Baseball Latin America – Baseball Brazil

Let us start with the guys currently playing pro ball in the U.S.

Yan Gomes, C-IF – Currently with Las Vegas  (TOR AAA):  Gomes has been on the Vegas to Toronto shuttle; he’s been called up and sent down three times, including one time on nearly the same day. As long as Toronto is in contention, keeps having injuries/suspensions/performance issues with their pitchers and position players, Gomes will probably continue to get at-bats with the Big League team this season. He’s proven to be very versatile, playing C, 1B, 3B and the outfield. Plus, he has 3 home runs in 44 at-bats (17 games) in The Show, that’s more home runs, at-bats or games than any Brazilian in MLB history.

Paulo Orland0, OF – NW Arkansas (KC AA): .277 BA, 28 R, 8 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 9 BB, 29 K, .658 OPS

Andre Rienzo, P – Birmingham (CWS AA): Rienzo came off his 50-game PED suspension and was promoted to Double AA. Since then he’s pitched very well, going 2-0 in 3 starts with a 0.49 ERA, or only 1 earned run allowed in 18.1 innings pitched. He also  has 14 K’s and has scattered 10 hits and 10 BB’s in that time for a 1.09 WHIP.

Murilo Gouvea, P – Lexington (HOU A): 2-3, 2.49 ERA, , 1 Save, 28 Appearances, 43.1 IP, 16 BB, 51 K, 1.08 WHIP

Leonardo Reginatto, SS – Hudson Valley (TB A-short season): .310 BA, 9 Games, 29 AB, 4 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI, .720 OPS

Felipe Burin, 3B – Pulaski (SEA Rookie): .077 BA in 4 Games (13 AB), 1 2B, 1 RBI

Pedro Okuda, SS – VSL Mariners (SEA Rookie): .322 BA, 24 R, 8 2B, 4 3B, 16 RBI, .874 OPS

Thyago Vieira, P – VSL Mariners (SEA Rookie): 2-4, 6.14 ERA in 7 GS

Felipe Talos, C – VSL Mariners (SEA Rookie): Signed this year out of the CT Yakult academy in Ibiúna, Talos has just started getting some at-bats in Venezuela: .273 BA, 7 Games, 11 AB, 1 3B.

Rafael Moreno, P – DSL Orioles (BAL Rookie): 0-0, 1.06 ERA, 4 G, 2 GS, 17 IP, 6 BB, 11 K, 0.94 WHIP

In the Liga São Paulo de Beisebol (LSPB), the first round of playoffs have started with the following results:

June 24th results:

- Giants 7 x Bacamartes 0

- Mackenzie 10 x Medicina Santos 4

July 1 schedule :

- New Giants x Dragons

- São Bernardo x Bats

Here are the current Liga Paulista de Beisebol (LPB) standings:

- Farmime A 8-0

- Piracicaba 6-2

- Underdogs 6-2

- Americana 6-2

- Wild Eagles 4-4

- Farmime B 3-5

- São Francisco 2-6

- Pirituba -7

- Campinas 0-8

Also last weekend, the U-17 14th Annual Brazilian Baseball Inter-Club Open Championships were played in Ibiúna, with the host team winning the tournament. More information on the tournament results (in Portuguese) can be found on the CBBS website.

I thought I would take an all-encompassing tour around all things related to Brazilian baseball in this post, seeing as how there is a lot going on these days with both Brazilian players in the pros, as well as the leagues and tournaments taking place in Brazil.

First off, let’s start with the first ever-Brazilian baseball player in MLB, C-IF Yan Gomes. As you may know, Gomes was sent back to Triple A Las Vegas by the Blue Jays after only 8 games in The Show, in which he hit .227 with 2 HR, 5 RBI, a .796 OPS in 22 AB. The move was as much to give the Blue Jays some pitching depth and allow Gomes to get more playing time back in Las Vegas, given the return of Brett Lawrie after his suspension, than anything else. Few doubt that Gomes will be back in Toronto some time again this year.

Also in the minors, Outfielder Paulo Orlando made it back from a hernia injury and is at Double A Northwest Arkansas (KC), where his offensive production has gradually started to return back to what we had seen before from him. In 42 games this season, Orlando is hitting .286, with 19 R, 2 HR, 17 RBI 6 SB and a .616 OPS.

Pitcher Andre Rienzo should soon be done with this PED suspension and making a comeback to Single A Winston-Salem (CHW) later this month. Rienzo started off the season pretty well, going 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA, 31 K’s and only 7 BB’s in 25 innings pitched. Hopefully he can recapture that early success when he comes back.

Pitcher Murilo Gouvea has done a good job for Single A Lexington’s (HOU) bullpen so far this season. In 20 appearances, he has gone 1-2, 2.94 ERA, 1 Save, 39 K’s and only 7 BB’s in 33.2 innings pitched. It would be nice to see the Astros organization move him up to Double A at some point, hopefully this season.

Infielder Pedro Okuda has been doing very well so far for the Mariner’s Venezuelan Summer League team. In 16 games, Okuda is hitting .317 with 12 R, 3 triples, 2 doubles, 9 RBI, and an .839 OPS in 60 at bats. Okuda’s steady improvement in Venezuela over the last 2 1/2 seasons is a good sign he will get pulled out of the rookie league and into Single A some time in the near future.

Pitcher Thyago Vieira, on the other hand, has struggled for the Mariners in Venezuela this season. In 3 games started, he has gone 0-2 with a 7.84 ERA. Hopefully he gets more opportunities to turn it around.

Newcomer pitcher Rafael Moreno is already listed on the Orioles’ Dominican summer league team, however he has yet to log any statistics according to milb.com.

Neither infielder Leonardo Reginatto, who played in Single A short-season Hudson Valley (TB), nor outfielder Wester Ramos, who played for the Rays Venezuelan Summer team last season, have generated any stats anywhere this season, according to milb.com, so I’m not sure what their status is for this season.

Meanwhile back in Brazil, the Liga São Paulo de Beisebol (LSPB) is finishing up its first regular season phase. The standing so far are:

1. Giants 12-2

2. Mackenzie 12-4

3. New Giants 10-6

4. São Bernardo 9-7

5. Bats 9-7

6. Dragons 8-8

7. Med. Santos 5-11

8 . Bacamartes 4-10

9. Anhanguera 0-14

The Giants, Bacamartes, and Anhanguera will all be playing their final round robin games against each other on June 17, then the LSPB will move into the playoff phase.

Over in the Liga Paulista de Beisebol (LPB), the standings look like this:

1. Americana 6-0

2. Farmime A 5-0

3. Underdogs 5-1

4. Piracicaba 4-1

5. Wild Eagles 2-4

6. Farmime B 2-4

7. São Francisco 1-5

8. Pirituba 1-5

9. Campinas 0-6

Two weekends ago, the Confederação Brasileira de Beisebol e Softbol (CBBS) held its 7th Annual Inter-Club Brazil Cup for the under 13 age group. Not surprisingly, Ibiúna (which consists of the CT Yakult national training academy and is usually where all of the best young players in Brazil end up) won the tournament. Marília came in 2nd, the Nippon Blue Jays came in 3rd, and Maringá came in 4th. More information on the tournament can be found on this CBBS website page.

Finally, beginning this weekend and going through the month of June, the CBBS-sanctioned 14th Annual Inter-Club Brazilian Championships for the under 17 age group will be taking place, with first round games in various locations and the finals being held either in Londrina or Maringá.