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Winter League baseball opening weekend kicks off

By Benjamin Chase

Puerto Rico's players of Criollos de Caguas celebrate after the final of Caribbean Baseball Serie at the Charros Jalisco stadium in Guadalajara, Jalisco State, Mexico, on February 8, 2018.The Criollos de Caguas, of Puerto Rico, were crowned champions of the Caribbean Series for the second year in a row when they beat the Aguilas Cibaenas, of the Republica Dominicana, 9-4. / AFP PHOTO / ULISES RUIZ (Photo credit should read ULISES RUIZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Puerto Rico's players of Criollos de Caguas celebrate after the final of Caribbean Baseball Serie at the Charros Jalisco stadium in Guadalajara, Jalisco State, Mexico, on February 8, 2018.The Criollos de Caguas, of Puerto Rico, were crowned champions of the Caribbean Series for the second year in a row when they beat the Aguilas Cibaenas, of the Republica Dominicana, 9-4. / AFP PHOTO / ULISES RUIZ (Photo credit should read ULISES RUIZ/AFP/Getty Images) /
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The Venezuelan and Mexican Winter Leagues kicked off play on Friday and the Dominican Winter League opens its season Saturday

Winter League baseball is one of those great institutions that has been part of the game for decades, involving the greats of the game along the way. Roberto Clemente played many seasons of winter ball in his native Puerto Rico, even managing the San Juan team.

To this day, Winter League baseball is a respected tradition in Latin America. Leagues that take place concurrently in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, and eventually Puerto Rico play out leagues independently before seeing the champion of each league compete in a series known as the Caribbean Series each offseason.

The Venezuelan League got underway on Friday, and the regular season will complete on December 29th. Some of the players that took part in the Venezuelan League in 2017 were Willians Astudillo, who made a big impression with the Minnesota Twins at the end of the season, Jesus Aguilar, the power-hitting first baseman for the Brewers, and Jose Martinez, the Cardinals 1B/OF.

The Mexican Pacific League opened its regular season Friday and runs regular season through December 30th. Playoffs begin January 2nd, 2019. Last season, such players as Joey Meneses, who nearly won the International League Triple Crown in the Phillies organization, Hunter Dozier of the Royals, and Anthony Alford of the Blue Jays took part in the Mexican Pacific League.

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The Dominican Winter League begins Saturday and runs through December 17th with its regular season. The playoffs are more involved in the DWL, and they will conclude by the end of January. The Dominican league is considered the premier league by many players of winter leagues, and it draws in some of the best talent of the winter leagues due to that fact. In 2017, that talent included top White Sox prospect Eloy Jimenez, Pirates All-Star outfielder Starling Marte, Braves third baseman Johan Camargo, Yankees rookie 3B Miguel Andujar, and many more.

The Puerto Rican League gets a later start, in large part due to reduced facilities after last year’s hurricanes left multiple parks on the island no longer playable. The regular season is slated to begin November 15th and complete December 30th, with the playoffs wrapping up a month later. Because of the delayed season in 2017/2018, many top players pulled out of last season’s league, but one notable participant was Giants rookie pitcher Dereck Rodriguez, who gave a hint of what was to come with a 0.96 ERA over 7 games of relief, striking out 12.

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To complete Winter League season, the Caribbean Series will take place February 2nd through February 8th of 2019. Puerto Rico is the two-time defending champion currently.

MLB has a page to follow all Winter League action linked here, and you can keep up with your favorite team’s representatives throughout the offseason!

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