The Venezuela Professional Baseball League is one of the four Caribbean World Series participating independent baseball leagues that run during the MLB off-season. The eight team league’s regular season consists of 63 Games between October and December.

The LVBP has the same number of teams as the Mexican Pacific League but with a much deeper talent pool and a more respectable list of imported players. Each team is allowed to import up to ten non-Venezuelan native players and while non of the players chosen are “big names,” a handful of players from the MiLB AA and AAA level can be found on these lists each season. If I had to personally measure it, I would say the average LVBP team is probably on par with most MiLB (AA) teams.

While mostly mid to lower level minor leaguers, there are usually five to ten New York Mets players who participate in the LVBP each season as young players return to their homeland for the winter. Based on pre-season camp information we have received so far, there are seven players who’s names have appeared on rosters.

The season begins today and runs through December 29.

OF Wuilmer Becerra
Team: Navegentes del Magellanes
2018 Stats: (A/A+) .259 AVG, .626 OPS, 0 HR, 15 RBI, 7 SB, 21.8% K, 6.4% BB

This will be Becerra’s fourth season in the LVBP, but, this time around he’ll be wearing a different jersey. After three seasons with the Tigres de Aragua, Becerra was part of a five player trade on February 14th that sent him, Jesus Alastre, and Yohán Pino to the Navegentes in exchange for Anthony Santander and Ismael Guillón.

After another injury filled season in the Mets organization, the clock is ticking for Becerra to show that he can still have a future in the MLB. So far, early reports out of Venezuela indicate that Becerra is healthy, feeling strong, and has been hitting the ball hard during the camp. With Santander gone, and both of last year’s starting RF combo, Daniel Palka and Mario Lisson, unable to participate this season, Becerra is in line for a bunch of playing time with the Navegentes. Based on their last pre-season game, Becerra was listed both as the starting RF and the clean-up hitter in the lineup.

IF Kenny Hernandez
Team: Tigres de Aragua
2018 Stats: (Rk+) .176 AVG, .535 OPS, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 2 SB, 25.4% K, 14.7% BB

Hernandez is a constant reminder that the International Free Agent market is a game of luck. The former one million dollar bonus baby was one of the highest profile signings in the 2014 signing period but just never developed as expected. After posting a measly .193 AVG/.546 OPS for the two Rookie level teams, the Mets decided that enough was enough and cut him from the organization on September 21st. Now a MiLB free agent, Hernandez will head back to Venezuela for his second season with the Tigres de Aragua.

While he opened the season as a member of the reserves, he was activated for a handful of games last season and made one appearances as a pinch runner scoring a run. I would expect him to open the season as a member of the reserves once again this season.

SS/2B Luis Carpio
Team: Leones del Caracas
2018 Stats: (A+) .219 AVG, .654 OPS, 12 HR, 40 RBI, 8 SB, 18.3% K, 9.2% BB

I’m not sure there is another player in the Mets farm system that (in my opinion) boosted their prospect stock despite only posting a .219 AVG. After missing most of the 2016 season due to a shoulder injury and laboring through the 2017 season as he continued to recover from it, Carpio displayed a sudden propensity to drive the ball in Port St. Lucie totaling 33 extra base hits. That’s pretty impressive considering the major knocks against Carpio in the past was his bottom of the scale “20 grade” raw power.

While he has been a part of the Leones roster in previous seasons, he has yet to appear in a game instead remaining a member of the reserve squad. Despite being in camp since Day 1, he has not appeared in any pre-season games this season either so it looks likely that he will at least open 2018 as a member of the reserve squad once again.

IF Wilker Velasquez
Team: Bravos de Margarita
2018 Stats: (FRk) .217 AVG, .508 OPS, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 4 SB, 18.4% K, 4.1% BB

Not much is known about Velasquez other than he was a low level Venezuelan signing from the 2018 International Free Agent class. He reported to pre-season camp for the Bravos de Margarita and was the starting shortstop in an inter-squad game. This would at least indicate that he could have a potential role as a bench player for the club, however, given his age and the Bravos history as one of the better clubs in the LVBP, my guess is that he’ll open as a member of the reserves.

RHP Boris Sanchez
Team: Cardenales de Lara
2018 Stats: (Rk) 0-2 Record, 2 Saves, 21 IP, 3.86 ERA, 1.333 WHIP, 7.3 K/9, 3.9 BB/9

Another former IFA signing from Venezuela without much information on him. After three seasons as a swing man with the foreign rookie league DSL Mets2, Sanchez finally came stateside as a pure reliever and found himself pitching in a lot of late inning situations with eleven of his fifteen appearances being in the seventh inning or later. The Cardenales haven’t used him in any pre-season games so it seems likely that he will open the season as a reserve.

LHP Ragui Rodriguez
Team: Leones del Caracas
2018 Stats: (FRk) 1-1 Record, 1 Save, 27 IP, 3.67 ERA, 1.333 WHIP, 12.0 K/9, 4.0 BB/9

Just like Velasquez, Rodriguez was a low level signing from the 2018 IFA Class out of Caracas, Venezuela. He seemed to have himself a solid 2018 season with the DSL Mets1 posting a reasonable ERA and strong K rates. He also gained the trust of the coaching staff as the season went along getting most of his work in the later innings after multiple solid outings in the middle innings. Rodriguez is another guy I haven’t seen being used in any pre-season games so it seems likely that he will open the season as a reserve.

RHP Joshua Cornielly
Team: Leones del Caracas
2018 Stats: (FRk) 4-0 Record, 2 Saves, 27.2 IP, 3.25 ERA, 1.554 WHIP, 8.8 K/9, 2.6 BB/9

Teammates with Rodriguez both with the DSL Mets1 and back home, Cornielly is also from the 2018 IFA Class out of Caracas, Venezuela. Cornielly, 17,  is still quite young so I would not expect the Leones to activate him from the reserve squad at all this season unless significant injuries occur to the older guys on the active roster.