Winter league playoffs underway

The winter league teams have been set for the Caribbean World Series. Due to the issues taking place in Venezuela, the final series has been moved from Caracas to Guadalajara, Mexico. The playoffs involving the Dominican, Puerto Rican and Mexican leagues have recently begun. Panama has been invited to send a team as a guest entrant into the series.

With the playoffs just getting started, it is unclear which Padres prospects will be participating over the next month but several of the teams in the playoffs have had Padres prospects playing for them.

Mexico league

The Mexican league quarter-finals have begun and semi-finals begin Jan. 11. The championship finals begin on Jan. 21. The final two teams will represent Mexico in the Caribbean series.

Jaguares de Nayarit finished first during the season and has RHP Victor Lizarraga and RHP Cole Paplham on their roster. During the regular season, Lizarraga pitched 33.1 innings over seven games started with a 2.43 ERA with 24 strikeouts and 14 walks. Paplham pitched in 15 games and 16 innings with a 3.94 ERA.

Third baseman Marcos Castañon played with Jaguares de Nayarit for 18 games and 69 at-bats. He hit .203/.257/.348 with two home runs and 13 RBI. Newly signed RHP Sadrac Franco is also playing for Nayarit with 20 games and 25.2 innings pitched with a 1.40 ERA and eight saves.

Outfielder Tirso Ornelas played with Charros de Jalisco, finishing in sixth place and two games back of the four teams that tied for first. Ornelas finished with a .236/.300/.292 line and had no home runs with seven RBI in 21 games and 71 at-bats.

Puerto Rico league

RHP Josh Mallitz pitched for Senadores de San Juan during the regular season and they finished last in the league. Mallitz pitched in nine games and 12.2 innings with a 1.42 ERA with 12 strikeouts and seven walks.

The league is currently in the semi-final round, which started Jan. 2. The finals follow in mid-January with the winner representing Puerto Rico in the Caribbean series. There are no Padres prospects on any of the playoff teams.

Dominican league

The Dominican Republic winter league playoffs began Dec. 27 with the top four teams in a round-robin playoff of 18 games. The two top teams will compete in the finals, and the winner will advance to the Caribbean series.

Leones del Escogido and Gigantes del Cibao are both in the round-robin with RHP Francis Pena on the roster for Escogido and newly-signed utility player Pablo Reyes on the roster for Cibao.

Reyes played in 26 games and 80 at-bats with a .188/.244/.263 line with three doubles and one RBI. Pena pitched in four games and 2.2 innings with a 3.38 ERA.

Catcher/DH Luis Campusano played for Tigers de Licey, which finished last of six teams. Campusano played in 13 games and 50 at-bats with a .200/.293/.340 line with two home runs and eight RBI.

Catcher Rodolfo Duran played for Estrellas Orientales, which finished fifth. He played in 27 games and 67 at-bats, hitting .299/.329/.507 with three home runs, five doubles and nine RBI.

Caribbean Series

The series will be played from Feb. 1-7 and hosted by Guadalajara, Mexico (Estadio Panamericano). It will feature champions from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and two teams from Mexico, and Panama as an invited guest. The games will be televised on MLB Network as well as Spanish feeds on ESPN (final announcements pending).