Francisco Lindor is chosen as the most outstanding Puerto Rican baseball player of 2017

This is the second time he has won the Pedrín Zorrilla prize.

The Association of Sports Journalists of Puerto Rico announced that the winner of the Pedrín Zorrilla Award of 2017 was Cleveland Indios shortstop, Francisco Lindor, being the second time he receives this award.

This award is given in Puerto Rico every year to the most outstanding Puerto Rican player in baseball in the Major Leagues, according to the statement. In the last season of 2017, Lindor was awarded the Silver Bat in the American League for his excellent offensive performance. In addition to his great defense, hehd 81 rbi's, including 33 homers, 44 doubles and 4 triples. His average was .273, with 159 hits in 651 at-bats. His slugging was .505 and he stole 15 bases. He helped his team to enter the postseason and participated in the All-Star Game. In addition, he finished fifth in the voting for the AL MVP.

Lindor had won this recognition in 2015 with Carlos Correa.

The award also serves to perpetuate the memory of Pedrín Zorrilla, a prominent figure in the history of local baseball with the founder of Cangrejeros de Santurce, listening to several major league teams and the person who signed as professionals to figures such as Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda , Rubén Gómez, Terín Pizarro, José A. Pagán, Julio Navarro, Henry Cotto, Carmelo Martínez and many others.

Let the "playball" scream hard!

The Professional Baseball League Roberto Clemente launches today, against all odds, their season of 2018 with a double header of action in Mayagüez.

The 2018 season of the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League starts today and will end in a flash, so nobody can sleep.

The action starts with a double header that will start at 3:00 pm the Santurce Cangrejeros against the Carolina Giants, and at 7:30 pm the Caguas Criollos champions against the Mayagüez Indians, both at the Isidoro stadium. Cholo 'Garcia of the Sultana del Oeste.

Edwards Guzmán, the new general manager of the Criollos, has compared this regular series with a round robin because it has more or less the same extension of that traditional stage of the postseason, and because the team that falls behind will have little chance of aspiring to the title .

The season that faces only four teams will last only 15 dates. The teams in it, besides the Criollos, are the Mayagüez Indians, Santurce Cangrejeros, and the Carolina Giants.

The team that finishes last at the close of a total of 18 games will be eliminated. The first advances directly to the final and the second and third will play a game of sudden death for the pass to the final.

One positive thing is that the teams start the season with their best talents available from the first day of play.

Caguas, which seeks to tie Mayagüez with the most championships at 18, has filled its quota of imported and key players like David Vidal, Miguel Mejía, Randy Ruiz, Rey Navarro, Orlando Román and Iván Maldonado.

The Mayagüez that will be managed by Tony Valentin challenging for championships will be counting on such talents as Hiram Burgos, Danny Ortiz, Kennys Vargas, Jesusl Valentin, Juan Centeno and Carlos Corporán, among others.

Santurce, who is looking for their third championship in the last four seasons, has their pitching set with Joseph Colón, Fernando Cabrera, Andrés Santiago and Fernando Cruz, all under the leadership of veteran Mako Oliveras.

And Carolina, who enters as the underdog of the tournament because they are the ones that carry the longest championship drought by not winning one in 10 years, will come to the tournament with a cast of veteran players like Anthony Garcia, Mario Santiago, Giovany Soto and Irving Falú, this under the tutelage of the always cheerful Carmelo Martínez.

Here are important details to know about the tournament:

WIPR Television paid $ 100,000 for the rights

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (WIPR) paid the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League $ 100,000 for the rights to broadcast the 2018 tournament, as well as the Caribbean Series, the president of the television station, Rafael Batista, informed yesterday at a conference of the League to finalize details about the 2018 tournament that starts today. "That's an agreement between Recreation and Sports (DRD) and WIPR. We buy the rights of all the games, helping the league with a figure of $ 100,000, which is a ridiculous figure. It is a very attractive price for us. The DRD will pay $ 50,000 and we will pay $ 50,000, "explained Batista. WIPR has the right to commercially sell the transmissions, which they have begun to move with their sales department. "It is premature to say that we can sell it. We are in that with the sponsors entering into negotiations, but regardless of whether it is sold or not, we are committed to transmitting, and we are going to do it. " WIPR, which will use narrators and commentators assigned by the League, will start broadcasting matches live from Saturday. Today, when the league debuts, WIPR will not be able to broadcast live, said Batista.

