Recognizable former MLB players playing in the Mexican League
As previously mentioned and examined, there is a whole host of former MLB players still attempting to revive their professional careers in the Independent Leagues in North America. Similarly, there is also a huge amount of players playing in the Mexican League.
The Mexican League was founded all the way back in 1925 and currently consists of 18 teams. Up until 2021, there were only 16 teams. However, there was a two-team-expansion officially approved in January of 2021.
In a typical season, Mexican League seasons are 120 games long, but last season consisted of just 66 games. Teams commonly play five or six days a week, usually having Mondays or Sundays as an off day. Games are usually at night and Sunday games are played during the afternoon, much like how Major League Baseball operates.
The league as a whole consists of 18 teams split between two leagues of nine each in the North Zone and the South Zone.
Let’s take a look at some notable former MLB players still playing in the Mexican League as of 2021.
In the North Zone, there are a total of nine teams as of 2021, including the Mexican League’s reigning champion, Toros de Tijuana. The other eight teams are the Acereros de Monclova, Algodoneros de Union Laguna, Generales de Durango, Mariachis de Guadalajara, Rieleros de Aguascalientes, Saraperos de Saltillo, Sultanes de Monterrey, and the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos.
Throughout the league, there is a massive amount of former MLB talent still playing as of last year, including the recently retired Adrian Gonzalez.
Let’s take a look at some of the notable former MLB players who appeared in the North Zone of the Mexican League last season.
Infielder Luis Cruz (MLB career: 2008-2010, 2012-2013 with 4 MLB organizations)
Luis Cruz, now 38 years old, last appeared in American baseball back in 2013 as a member of the New York Yankees. Since then, he has made professional appearances in both Japan and Mexico, most recently the Toros de Tijuana. In 2021, Cruz played in 52 games for the team, hitting six home runs while posting a .312 batting average and making defensive appearances at all four infield spots.
Outfielder Junior Lake (MLB career: 2013-2016 with 3 MLB organizations)
31-year-old outfielder Junior Lake, best known as a standout rookie for the Chicago Cubs back in 2013, has been bouncing around the Mexican League every year since 2017. Last season, Lake was a teammate of Cruz on the Toros de Tijuana; appearing in 64 games for the club, hitting 10 home runs and playing as the team’s primary center fielder.
Starting pitcher Horacio Ramirez (MLB career: 2003-2009, 2011 with 6 MLB organizations)
42-year-old Horacio Ramirez recently wrapped up his 24th season in professional baseball last year. The left-hander retired at the conclusion of the 2013 season, joining the Atlanta Braves’ coaching staff. In 2016, he returned to the mound for the Toros de Tijuana and has been playing for them ever since. Last season, Ramirez made 10 starts for the team, pitching 50 innings and striking out 17.
Relief pitcher Fernando Rodney (MLB career: 2002-2003, 2005-2019 with 11 MLB organizations)
We have a Fernando Rodney sighting! Now 44 years old, Rodney is pitching for the Toros de Tijuana, functioning as the team’s closer. In 2021, he won the Mexican League Reliever of the Year Award on the heels of a 1.80 ERA, 16-save, 40-strikeout showing in just 30 innings. He was an integral part to the Toros’ championship run last year and showed that he still has something left in the tank.
First baseman Kennys Vargas (MLB career: 2014-2017 with the Minnesota Twins)
Switch-hitter Kennys Vargas, best known for his light-tower-power as a member of the Twins a few years back, spent last season as a member of the Saraperos de Saltillo and recently signed a contract for 2022 with the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos. Last year, Vargas played in 66 games for the Saraperos, hitting 18 home runs and posting a .310 batting average while splitting time between designated hitter and first base.
Middle Infielder Danny Espinosa (MLB career: 2010-2017 with 4 MLB organizations)
Longtime Washington Nationals infielder Danny Espinosa, now 34 years old, spent last season with the Acereros de Monclova; appearing in 26 games, hitting four home runs and playing shortstop on defense. Espinosa is another switch-hitter capable of playing all four infield spots.
