Escogido fires his manager Pedro López after terrible start of the season
The Leones del Escogido fired the team’s manager, Pedro López, after the scarlet squad’s defeats against their city rivals, the Tigres del Licey.
Last Sunday, Licey beat Los Leones 6 runs to 1, adding yet another defeat for El Escogido, which occupies the last place in the standings of the Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic.
The dismissal was confirmed by the team in an official statement.
After yesterday’s defeat, the 16-time winter ball champions have a record of 7 wins and 16 losses, having a game below fifth place in the tournament.
López was announced as the foreman of El Escogido at the end of last April by the franchise’s general manager, Luis Rojas.
In place of López, the Leones have placed Felipe Rojas Jr. as interim manager, until the team hires its final strategist for the rest of the 2022-2023 fall-winter tournament dedicated to Tomás Troncoso Cuesta In Memoriam.
Rojas Jr., who has been on the Leones’ coaching staff since the 2009-2010 season, is the club’s current bench coach.
In addition to the record, the long-haired are next to last in batting average (.203), last in on-base percentage (.276) and also in slugging percentage (.275). In pitching they have the third-best ERA (3.43), but rank last in WHIP (1.34).
Another move made by the Escogido’s Baseball Operations Department was the substitution of batting instructor Rafael Peña. His place will be taken by Junior Zamora, who until last night was the assistant hitting coach.
Peña will remain in the organization, in a role that will be announced by the team later.
Prior to the current campaign, López led the Gigantes del Cibao in the 2017-18 tournament; then, in 2019-20, he was the manager of the Licey.
His experience also includes the Estrellas Orientales, with whom he has worked for a couple of years as bench coach, including the 2018-19 tournament in which that club won the championship.