The format ... and its effects

The 2018 tournament will be played mostly during the day, with three double games per team and in a space of 15 days.

The new general manager of the Criollos de Caguas, Edwards Guzmán, explained the effect that such characteristics will have on the season.

"It changes the perspective of the players. We are going to see that the teams with more depth - I mean the extra players they have in reserve - will be better because I understand that many of those players will not be able to play all those games, especially the catchers. "

Guzmán said that in the first week the catchers must be alternating to avoid injuries in the crucial part of the season.

"This is a short season, this is like a round robin. The season is so short that we place limits on the pitchers early. Normally, the two-month season one asks the players 40 pitches on the first day, but we try to prepare them to reach 60 on the first day if everything goes well, "he added.

It will be a tournament with few reinforcements

In this season that will be played with a salary cap per team of $ 135,000, 10 of a total 24 roster spots that the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League has approved for imported players will be empty. This was reported by Carlos Berroa, tournament director, yesterday. According to the rules of the league, each team has room for six imported players, divided into four roster spots for pitchers and the rest for position players. But currently, Caguas is the only team that has six roster spots occupied, including the import of Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo and Major League pitcher Carlos Contreras. Santurce, on the other hand, has four imported players and Carolina and Mayagüez have two each. Berroa said no imports can be substituted by another this season and added that any player of that class who comes to play in the postseason must have played at least one game in the regular season. Berroa added that the latter condition also applies to native players. The rosters of the teams have room for 32 active players, of which 20 are compulsory native players.

Free action in five stadiums

Five stadiums will be enabled to receive the professional baseball of the Roberto Clemente League that starts today, especially the Hiram stadiums

Bithorn de la Capital, Isidoro 'Cholo' García de Mayagüez and Evaristo Roldán de Gurabo, who will serve as the local home of the Criollos de Caguas.

Luis Stadium will also be used at least once

'Canena' Márquez from Aguadilla, where Mayagüez will play a game on an agreement they have with the Aguadilla team that will not be participating in the tournament, and the José Ramón Marrero stadium in Aibonito will also be used.

The 'Cholo' Garcia will be the only one in which night games will be played this season. In all, the entrance will be free for the public, including the days in which double headers are played.

Bonillla's son follows in his footsteps

The ex-major leaguer of Puerto Rican, Bobby Bonilla, played here for the Mayagüez Indians and for the Caguas Criollos before becoming a star - and also after being - in the Major Leagues.

Well now his son Brandon Bonilla, a 6'4-inch left-handed pitcher, comes to the island to play in the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League with the Santurce Crabbers led by Mako Oliveras, who directed Bobby Bonilla in his last season in the country.

"I am very grateful to the management for allowing me to come here to play, to the place where my grandparents grew up and where they grew up, and where my father came to play," said Brandon Bonilla.

"I want to develop and be more consistent on and off the field," added Brandon, who remembers coming to Puerto Rico at age 13 to see his father play with the Criollos.

A 24-year veteran of NCAA college baseball, Bonilla pitched this year in Class A for the Baltimore Orioles. He threw 18.2 innings and struck out 38. Although he walked 15, he had an acceptable 1.93 ERA.

"I can reach ninety (miles per hour) high depending on the day. I am a strength pitcher. I attack the hitters with fastballs and I remove the pitches to make the fastball more effective. But the most important thing is to throw strikes, "he said when describing himself.

Oliveras said he plans to use Bonilla both from the bullpen or as a starter, especially in that last role during double headers or reassignments that the team has.

"I did not bring him here because he's Bonilla's son. I brought him because he can help us, "said the manager.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE (LIDOM)

Louis Head (Gigantes del Cibao, RP) - 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R/ER, 1 SO - It wasn't an outing where Head was at his best. He surrendered two doubles out of the three hits he allowed which indicating his control was a bit spotty in Saturday's outing thus putting the game further out of reach for his team. His ERA has now jumped to 6.23 for the postseason.

Work still in progress at the Hiram Bithorn stadium

Although Major League approved the stadium for play yesterday, there is still room for improvement and lighting

Despite the fact that the Hiram Bithorn stadium was the scene yesterday of the two games that were on the schedule at Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League, the work on the installation has not ended.

