toros Jerseys for the Caribbean Series 2011

LIDOM Champion Toros de la Romana Have Victory Parade

The Toros de la Romana and their fans continues to celebrate their Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) championship on Wednesday with a parade through the city of La Romana.  The parade was in celebration of the championship that the Toros won last week.

The parade ended in the Francisco Micheli Stadium, where the Toros completed their sweep of the Estrellas on Sunday.  The stadium scene featured thanks from the team, as well as music and other entertainment.  Along with the team and team president Frank Micheli, the local provincial governor and the national senator for the region also attended the parade.  This is in addition to thousands of loyal Toros fans.

Fans and supporters joined the parade and followed the team to the stadium.  The Toros are awaiting the start of the Caribbean Series on February 2.  Here are some pictures of the event from various sources:

Toros Visit President Leonel Fernandez

As is tradition in the United States, the President of the Dominican Republic usually hosts the Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) champion.  This was the case this year, as President Leonel Fernandez hosted the Toros de la Romana on Tuesday.

First, President Fernandez congratulated the Toros through the media on Monday.  Then, on Tuesday he welcomed the Toros the Hall of Ambassadors at the Dominican capital in Santo Domingo.  Fernandez was joined by Sports Minister Felipe Payano and MLB Executive in the Dominican Republic Leonardo Matos Berrido.

President Fernandez receives the jersey of the Toros de la Romana

President Fernandez congratulated the Toros and wished them luck in the Caribbean Series.  He received the jersey of the Toros, and also made sure to tell them that the hopes of all Dominicans are on their shoulders and he expects them to win the Caribbean Series.

La Romana Celebrates LIDOM Championship

The Toros de la Romana won their first domestic crown since 1994-95.  There were some big celebrations the night of the game, as the Toros won in their home stadium.

The city of la Romana has been celebrating for two days (see article).  The party will continue as there is a victory parade scheduled for Wednesday the 26th.  The Toros will begin practice later this week, in preparation for the Caribbean Series on February 2nd.

Toros fans Celebrate

Toros de la Romana Sweep Estrellas, Win LIDOM Championship

The Toros de la Romana defeated the Estrellas from San Pedro de Macoris to win the Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) championship for the 2010-11 season.  This is the Toros first championship since 1994-95.

The Toros won the 5th game of the 9 game series with an explosion of four runs in the seventh inning.  Martin Maldanado (Brewers), Esteban German (Rangers), Ricardo Nanita, and Eduardo Nunez (Yankees) each had RBI for the Toros in this frame.  The victory went to reliever Jairo Asencio (Braves) and Julio Manon got the save.

For the Estrellas, Eugelio de la Cruz got the loss, even though he gave up no earned runs in six innings.  Andres Rodriguez and Argenis Reyes had RBI in a losing cause for the Estrellas.

The Toros won the title on their home field, and the atmosphere was second to none.  The crowd was standing for most of the contest and it was extremely loud throughout.  The great home fans even rushed the field at the end of the contest, something the Dominican Baseball Guy has never seen at a baseball game.  See the official video from ligadom.com or some youtube clips like this one:


The Toros go on to the Caribbean Series to face the champions of the winter leagues in Mexico, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico.  It takes place from February 2-7 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

Congratulations La Romana and Toros

Toros de la Romana Win 11-2 Over Estrellas, Take 4-0 Lead in LIDOM Finals

Marlins prospect Adalberto Mendez pitched 5.2 innings, allowing one run, and the Toros de la Romana had 14 hits in scoring 11 runs.  The Toros scored three runs in the first and never trailed.  Eduardo Nunez (Yankees) had a double and three RBI and Jose Constanza (Braves) had three hits for the Toros.  American Brock Peterson (Twins) also had a three run homer for the Toros.

Adalberto Mendez pitches for the Marlins

Former big leaguer Dan Reichert had an ineffective outing for the Estrellas of San Pedro de Macoris, getting pulled in the first inning after giving up three runs.  The lone highlight for the Estrellas came on Buck Coat's solo homerun in the 6th inning.

The Toros lead the series 4-0 and are one game away from a sweep of the Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) final series.  They have not won the domestic crown since 1994-95 when they were led by Art Howe.

Toros de La Romana win 2-1, Gain 3-0 Lead in LIDOM Final Series

Fernando Abad (Astros) pitched 6 innings of no-hit ball and the Toros pitched a combined 1 hitter to take a three games to none lead over the Estrellas in the Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) finals.  The Toros won 2-1.

Fernando Abad pitches for the Toros

Julio Manon got the save, although he did give up one hit and one run in the ninth, after the Toros shutout the Estrellas through 8 innings.  The Toros first run came on a Ricardo Nanita single in the 3rd inning and American journeyman Kevin Barker added the second run on an RBI single in the 7th.

For the Estrellas, Cuban Alberto Castillo pitched 6 innings and allowed only one run, but that got him the loss.  Michael Martinez (Nationals) had the lone RBI for the Estrellas, when he doubled off Manon in the 9th inning.

Game 4 is Saturday at the Tetelo Vargas Stadium in San Pedro de Macoris.