First baseman Chris Carter (MLB career: 2010-2017 with 4 MLB organizations)
Now 35 years of age, slugging first baseman Chris Carter has spent the last two seasons in Monclova, playing as the team’s primary first baseman and posting massive power numbers. The 2016 NL home run leader hit 49 big flies in 2019 and just six last season, playing in only 26 games for the team.
Middle Infielder Erick Aybar (MLB career: 2006-2017 with 4 MLB organizations)
A former AL All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner, 38-year-old Erick Aybar has also spent the last few years in Monclova. In 2021, the switch-hitting Aybar played in 52 games for the club, hitting three home runs and posting a .313 batting average. A longtime shortstop in MLB, Aybar appeared exclusively at second base last year. Aybar recently signed a contract with the Algodoneros de Union Laguna for the 2022 season.
Starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (MLB career: 1997-2009, 2011-2018 with 12 MLB organizations)
Bartolo “Big Sexy” Colon is still actively pitching in the Mexican League at 48 years of age. Colon spent last year, his 26th season of professional baseball, with Monclova as well. He made 11 starts including one complete game, pitching 61+ innings and striking out 40. His home run-rate was somewhat high (1.8 HR/9) but he is still successfully limiting the walk as he always has throughout his career.
Outfielder Moises Sierra (MLB career: 2012-2014, 2018 with 3 MLB organizations)
While he is now technically a free agent, 33-year-old Moises Sierra has spent the last three seasons in the Mexican League and the Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball League. Last season as a member of the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos, Sierra hit eight home runs and posted a .300 batting average in 53 games. He recently added first base to his defensive repertoire as well, making at least one appearance there and at all three outfield spots in 2021.
Starting pitcher Wil Ledezma (MLB career: 2003-2011 with 7 MLB organizations)
41-year-old Wil Ledezma recently wrapped up his 22nd season in professional baseball with his brief tenure on the Tecolotes. Ledezma’s last appearance in American baseball was all the way back in 2012 as a member of the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate. After his three-start, 9.00 ERA showing in 2021, Ledezma is now closing in on 800 career appearances, sitting at 788 as of now.
Similarly to the Northern Zone, the Southern Zone of the Mexican League also features a total of nine clubs. The league consists of the Bravos de Leon, Diablos Rojos del Mexico, El Aguila de Veracruz, Guerreros de Oaxaca, Leones de Yucatan, Olmecas de Tabasco, Pericos de Puebla, Piratas de Campeche, and the Tigres de Quintana Roo.
Let’s take a look at some of the notable former MLB players who appeared in the South Zone of the Mexican League last season.
Starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens (MLB career: 2007-2014 with 4 MLB organizations)
It was just 10 years ago when Jair Jurrjens was considered a potential building block for the future for the Atlanta Braves after he made the All-Star team and finished the 2011 season with a 13-6 record and 2.96 ERA in 152 innings. Now 36 years old, Jurrjens spent 2021 in Oaxaca after signing a contract with the club in June, his first appearances since 2018 in American Indy Ball. The right-hander made seven starts for Oaxaca, posting a 4.26 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 38 innings.
Relief pitcher Ronald Belisario (MLB career: 2009-2010, 2012-2015 with 3 MLB organizations)
Ronald Belisario, now 39 years old, is best known as being one of the more reliable relief pitchers for the Dodgers back in the early-2010s. Since his brief tenure with the Rays in 2015, Belisario has been pitching all over the Mexican League, making appearances in each season from 2015-2021. Last year, he pitched in Campeche, making 21 appearances and striking out 16 in 23 innings, good for a 4.30 ERA.
Corner Infielder Jorge Cantu (MLB career: 2004-2011 with 5 MLB organizations)
40-year-old Jorge Cantu last made an appearance in Major League Baseball all the way back in 2011. He has spent the 2013 season and then 2015 between 2021 in the Mexican Leagues, including a stop in Korea in 2014 for the Doosan Bears. Last season, Cantu played in 36 games for Mexico, hitting one home run and posting a .240 batting average while making defensive appearances at both third and first base.