After the obstacles that arose during the week for Major Leagues to approve the use of the stadium - due to the finding in the artificial grass of glass from the lighting bulbs that fell during the passage of Hurricane Maria - yesterday the permit was finally given and shortly after 11:00 am the Giants of Carolina and the Indians of Mayagüez threw themselves onto the field. In the second game, the Cangrejeros de Santurce inaugurated their season at the premises when they received the Criollos de Caguas.

"Murray Cook, the official inspector for Major League Baseball (MLB), came to corroborate that the work that was being done through the days by the municipality (San Juan) and the league were paying off," said Carlos Berroa , tournament director of the LBPRC. "And we are pleased that he was impressed with the work we did in such a short time."

Berroa explained that, through a subcontracted company, they will now continue to condition the artificial grass of Bithorn and remove the glass with the use of special machinery.

"They will continue the work. It has not ended. They want to continue making improvements to the field and the stadium as such, and we will work together so that the schedule of our league is not affected nor the MLB games in April, "Berroa continued, also referring to the two major league games to be played at Bithorn on April 17 and 18 between the Cleveland Indians and the Minnesota Twins.

The tournament director said that although there are details that remain to be completed in the stadium, they are usually the most tedious.

"Lights will be replaced, the turf will be conditioned with a new kind of rubber, which is a process that requires bringing some machinery that will arrive in Puerto Rico tomorrow and will be working Monday and Tuesday on the ground. The lights I imagine will start at some point but I do not have that date. "

By an agreement between MLB and the leagues of the Caribbean Baseball Confederation, MLB personnel must certify that the stadiums that are used for the mlb games are suitable for the players.

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE (LBPRC)

Gian Paul Gonzalez (Gigantes de Carolina - Game 2, starting C) - 0-2 - Gonzalez continued his hitless start to the Puerto Rican season on Sunday with this 0-for-2 nightcap, which saw Gonzalez ground into a double play. While Gonzalez's rough start consists of only two games, it will get late in the abbreviated 18-game regular season caused by the damage to the island from Hurricane Maria (yesterday's pair of doubleheaders represented each team's third and fourth games).

Dominican League: (LIDOM)

Rob Refsnyder (RF, Gigantes del Cibao) 2-3, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, SO, CS. Refsnyder blasted his first home run of winter ball when he sent out a two-run shot during the 2nd inning. This was a much needed outing for him after he was hitting an ugly .154 in four postseason games prior to last night. He has played predominately in the outfield which could be his position of focus for the Indians come spring training, but they will also be sure to capitalize on his defensive versatility.

Lisalverto Bonilla (SP, Tigres del Licey) 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, ER, BB, 3 SO. Bonilla made his second start of the postseason and pitched well despite his team coming up short. He pitched well during the regular season registering a 3.08 ERA in 26.1 innings, and has carried that into the postseason where he has a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings. One reason for his increased success in the playoffs is that he has had better command leading to him allowing fewer walks.

Culiacan and Jalisco are tied, 3 games to 3
Jan. 1 CULIACAN 2-1-2, Jalisco 1-6-1 (Two runs score on Ronnier Mustelier ground-out in 4th)
Jan. 2 Jalisco 4-8-1, CULIACAN 2-8-0 (Gabriel Gutierrez singles and homers with 2 RBIs)
Jan. 4 Culiacan 3-8-0, JALISCO 2-7-0 (D'Arby Myers singles twice, walks, scores, drives in run)
Jan. 5 JALISCO 7-17-1, Culiacan 6-10-0 <12> (Agustin Murillo doubles, scores winner in 12th)
Jan. 6 Culiacan 5-7-0, JALISCO 4-8-0 (Ali Solis 3-run HR in 4th for Tomateros holds up)
Jan. 7 Jalisco 2-5-2, CULIACAN 0-3-0 (Japhet Amador hits 4th playoff HR in road shutout)