Toros de La Romana Win Game 2 Over Estrellas, Lead Final Series 2-0

The Toros beat the Estrellas at the Estrellas' home Tetelo Vargas stadium in San Pedro de Macoris.  The final score was Toros 3 and Estrellas 1.  Ricardo Nanita had a 2 RBI single in the 8th inning to put the Toros up for good.  Carlos Perez got the win in relief and Julio Manon took the save for the Toros.

Ricardo Nanita had a 30 game hit streak in the Pioneer Rookie League, he is from Santo Domingo

The Toros scored the first run in the second inning on a Danny Richar sacrifice fly.  The Estrellas then equalized in the seventh on an Edwin Bellorin RBI.  The Estrellas had other chances in the fifth and seventh innings that were squandered by base running blunders.

Game three is Friday in La Romana.  The Toros are threatening to run away with the 9 game series, and a victory would be there first Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) championship since 1996.  The Estrellas have not won the domestic crown since 1968.

Toros de La Romana Take Lead in Sugar Series, Lead LIDOM Finals 1-0

Toros de La Romana took a 1-0 lead  in the first game of the 9 game final series, beating over the Estrellas de San Pedro de Macoris 5-3.  The Dominican press is calling this year's finals the Sugar Series (see the Dominican Baseball Guy's last post).  The game took place in la Romana at the Stadium Francisco Micheli.

Raul Valdes (Cardinals) continued a strong winter campaign and pitched a complete game for the Toros.  See an article about Valdes and his future with the Cardinals here.  Puerto Rican Martin Maldonado had a good game behind the plate catching for Valdes and also had an RBI at the plate.  Jose Constanza (Braves) also had two RBI for the Toros and Danny Richar (Marlins) was 3-4 with two runs.  Constanza hit .319 with the Braves AAA team and made the International League All-Star team, and Richar has been very successful with the Marlins AAA team, so the Dominican Baseball Guy expects to see both in the big leagues soon.

Valdes pitches a complete game

For the Estrellas, former big leaguer and minor league veteran Buck Coats scored a run on an Edward Rogers single, and Edwin Bellorin had two RBI.  Coats was later ejected in the third inning, in an interesting scene that saw Coats (a ten year veteran of the minor leagues) arguing with a fellow American umpire in a Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) playoff game.  LIDOM has both American and Dominican umpires work most games, because it is thought the American umpires do not have ulterior motives in regards to favoring certain teams.

Coats exits as his manager continues the argument with the home plate umpire

The incident goes to show that these games are very important for everyone involved.  For many of these players these are the biggest games and the most intense atmosphere they have had the chance to play in, and this is true for veteran Americans like Coats and Kevin Barker of the Toros.

Game two is tomorrow night in San Pedro de Macoris.

Dominican Winter Baseball League Round Robin Results 2011

The Round Robin portion of the Dominican Winter Baseball League ended yesterday, and there was a tie for second.  After the 4 team, 18 game round robin in which the top four teams in the LIDOM play each other 6 times, the Toros came out on top with a record of 12-6, so they are on to the finals.  The Toros and their fans are preparing to host the championship series.

The Gigantes and the Estrellas ended up tied for second, both with a record of 9-9.  It was a very exciting race, as both teams won on the final day of the round robin to set up a one game sudden death playoff, which takes place tonight in San Pedro de Macoris.  The Gigantes feature Alexi Casilla (who just signed a new deal with the Twins), Wilson Betemit (Royals), and Wilson Valdez (Phillies, who is on fire and hit .400 in the round robin).  The Estrellas feature pitcher Radhames Liz (former Oriole) and Nationals farmhand Alex Valdez.  These are of course among many other players with MLB experience and minor leaguers.

The winner of the Gigantes versus Estrellas will take on the Toros in a 9 game final series.  The winner of the LIDOM championship will go on to face the champion of the winter leagues in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela in the Caribbean Series.  The Caribbean Series takes place in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico this year, from February 2-7, 2011.

Danny Richar and Miguel de los Santos Players of Week

The Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) has named Players of the Week for the playoffs.  In years past they only gave this award during the regular season, so the Dominican Baseball Guy was unaware they were giving out the awards the last couple weeks.

For the first week of the round robin playoffs Danny Richar and Miguel de los Santos won the award.  This was for the period December 27, 2010-January 2, 2011, and here is the press release.

Danny Richar is currently in the Florida Marlins organization and played all of last year with their AAA affiliate New Orleans Zephers, where he hit .315.  Richar has played a handful of games in the big leagues with the White Sox and Reds from 2007-2009.  Richar batted .563 last week to win the award.  He was born in 1983 in La Romana, DR, and has been playing in the states since 2005.  He plays for his hometown Toros de La Romana.

Danny Richar

Miguel de los Santos is in the Rangers organization.  The Rangers are the favorite team of the Dominican Baseball Guy and it is quite a coincidence that they are one the most successful teams in scouting and signing Dominican players in recent years.  They of course have established big leaguers like Nelson Cruz and Julio Borbon, and they recently signed Adrian Beltre.  They also have some great young players.  Alexi Ogando and Omar Beltre were both big stories last season, as was rookie of the year closer Neftali Feliz (all Dominicans).

