José Bautista Becomes New Principal Owner of USL Championship Franchise Las Vegas Lights FC

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

José Bautista is hitting the pitch…

The 43-year-old Dominican former professional baseball right fielder and third baseman, who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Toronto Blue Jays, is the new principal owner of the USL Championship franchise Las Vegas Lights FC, the club announced on Tuesday.

“Las Vegas is the place to be and has emerged as a big professional sports town, and I will do everything I can to push this club forward,” Bautista said in a statement.

“As a soccer fan and former professional athlete, I am excited to be involved with the world’s game. Since my retirement from professional baseball, I have witnessed the incredible growth of soccer in the United States, and I look forward to sharing my love of sports with the Las Vegas soccer community.”

Bautista was a six-time MLB All-Star and with a .247 career batting average with 344 home runs, 975 RBIs and 1,022 runs. He played 15 seasons and donned the jersey of eight franchises along the way, but it was his 2015 playoff go-ahead home run — and the bat flip that followed — that cemented him in Blue Jays history.

The tie-breaking three-run home run in the seventh inning of a deciding Game 5 of the 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers was capped by a memorable flip of the bat before he started rounding the bases in front of a raucous Toronto crowd.

“I kind of blacked out after the swing, hearing the roar of the crowd and the emotion of the moment,” Bautista told ESPN in 2021. “I don’t really recall anything in particular until I was catching my breath back at the bench.”

Las Vegas Lights FC have played in USL Championship since 2018. The team plays its home games at Cashman Field and the 2024 season begins in March.

According to the club’s news release, Bautista was an early equity partner for Marucci Sports, a baseball equipment startup that was sold to Compass Diversified Holdings in 2020.

Bautista represented the Dominican Republic at the 2020 Tokyo Games. His leadership helped the D.R. team earn a bronze medal, punctuated by a walk-off hit and his signature bat flip that sealed the win over Israel to secure the team’s place in the semifinals.

Vladi Miguel Guerrero Signs Minor League Contract with New York Mets

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Vladi Miguel Guerrero is entering the family business…

The 17-year-old Dominican professional baseball outfielder/infielder, a son of Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Vladimir Guerrero and half-brother of Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr., has agreed with the New York Mets on a minor league contract.

Guerrero was among the players the Mets reached deals with as the 2024 international signing period opened.

The club also agreed with the No. 6 overall prospect, catcher Yovanny Rodriguez ($2.85 million); No. 31, shortstop Yensi Rivas ($500,000); and No. 41, outfielder Edward Lantigua ($950,000).

Players born from September 1, 2006, through Augember 31, 2007, are eligible to sign during this year’s period, which ends on December 15. Teams have signing bonus pools ranging from about $4.65 million to approximately $7.1 million; signing bonuses of $10,000 and under don’t count against a team’s cap.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Agrees to Three-Year, $42 Million Contract with Arizona Diamondbacks

Posted on December 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. isn’t leaving The Copper State.

The 30-year-old Cuban professional baseball player has agreed to a three-year, $42 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, with a club option for a fourth season, according to ESPN sources.

The deal also includes an opt-out after the second season.

Gurriel had his best all-around season at the right time in 2023, coming to Arizona along with catcher Gabriel Moreno for outfielder Daulton Varsho in an offseason trade with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Gurriel hit .261/.309/.463, setting career highs in games (145), home runs (24) and WAR (3.0). He also had an excellent defensive season, ranking second to Steven Kwan among left fielders by saving 14 runs.

The Cuba native and younger brother of former Houston Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel was a high-profile infield prospect when Toronto originally signed him to a seven-year, $22 million contract before the 2017 season. He reached the Blue Jays in 2018, but his defensive struggles at shortstop and second base pushed him into the outfield.

Lourdes Gurriel hit 31 home runs in 141 games over the 2019-20 seasons and 21 in 2021, but he hit just five in 2022 and had wrist surgery after the season.

He was a secondary player to Moreno in the trade with the Diamondbacks but proved to be a key contributor as Arizona made the playoffs as a wild card and had a surprising run to the World Series.

Gurriel looks like a safe bet to keep up similar production in upcoming years, with 20-homer power and an above-average contact rate (79th percentile) that teams covet. His defense is unlikely to remain at the same level, which makes more him more of a projected league-average 2-win player moving forward than the 3-WAR value of 2023.

Rowdy Tellez Agrees to $3.2 Million, One-Year Contract with Pittsburgh Pirates

Posted on December 12, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s all hand on deck for Rowdy Tellez.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a $3.2 million, one-year contract with the 28-year-old half-Mexican American professional baseball first baseman/designated hitter.

Tellez can earn $800,000 in performance bonuses as part of the deal, which is pending a successful physical.

Tellez hit .215 with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023. The left-handed Tellez is a career .233 hitter in six seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee.

