(Audacy) The Mexican League’s new baseball season gets underway later this week with Acereros de Monclova hosting Generales de Durango for a three-game series beginning Friday at Estadio de Beisbol Monclova. The Acereros (Spanish for “Steelers”) have gotten attention from fans on social media, many of them flabbergasted by the amount of big league talent on their Opening Day roster.
The Acereros have a former World Series MVP (Giants great Pablo Sandoval), a Cy Young winner (Bartolo Colon, miraculously still pitching at 48 years old), a Gold Glove recipient (Josh Reddick) and former Athletics and Astros slugger Chris Carter, who led the National League in home runs in 2016.
The Mexican League, as observed by John Rocker avatar Kenny Powers on Season 2 of HBO’s "Eastbound and Down," has often been a safe haven for fading stars who aren't quite ready to give up on their dreams, flocking south of the border in a last-ditch effort to prolong their struggling careers. Given the lower stakes, players are also afforded a level of anonymity in Mexico, allowing them to maintain a living playing the sport they love without having to answer for their past sins.
That’s certainly the case for former Cubs shortstop Addison Russell, a member of the Acereros who was exiled from MLB since a domestic violence scandal brought his big league career to an abrupt end in 2019. Former Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell fled to Mexico under a similar circumstance following his arrest for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (he would later plead guilty to a lesser charge, receiving two years probation for disorderly conduct), though he did appear in 18 minor league games for Double-A Richmond (Giants) and Triple-A Syracuse (Mets) last season.
You’ll notice Monclova is led by former Mets manager Mickey Callaway, who was fired by the Angels and subsequently suspended for two years by MLB following sexual harassment allegations dating back to his time with Cleveland, where he served as pitching coach under Terry Francona. Other players and coaches of note on the team include infielder Danny Espinosa (who slugged 98 homers over eight seasons with Washington, Anaheim, Seattle and Tampa Bay), outfielder Scott Van Slyke of Dodgers fame and hitting coach Julio Franco, a three-time All-Star and former AL batting champ for the Texas Rangers.
The Acereros, who won their lone title in 2019, reached the playoffs with a 35-31 record last season, winning their first-round series over Saraperos de Saltillo before bowing out to the eventual champion, Toros de Tijuana, in the quarterfinals.
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