So, hopefully Miguel de los Santos is the next in line of great young Dominican pitchers for the Rangers.  He has absolute gas and has had almost 2 strikeouts/inning in rookie leagues and A ball over the last 4 years, along with a pretty good ERA.  ESPN Dallas has a nice write up on him here, and LoneStarDugout.com has a short article on his LIDOM success this season here.  He pitched 5 shutout innings in the LIDOM last week to win the award.  Miguel is from La Romana as well, and hopefully we see him in the MLB soon.  He also plays for his hometown La Romana Toros.  It must be a great time for both these players to play in front of their friends and family in their hometown.

Miguel de los Santos

Dominican Winter Baseball League Playoffs 2010-11

The Dominican Winter Baseball League Playoffs (LIDOM) are underway.  They have a really cool playoff system.  The Dominican Baseball Guy put up a post about the LIDOM playoff system last year. Briefly, the top 4 of 6 teams make the playoffs and play a 15 game round robin, then the top two teams play a 9 game final series and the winner of that goes to the Caribbean Series.

This year Escogido, Toros, Estrellas, and Gigantes made the round robin.  The two traditional power houses of the league, Licey and Aguilas, missed the playoffs.  This is a major story as Licey and Aguilas are like the Red Sox and Yankees of the LIDOM.  It is a very rare year that both miss the playoffs.

The teams are 5 games into the round robin and all within 1 game of each other (see the standings).  This is a great time to see a game in the Dominican Republic.  The crowds are very big during these playoff series and the atmosphere is great.  Here is the schedule: if you will be in the country try and catch a game.

The economy in the country is not the best right now, so the crowds are not as big as they have been in years past, and the Aguilas and Licey games draw the biggest crowds, but here is an old picture from a Licey vs. Aguilas game, so you get the jest.  The games this year should have a great atmosphere too.

Dominican Winter Baseball League MVP and Post Season Awards 2010

The Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) has finished the regular season and the playoffs are being played right now.  Here is the press release announcing the post season awards.

As the Dominican Baseball Guy predicted, Juan Francisco won the MVP.  The Dominican Baseball Guy also predicted that he would play in the MLB this past season and he did.  Juan won the Rookie of the Year in LIDOM in 2008, the MVP last year, and the MVP this year.  He has had quite a run in his first three years.  This article from the Gigantes del Cibao website sums up his dominance in the LIDOM over the past three years.

This year he was in the top 5 in HR, RBI, Runs, and average.  In just 3 years he has 30 HR, which puts him only 2 behind the Gigantes club leader Nelson Cruz, who took seven years to get to that number.  He is only the third player in LIDOM history to have two 10 HR seasons, and is half way to the career record.  He is also only the 10th player to hit two 400 feet HR in Quisqueya Stadium.  He nearly made the Reds playoff roster this season, and should see more playing time next year after playing in 36 games last season.  Juan is from Bonao, and he is known as "the Diamond of Bonao."

Juan Francisco

The Rookie of the Year went to Eury Perez.  He is in the Nationals system and played last year at single A.  Eury is a speedy center fielder, who had 60 stolen bases during his single A season last year.  He hit .345 and had 21 stolen bases in 37 LIDOM games.  It will be some time before he makes it to a big league club, but he has the potential to be a productive lead off hitter and center fielder.  Eury is from San Luis, DR.

Eury Perez

Another National, Yunesky Maya won the Pitcher of the Year.  He is an established major leaguer who came over to the Nationals last season after pitching for many years in the Cuban National Series, the top Cuban league.  He won the Cuban equivalent of the Cy Young on 2009.  In eight LIDOM starts he was 4-2 with a 1.32 ERA.  He also had 42 K's in 41 innings and just 8 walks.  Maya should fit into the Nationals starting rotation somewhere this year, the only question is where.  Maya is from Pinar del Rio, Cuba.

Yunesky Maya

Here is an article from Federal Baseball Nationals blog that sums up these two and their potential going forward.  Both played for Escogido in the LIDOM this year.

Lastly, Dean Treanor won the Manager of the Year Award.  Treanor managed the Toros to first place in the LIDOM.  He has managed and coached in various minor league teams and organizations since 1988.  He has managed the Toros for the last two years.  Treanor will be managing the Indianapolis Indians of the International League next year (according to this article).  Treanor played baseball at Cal Poly-San Luis Obisbo in the 1970s.

Dean Treanor

Andy Marte hits 2 HRs, Gigantes lose to Toros

11/6/09 Game
Last night, the Gigantes lost 4-2, versus the Toros from La Romana. Fernando Abad got the win, and Andy Marte (pictured) hit 2 home runs for Toros. Marte played in 47 games with the Indians last year, and will be playing for fellow Dominican Manny Acta next year.

Andy Marte with the Indians in 2009, by Keith Allison on Flickr

Not much good happened for Gigantes after Erick Almonte hit a 2 run home run in the 1st inning.