The Pirates entered the offseason in need of help at first base. They began 2022 with Carlos Santana at the position before sending him to Milwaukee at the trade deadline. Connor Joe and Jared Triolo saw time at first, among others, over the final two months of the season.

Tellez should find the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park inviting. He is a career .277 hitter at PNC Park, with 5 home runs and 20 RBIs in 21 games.

Tellez is the second significant addition by the Pirates during free agency. Pittsburgh acquired left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales from the Seattle Mariners last week

Texas Rangers Star Adolis García Wins First-Ever Gold Glove Award

Posted on November 6, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s the golden hour for Adolis García.

The 30-year-old Cuban professional baseball player and Texas Rangers outfielder has earned his first-ever Gold Glove, an award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League. Garcia earned the award as a right fielder in the American League.

While his career-high 39 home runs during the regular season and eight in the postseason made headlines, you can’t overlook García’s tremendous defense in 2023. He earned the award, the fourth by an outfielder in Rangers history, due in particular to his cannon of an arm — his average arm strength of 93 mph. García had a team-best 11 outfield assists this season, which was tied for third in the American League. It was his third straight season with 10-plus outfield assists. He ranked third among qualified MLB right fielders in defensive runs saved (seven).

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher José Berríos is also first time winner. The 29-year-old Puerto Rican professional baseball pitcher, known as “La Makina,” managed to bounce back from his worst season in the big leagues in 2022, when he struggled to a 5.23 ERA, to win a Gold Glove.

In ’23, he was more like the Berríos of old, posting a 3.65 ERA over 32 starts. But Toronto also got stellar defense off the mound from the right-hander, who joins Marcus Stroman (2017) and R.A. Dickey (2013) as the only pitchers in franchise history to win a Gold Glove Award.

Another first time winner… Houston Astros utilityman Mauricio Dubón. The 29-year-old Honduran professional baseball utility player appeared at every position on the diamond except pitcher and catcher for Houston in 2023, spending the majority of thetime either at second base or in center field.

He was a slightly below-average hitter, so most of his value came from his defense. Despite spending about half of a season playing second base (616 2/3 innings), he finished with five defensive runs saved at the position and two in the outfield.

Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez won his second consecutive Gold Glove award. The 25-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop and second baseman led American League second basemen with 18 outs above average and 23 defensive runs saved.

Giménez is the second Cleveland player to win multiple Gold Glove Awards at second base, joining Roberto Alomar, who won three straight from 1999-2001.

Gabriel Moreno has become the first Arizona Diamondbacks catcher to win a Gold Glove award.

The 23-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball catcher led MLB backstops in defensive runs saved (20) and Statcast‘s caught stealing above average (nine) in 2023. And with only 19 Major League games played behind the plate entering the season, only two non-rookies (excluding pitchers) — Ramón Urías (10 games at third base entering 2022) and Pokey Reese (11 games at second base entering 1999) — played in fewer games at the position for which they won the Gold Glove Award. At 23 years and 229 days old, Moreno is the sixth-youngest catcher to win his first Gold Glove honor.

San Diego Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. has won his first Gold Glove.

Tatis took home the National League award in right field ahead of finalists Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Lane Thomas of the Washington Nationals.

When Tatis was moved from shortstop to right field to begin 2023, we wondered how he’d fare out there. He was a revelation defensively, leading MLB with 29 defensive runs saved, and his average arm strength of 96.6 mph trailed only Rockies rookie Nolan Jones in the NL. Tatis’ 24 career games in the outfield before the ’23 campaign were the fourth fewest played at a position for which a non-rookie won a Gold Glove Award.

The Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers and the Chicago Cubs tied for the high among clubs with three winners each, Rawlings announced Sunday.

Berríos, and Giménez earned $50,000 bonuses in their contracts..

Voting was conducted among managers and up to six coaches from each team, who can’t select players on their own club. Since 2013, voting has been factored with a Society for American Baseball Research defensive index, which comprises about 25% of the total.

The utility category is based on a SABR formula and additional defensive statistics.

Andrés Giménez Could Repeat as a Gold Glove Award Winner This Year

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Andrés Giménez could soon have a set of gold gloves…

The 25-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop and second baseman for the Cleveland Guardians, a Gold Glove winner last year, is among the finalists contending for the award this year.

Gimenez is among the three American League finalists in the second base position. He’ll face off against Houston Astros’ Mauricio Dubón and Texas Rangers’ Marcus Semien. Dubon is also a finalist in the AL’s utility category.

Puerto Rican professional baseball player of the Toronto Blue Jays José Berríos (29) and Venezuelan professional baseball player Pablo López (27) are finalists in the American League’s pitcher race, along with the Minnesota Twins’ Sonny Gray.

