There’s a saying among tournament poker players have about having a chance to win regardless of the long odds.
If you have “a chip and a chair,” you still have a chance to win the tournament and the pile of cash that comes with being the last player alive.
Last season, the Charros de Jalisco applied that idiom to baseball, showing that despite a 46-46 finish in the regular season and getting into the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Liga Mexicana de Beibsol’s Zona Norte, they used their equivalent of “a chip and a chair” and knocked off the Zona Norte’s regular season champion, the Sultanes de Monterrey, in the first and third rounds of the playoffs to reach the Serie del Rey.
“I love the roster we have, with more experience in the Major Leagues, like with Willie Calhoun from the beginning, that makes a difference. We’ve been working since the winter to surpass what happened last summer. We want the organization to compete for championships year after year,” Charros manager Benji Gil said in a preview on the LMB’s website.
Gil, one of the best managers anywhere in the world, and his Charros fell to Lorenzo Bundy and his Diablos Rojos del Mexico in a sweep in the Serie del Rey, but what happened last year set the table for improvement this year.
“Last year helped us believe in the possibilities of this campaign, it doesn’t mean it will be a guarantee, but now that I tell you that we will be champions maybe you will believe me more,” Gil said.
Unlike the Zona Sur, where the Diablos Rojos are a heavy favorite, it’s hard to see any one team running away with the Zona Norte in 2026. Tijuana hired Roberto Kelly to manage a stellar lineup that has a ton of power but lacks bullpen depth. Monterrey, which fired Kelly after last year’s playoff failure, hired Henry Blanco and added veteran catcher Omar Narvaez. Monclova, Dos Laredos, Union Laguna, and the Charros will all be in the mix, and a rebuilt team in Durango will look to break that city’s long playoff schneid.
Meanwhile, the Charros are stronger than last summer, adding Zach Plesac to a rotation that includes Luis Ivan Rodriguez, Zac Grotz, and Luis Payan. Between the rotation and the lineup, the Charros should compete for the regular season title in the Zona Norte and secure home field.
But even if they don’t, all they need to do is get into the playoffs. They proved last year that once you’re in the playoffs, anything can happen.
Where to Watch – All Liga Mexicana de Beisbol games are streamed live with a subscription on LMB TV, and a season subscription is on sale for MX$799 (about US$46) until April 30. Select games are streamed live on the YouTube page for Latin American network Claro Sports.
Sultanes de Monterrey
2025 Regular Season – 55-37, First in Zona Norte
2025 Playoffs – Lost 4-3 in first round to Jalisco, won 4-0 vs. Dos Laredos in second round, lost 4-1 to Jalisco in third round.
Manager – Henry Blanco (First Season)
Notable Players – LF Socrates Brito, C Omar Narvaez, IF Josh Lester, SS Gustavo Nunez, 2B Ramiro Pena, OF Raimel Tapia, CF Louis Okoye, SP Stephen Tarpley, SP Justus Sheffield, SP Manny Banuelos.
Outlook – Losing twice to sixth-place Jalisco in last year’s playoffs cost Roberto Kelly the managing job in Monterrey, and Henry Blanco takes over an improved lineup this season. The addition of catcher Omar Narvaez, who has 10 seasons of MLB experience, will elevate an already-elite pitching staff to a higher level. Brito, Tapia, and Okoye should be among the LMB’s elite outfield trios. The Sultanes will very likely make the postseason, and then they’ll have to beat the teams they should beat.
Toros de Tijuana
2025 Regular Season – 54-38, Second in Zona Norte
2025 Playoffs – Lost 4-2 in first round to Union Laguna.
Manager – Roberto Kelly (First Season)
Notable Players – IF Justin Turner, 2B Wilmer Flores, IF Luis Guillorme, 3B Aderlin Rodriguez, IF Hernan Perez, OF Rafael Ortega, OF Junior Lake, OF Franchy Cordero, SP David Reyes, SP Domingo German, SP Jorge Perez.
Outlook – Roberto Kelly has something of a mandate to win in Tijuana, where management has put together a lineup that could potentially be as dominant in the Zona Norte as the Diablos Rojos del Mexico are in the Zona Sur. Hernan Perez and Aderlin Rodriguez each had 19 homers last season, and one of the two will likely serve as designated hitter and with the other playing first base after the club acquired 17-year MLB vet Justin Turner last week. Reyes, German, and Jorge Perez are all solid starters, but the Toros are lacking in bullpen depth, and they’ll need to shore up the relief corps to avoid an early playoff exit.
Acereros de Monclova
2025 Regular Season – 51-39, Third in Zona Norte
2025 Playoffs – Lost 4-3 in first round to Dos Laredos.
Manager – Juan Gabriel Castro (Second Season)
Notable Players – 3B Rodolfo Amador, DH/1B Balbino Fuenmayor, OF Luis Gonzalez, RF Juan Mora, SP Wilmer Rios, RP Chavez Fernander.
Outlook – Juan Castro has a young team in Monclova, but has some solid veterans in Fuenmayor, who hit 21 homers and drove in 74 runs for the Blue Fury last season, and Rodolfo Amador. Former MLBer Luis Gonzalez and 2025 LMB Rookie of the Year Juan Mora provide a solid foundation in the outfield. Veteran Wilmer Rios is likely the No. 1 starter, and Bahamian reliever Chavez Fernander has a live arm, but the Acereros likely need to upgrade the pitching, though, to escape the first round of the playoffs.
Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos
2025 Regular Season – 51-42, Fourth in Zona Norte
2025 Playoffs – Won 4-3 in first round vs. Monclova, lost 4-0 to Monterrey in second round.
Manager – Felix Fermin (Fourth Season)
Notable Returners – CF Cade Gotta, LF Yadiel Hernandez, DH Kennys Vargas, C Francisco Arcia, SP Daniel Mengden.
Outlook – The Tecos return one of the top power bats in the LMB in Yadiel Hernandez, who had 26 homers and 96 RBIs last season, and Gotta and Vargas provide pop to the lineup as well. Roenis Elias comes to Dos Laredos after pitching in Taiwan and Korea the last three summers and brings MLB experience to a league where high-level pitching is at a premium. Barring major injury problems, the Tecos should make the playoffs again, though the pressure is on Felix Fermin to get Dos Laredos their first title since 1989.