Tijuana Toros: Sergio Mitre Named Opening Day Starter, Lineup Leaked
Credit: Toros
Tijuana, Mexico
On Tuesday, the opening day roster for the Tijuana Toros was officially announced along with a sneak peek of the starting rotation and the Opening Day lineup by manager Pedro Mere.
Former major leaguer Sergio Mitre was named as the Opening Day starter to face Acereros del Norte and Josh Lowey on March 22.
At 37 years of age, the Los Angeles native offers a wealth of experience and is coming off a solid winter in the Mexican Pacific League.
Mitre played with Aguilas de Mexicali in the LMP this past offseason and posted a 2.59 ERA with a 6-4 record in the regular season. The right-hander also played with Tomateros de Culiacan in the playoffs and helped the team from Sinaloa win the 17-18 LMP title.
The rest of the rotation for the opening series was leaked by Pedro Mere as he announced that Carlos Hernandez would start the second game and Kyle Lobstein would start the final game of the series.
Hernandez put up a very impressive 10-2 record with a solid 2.67 ERA in 18 games last season and should be a key pitcher in the border city side’s rotation this year. Lobstein is a newcomer to Mexican baseball, but does have experience in MLB with the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates that should help him adapt well to the LMB.
El manejador de @TorosDeTijuana confirmó que este será el line up del equipo para el juego inaugural de la LMB ante Acereros de Monclova.
El SS titular, José Guadalupe Chávez se encuentra lesionado del hombro. pic.twitter.com/tZhhU6HxaY
— Juan Heriberto (@JuanHeribertoMF) March 21, 2018
Pedro Mere also leaked the lineup for Opening Day, but did say that things could change from now until Thursday.
The lineup from first to ninth is as follows: Justin Greene, Isaac Rodriguez, Dustin Martin, Cyle Hankerd, Corey Brown, Jorge Cantu, Carlos Rivero, Juan Apodaca, Josh Rodriguez. The lineup is a very strong one that has power and speed and should present problems to the Acereros’ pitching throughout the series. The lineup was already very strong in 2017, but additions like Justin Greene and Carlos Rivero really add to it, Greene especially, as he proved to be one of the best lead-off hitters in the LMB last year and should be due for another strong campaign this season.
The objective to defend the LMB title is very clear for the Tijuana Toros and a team with a consistent lineup like this should be able to perform in this league. The pitching staff also seems to have improved heading into this season, which should help Pedro Mere’s team be relevant again this year.
Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.