Other Latino finalists include Minnesota Twins’ Carlos Correa (AL, shortstop), Cleveland’s José Ramírez (AL, third base), Seattle Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez (AL, centerfield), Texas Rangers’ Adolis García (AL, right field), Miami Marlins’ Jesús Luzardo (NL, pitcher), Arizona Diamondbacks’

Gabriel Moreno (NL, catcher), Milwaukee Brewers’ Carlos Santana (NL, first base), New York’s Francisco Lindor (NL, shortstop), Colorado Rockies’ Ezequiel Tovar (NL, shortstop), Los Angeles’ David Peralta (NL, left field), Atlanta Braves’ Eddie Rosario (NL, left field) and San Diego Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. (NL, right field).

Voting is conducted among managers and up to six coaches from each team, who can’t select players on their own club. Since 2013, voting has been factored with a Society for American Baseball Research defensive index, which comprises about 25% of the total.

The utility category is based on a SABR formula and additional defensive statistics.

Gold Glove winners will be announced on November 5.

Here’s a look at all the finalists:

American League finalists:

Pitcher: José Berríos (Toronto), Sonny Gray (Minnesota), Pablo López (Minnesota)

Catcher: Jonah Heim (Texas), Alejandro Kirk (Toronto), Adley Rutschman (Baltimore)

First base: Nathaniel Lowe (Texas), Ryan Mountcastle (Baltimore), Anthony Rizzo (New York)

Second base: Mauricio Dubón (Houston), Andrés Giménez (Cleveland), Marcus Semien (Texas)

Shortstop: Carlos Correa (Minnesota), Corey Seager (Texas), Anthony Volpe (New York)

Third base: Alex Bregman (Houston), Matt Chapman (Toronto), José Ramírez (Cleveland)

Left field: Austin Hays (Baltimore), Steven Kwan (Cleveland), Daulton Varsho (Toronto)

Center field: Kevin Kiermaier (Toronto), Luis Robert Jr. (Chicago), Julio Rodríguez (Seattle)

Right field: Adolis García (Texas), Kyle Tucker (Houston), Alex Verdugo (Boston)

Utility: Mauricio Dubón (Houston), Zach McKinstry (Detroit), Taylor Walls (Tampa Bay)

National League finalists:

Pitcher: Jesús Luzardo (Miami), Taijuan Walker (Philadelphia), Zack Wheeler (Philadelphia)

Catcher: Patrick Bailey (San Francisco), Gabriel Moreno (Arizona), J.T. Realmuto (Philadelphia)

First base: Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles), Carlos Santana (Milwaukee), Christian Walker (Arizona)

Second base: Nico Hoerner (Chicago), Ha-Seong Kim (San Diego), Bryson Stott (Philadelphia)

Shortstop: Francisco Lindor (New York), Dansby Swanson (Chicago), Ezequiel Tovar (Colorado)

Third base: Ke’Bryan Hayes (Pittsburgh), Ryan McMahon (Colorado), Austin Riley (Atlanta)
Left field: Ian Happ (Chicago), David Peralta (Los Angeles), Eddie Rosario (Atlanta)
Center field: Brenton Doyle (Colorado), Michael Harris II (Atlanta), Alek Thomas (Arizona)
Right field: Mookie Betts (Los Angeles), Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego), Lane Thomas (Washington)
Utility: Mookie Betts (Los Angeles), Tommy Edman (St. Louis), Ha-Seong Kim (San Diego)

Julio Rodríguez Breaks MLB Record with 17th Hit in Four Games

Posted on August 21, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Julio Rodríguez is rewriting Major League Baseball history…

The 22-year-old Dominican professional baseball centerfielder set a MLB record with his 17th hit in four games, helping to lead the Seattle Mariners past the Houston Astros 10-3 for their fifth straight win on Saturday night.

Rodriguez, with a single to left field in the seventh inning, broke a major league record set in 1925 by Milt Stock of the Brooklyn Robins. He finished 4-for-6, giving him his fourth consecutive four-plus-hit game.

“Honestly, I knew when they put it on the scoreboard that I had set a record for a four-game span,” Rodriguez said. “Before that, I didn’t know.”

The four straight four-hit games tied Rodriguez with Stock for the longest such streak, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. He is 17-for-21 (.810) during the four-game stretch, improving his season batting average from .256 to .278.

“Julio is just smoking hot right now and it is fun to watch,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “Every time up there he expects to get a hit, we expect to watch him get a hit. … Tonight obviously our offense was on it. We’ve seen Framber Valdez a lot, had really good at-bats tonight early on putting pressure on him.”

Dylan Moore homered twice for the Mariners, and Logan Gilbert (11-5) surrendered just two runs on eight hits, struck out three and walked one in six innings for his 14th quality start of the season.