Outfielder Gorkys Hernandez (MLB career: 2012, 2015-2019 with 4 MLB organizations)
Gorkys Hernandez, 34, is a veteran of six MLB seasons and has appeared in just under 400 games. In 2019 and 2021, Hernandez played for a multitude of different teams in the Mexican League. In 2021 alone, he played for Puebla, Mexico, and Monterrey. His last stop before being released in August was in Mexico, where he played 10 games and hit just .125. Hernandez is an excellent defender at all three outfield spots and shouldn’t have a problem finding a home in 2022.
Relief pitcher Fernando Salas (MLB career: 2010-2019 with 5 MLB organizations)
36-year-old Fernando Salas last appeared in Major League Baseball in 2019 as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies. He spent last season in Tabasco, appearing in 21 games for the club and allowing just one earned run in 21 innings. Salas struck out 23 batters and walked just three in his time in Tabasco, notching 12 saves along the way.
Outfielder Felix Pie (MLB career: 2007-2011, 2013 with 3 MLB organizations)
Sweet-swinging lefty Felix Pie is still kicking around in professional baseball all these years later. A lot like Junior Lake, the now-37-year-old Pie burst onto the scene with a strong rookie showing with the Cubs back in 2007 and 2008, but quickly faded away after injuries and poor performance slowed him down. He has spent the past few seasons in Campeche (where he was recently released from in January of 2022) where he played in 46 games and hit .297 while playing all three outfield spots in his 20th professional baseball season.
Starting pitcher Radhames Liz (MLB career: 2007-2009, 2015 with 2 MLB organizations)
38-year-old Radhames Liz has, quite literally, been taken all over the world in his professional baseball journey. Liz has made professional appearances in the United States, Mexico, Japan, Korea, and China in his 17-year career. In 2021, Liz made 10 starts for Yucatan in the Mexican League, posting a 3.96 ERA in 52 innings, striking out 50 and throwing two complete games for the club.
Relief pitcher Manny Parra (MLB career: 2007-2010, 2012-2015 with 2 MLB organizations)
Manny Parra, 39, last appeared in American baseball in 2018 as a member of the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate. He spent 2019 and 2021 in Mexico, making appearances for both Guadalajara and Yucatan, where he currently is employed. The southpaw made 14 appearances in 2021 between the two clubs, posting a 3.24 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 16 innings while not allowing a single home run.
Outfielder Yasiel Puig (MLB career: 2013-2019 with 3 MLB organizations)
Yasiel Puig, still just 31 years old, has fallen from grace since his 2014 All-Star Game selection and his highly successful run as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Puig recently signed a contract with the Kiwoom Heroes in South Korea, but spent last season in Veracruz, playing in 62 games and hitting 10 home runs while posting a .312 batting average and making defensive appearances in both center field and right field.
Utility-man Alexi Amarista (MLB career: 2011-2017 with 3 MLB organizations)
Light-hitting utility-man Alexi Amarista, 32, last appeared in the States in 2018 as a member of the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate. In 2021, he made appearances for Gastonia in the American Indy Ball league and Veracruz in Mexico. Amarista played in 59 games for Veracruz, hitting a career-high 14 home runs while posting a jaw-dropping .369 batting average. While he is capable of playing any position in the infield or outfield, Amarista was limited to the middle infield last year in Mexico.
Starting pitcher Edgar Gonzalez (MLB career: 2003-2009, 2011-2013 with 5 MLB organizations)
38-year-old Edgar Gonzalez split his time in 2021 between Veracruz and Monclova last year in what was his 20th professional season. He last appeared in the States as a member of the Reds organization, playing at their Triple-A affiliate. Last season in Mexico, Gonzalez made 12 starts posting a 6.59 ERA in Veracruz and a 12.91 ERA in Monclova.
Next. Yasiel Puig starts a brawl in the Mexican League. dark
Split between the North and South Zones, there is an extensive list of former MLB players still grinding away in the Mexican League. From former Cy Young Award winners, All-Stars, and World Series champs to former top prospects, there are plenty of recognizable names still playing behind the scenes.