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Mexicali defeated Mazatlan, 4 games to 2
Jan. 1 MEXICALI 2-4-0, Mazatlan 1-7-0 (C.J. Retherford hits walkoff RBI double in 9th for win)
Jan. 2 MEXICALI 3-10-0, Mazatlan 2-6-0 <11> (C.J. Retherford belts walkoff solo HR in 11th)
Jan. 4 MAZATLAN 3-8-0, Mexicali 0-2-1 (Alejandro Soto, two relievers combine on 2-hitter)
Jan. 5 Mexicali 1-6-0, MAZATLAN 0-3-0 (C.J. Retherford's 1B in 9th drives in game's lone run)
Jan. 6 MAZATLAN 5-10-1, Mexicali 3-9-2 (Brian Hernandez 3-run HR in 7th keys comeback win)
Jan. 7 MEXICALI 10-20-1, Mazatlan 1-4-0 (Xorge Carrillo had 3-run HR as Aguilas had 20 hits)

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Navojoa defeated Hermosillo, 4 games to 1
Jan. 1 NAVOJOA 5-9-0, Hermosillo 0-1-1 (Eddie Gamboa tosses 7 innings of 1-hit shutout ball)
Jan. 2 NAVOJOA 3-5-1, Hermosillo 0-5-2 (Hector Velazquez blanks Naranjeros over 5.1 innings)
Jan. 4 HERMOSILLO 4-6-0, Navojoa 3-10-1 (Cedric Hunter homer in 7th breaks 3-3 tie)
Jan. 5 Navojoa 5-7-1, HERMOSILLO 1-3-2 (Jovan Rosa hits 2-run HR, Jesse Castillo has 2 RBIs)
Jan. 6 Navojoa 4-10-2, Hermosillo 3-8-1 (Jesse Castillo 3 RBIs on 3 hits, Randy Arozarena 4 hits)

Round Robin 2017-'18

Tabla de posiciones de la etapa Semifinales

DOMINICAN LEAGUE (LIDOM) PLAYOFFS - ROUND ROBIN GAME 11

Louis Head (Gigantes del Cibao, RP) - 1.1 IP, 1 H - Head continues to have a solid postseason, with Wednesday being his fourth scoreless effort in six appearances. His two bad outings have been atrocious (combined stat line of three earned runs on five hits with a walk and a strikeout in 1.1 innings pitched), however, resulting in a 4.76 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and 1:2 K:BB ratio.

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE (LBPRC)

Gian Paul Gonzalez (Gigantes de Carolina, C) - 1-3 ,1 R, 1 2B - Gonzalez followed up a pair of 0-for-2 games to start his Puerto Rican season with his first hit of the campaign on Thursday. Drawing any significant conclusions from this LBPRC season will be difficult, especially for players who don't play every day, due to the hurricane-truncated schedule.

FREE AGENT IN THE LBPRC

Joe Colon (Cangrejeros de Santurce, CP) - S (1), 1.1 IP, perfect, 1 K - Colon needed only six pitches to get the final four outs of the game and earn his first save of the Puerto Rican campaign. Colon has allowed only one earned run on three hits and two walks (all of which came in his last outing) in 3.2 innings in three outings for a 2.45 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE (LIDOM) PLAYOFFS - ROUND ROBIN GAME 12

Louis Head (Gigantes del Cibao, RP) - H (3) - 1 IP, perfect - Head continued his solid postseason with yet another scoreless outing. This perfect sixth inning helped further lessen the impact of his two subpar outings on his stat line, which now includes a 4.05 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in seven playoff appearances.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE (LIDOM)

Louis Head (Gigantes del Cibao, RP) - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB - It was a solid day for the Indians' relief prospect. He tossed a perfect inning of relief in a game that was in extra innings thus keeping his team in the game.

ROBERTO CLEMENTE LEAGUE (LBPRC)

Gian Paul Gonzalez (Gigantes del Carolina, C) - 2-5, 1 RBI, 1 SO - The former Indians' catching prospect had a solid day at the plate. Not only did he record his first multi-hit in the early goings of the Puerto Rican League but he also knocked in his first RBI as well.

Havana, Jan 14 (ACN) Clinging to its powerful, moving and accurate pitches, the reinforcement from Pinar del Rio last night led the Industriales team to a vital 4-2 win against Las Tunas and, after five games, took the lead 3-2 in the semifinal of the LVII National Baseball Series.

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Los Alazanes de Granma won their semi final series against Matanzas for the second consecutive year in the final of the classic Cuban baseball, a milestone for the province, which had never before reached this point.