The Mariners, who are 13-3 in their past 16 games, pulled to 1½ games behind the Astros for the second AL wild-card spot and maintained a half-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays for the third and final AL wild-card spot.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Homers in First At-Bat Following Home Run Derby Win

Posted on July 15, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is still swinging them out of the park…

The 24-year-old Canadian-Dominican professional baseball first baseman and Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter’s Home Run Derby continued on Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Guerrero became the first Derby champion to go deep in his first plate appearance after the MLB All-Star break as Toronto opened the second half of the season with its sixth win in seven games.

Brandon Belt drove in the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning, Matt Chapman had three hits and an RBI and Whit Merrifield drove in two runs as the Blue Jays won 7-2 to move to 17-7 against National League opponents.

Guerrero won the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby in Seattle on Monday night, matching his father Vladimir Guerrero Sr.‘s 2007 title to become the first father-son duo to accomplish the feat. The younger Guerrero is also the first Blue Jays player to win a Home Run Derby crown.

On Friday night, Guerrero led off the second inning with a 426-foot drive off Arizona starter Ryne Nelson for his 14th home run.

He is the fifth Derby winner to homer in his first game back, joining Prince Fielder (2009), Ryan Howard (2006), Ken Griffey Jr. (1998) and Tino Martinez (1997).

Guerrero connected on a 2-2 slider from Nelson.

“It just kind of slipped out of my hand, popped a little bit, right where he wants it,” Nelson said. “Right there, that’s a pitch I have to execute and not leave it over the plate.”

Toronto is 51-41, a season-best 10 games above .500.

“I liked the way we played,” Guerrero said through an interpreter. “We’re going to continue to play with the same intensity. It’s excellent right now.”

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Wins First Home Run Derby Title

Posted on July 11, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is officially a home run king…

After a four-year absence, the 24-year-old Dominican professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the Toronto Blue Jays has claimed his first MLB All-Star Home Run Derby title.

Guerrero defeated Randy Arozarena in the final to claim.

Guerrero and his MLB Hall of Fame father Vladimir Guerrero Sr., who won it 16 years ago, are the first father-son duo to be Home Run Derby champions.

In the process, a prospective three-time winner was eliminated, with Pete Alonso booted in the first round after Julio Rodriguez hit a whopping 41 home runs, the most ever in a single Home Run Derby round. J-Rod, however, was unable to secure the hometown coronation in the Emerald City, losing to Guerrero in the second round.

In all, Guerrero hit 72 homeruns across the three rounds.

Here’s a look at the round performance:

Round 1
No. 5 Randy Arozarena (24 home runs) defeated No. 4 Adolis Garcia (17 home runs)
No. 1 Luis Robert Jr. (28 home runs) defeated No. 8 Adley Rutschman (27 home runs)
No. 3 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (26 home runs) defeated No. 6 Mookie Betts (11 home runs)
No. 2 Julio Rodriguez (41 home runs) defeated No. 7 Pete Alonso (21 home runs)

Round 2
Arozarena (35 home runs) defeated Robert (22 home runs)
Guerrero (21 home runs) defeated Rodriguez (20 home runs)

Final
Guerrero (25 home runs) defeated Arozarena (23 home runs)

Pete Alonso to Vie for Third Title at This Year’s MLB All-Star Home Run Derby

Posted on July 3, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Pete Alonso is gunnin’ for a triple crown…

The 28-year-old part-Spanish American professional baseball player and New York Mets first baseman will participate in the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby on July 10 in Seattle, as he looks to win the title for the third time.

“I’m stoked,” Alonso said after hitting his 25th homer Sunday night in New York’s 8-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants. “It’s a really fun event. The field is extremely talented and I think this is going to be a derby that a lot of people are going to remember for a long time.”

Alonso was selected to his third MLB All-Star team earlier in the day, and New York’s lone representative on the National League squad will take part in the derby for the fourth time.

He joins a field so far that also includes Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena, Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts, Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez.

Alonso won the competition in 2019 and 2021. Ken Griffey Jr. (1998-99) and Yoenis Céspedes (2013-14) are the only other back-to-back champions in the history of the event, which began in 1985.

The 2020 edition was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his rookie season, Alonso edged Guerrero 23-22 in the final round with just seconds to spare to claim a $1 million prize.

Two years later, Alonso hit 74 homers at Coors Field in Colorado and won the derby by edging Trey Mancini in the finals.

Last year at Dodger Stadium, Alonso topped Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. in the first round before losing 31-23 to Rodríguez in the semifinals.

Alonso is hitting .221 with 25 homers and 58 RBIs in 76 games this season. He missed 10 games with a bruised left wrist but made a speedy return from the injury.

“I thought that the derby wasn’t necessarily the biggest priority when I was coming back from the wrist,” Alonso said. “It was trying to come back and be as productive as I can for my team. If I’m able to play a game, I’m definitely going to be able to take batting practice. So for me the biggest concern was getting back to the team. The derby for me is a happy bonus.”

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Toronto Blue Jays