Cocodrilos de Matanzas

Cocodrilos de Matanzas
Cocodrilos de Matanzas
Information
League	Cuban National Series
Location	Matanzas, Matanzas Province
Ballpark	Victoria de Girón Stadium, Palmar de Junco
Established	1992; 32 years ago
National Series titles	1 (2019–20)
Elite League championships	1 (2023–24)
Colors	Red, yellow and white;
Manager	Armando Ferrer
Uniforms
Home	Away

Cocodrilos de Matanzas ('Matanzas Crocodiles') are a baseball team in the Cuban National Series. Based in Matanzas Province, the Cocodrilos were formed after the dissolution of Henequeneros and Citricultores, two teams from Matanzas. The Cocodrilos have struggled to enjoy the success of their predecessors.^[1]

History

Long before the Yumurine players wore the Gothic M of Matanzas on their flannels in that year of 1967, the name of such an illustrious city had already adorned the official history of winter tournaments in the mythical campaign of 1878–79.

Like that modest combined at the beginning of the circuit in the nineteenth century, the Matanzas of the 60s and 70s, was not the most competitive. Never, stars of the mood of Wilfredo Sánchez, his brother Fernando, Rigoberto Rosique, Tomás Soto, Evelio Hernández, Edwin Walters, Alfredo García, Gaspar Pérez, Luis Fernández, Ernesto William Alfonso or the brothers Félix and Reinaldo Isasi, could they unify their forces in a single gang to defend the walls of the Athens of Cuba.

And while Matanzas stoically endured his permanence at the bottom of the pond until his total disappearance towards the mid-1970s, Henequeneros, the other squad of the land of crocodiles, adorned his souvenir closet with a trophy in the 1969 campaign -70.

In the early 1990s, the winter series competition system was reorganized for the eighth time. After 19 years of absence, a team reappeared with the name of Matanzas. Although, this second version of the squad in the amateur era was also not very prolific in terms of collective results.

Matanzas won the Cuban National Series championship pennant in 2020, defeating Camagüey in the finals, clinching 4-2 overall in 6 games out of seven.^[2]^[3]

Matanzas finished sixth in the National Series in 2023. Nevertheless, it qualified to the Cuban Elite League in the first year of its new format, promoting the top six teams from the National Series. Matanzas defeated Cazadores de Artemisa in six games to win its first the Elite League and its second championship after 2020.^[4]

Roster

Cocodrilos de Matanzas roster - 2022–23 Cuban National Series

Players

Coaches

Pitchers

15 William Aguilera
53 Roilan Averohff
4 Ludwyn Bencomo
30 Jorge Blanco
21 Naykel Cruz
59 Yamil Deulofeu
6 Armando Dueñas
95 Darián Enríquez
90 Noelvis Entenza
16 David Monzón
65 Henry Moyet
43 Andy Quesada
82 Denis Quesada
96 Gian Palacio
98 Haykel Parra
67 Yamichel Pérez
92 Naykis Piedra
62 Renner Rivero
58 Yoennis Yera

Catchers

8 Yoandry Jiménez
45 Juan Manrique
40 Ariel Martínez
17 Andrys Pérez
31 Sandro Tornés

Infielders

11 Erisbel Arruebarrena
19 Yariel Duque
77 Moisés Esquerres
54 Julio César González
47 Yurisbel Gracial
12 Dayán Ibáñez
2 Aníbal Medina
1 Yadil Mujica
79 Ronney Muñiz
22 Eduardo Parreira
10 Adrián Pérez
24 Edel Tamayo

Outfielders

55 Eduardo Blanco
13 Yoisnel Camejo
52 Yadil Drake
3 Carlos Gómez
42 Víctor Gómez
50 Jonny Matos
25 José Noroña
66 José Prens
23 Ariel Sánchez

Manager

9 Armando Ferrer

Coaches

8 Alexis Garro (coach)
20 Lázaro Garro (pitching)
17 Guillermo Heredia (coach)
32 Lázaro Junco (bench)
60 Jesús Salgado (pitching)

Roster updated on 27 June 2023

Team records


CNS No	Season	Winner	Runner Up	3rd Place	Matanzas	Manager
49	2009-10	Industriales	Villa Clara	Habana	14th	Wilfredo Menendez
50	2010-11	Pinar del Rio	Ciego de Avila	Cienfuegos	14th	Wilfredo Menendez
51	2011-12	Ciego de Avila	Industriales	Matanzas	3rd	Victor Mesa
52	2012-13	Villa Clara	Matanzas	Santi Spiritus	2nd	Victor Mesa
53	2013-14	Pinar del Rio	Matanzas	Industriales	2nd	Victor Mesa
54	2014-15	Ciego de Avila	Isla de la Juventud	Matanzas	3rd	Victor Mesa
55	2015-16	Ciego de Avila	Pinar del Rio	Matanzas	3rd	Victor Mesa
56	2016-17	Granma	Ciego de Avila	Matanzas	3rd	Victor Mesa
57	2017-18	Granma	Las Tunas	Matanzas	3rd	Victor Figueroa
58	2018-19	Las Tunas	Villa Clara	Santi Spiritus	16th	Victor Figueroa
59	2019-20	Matanzas	Camagüey		1st (Series Champion)	Armando Ferrer

Notable players

Achievements

Awards

Most Valuable Player

1996–97 – José Estrada

Rookie of the Year

1968–69 – Armando Sánchez
1992–93 – Vaisel Acosta

References

^ "Equipo Matanzas". Béisbol en Cuba (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.
^ Febles Hernández, Miguel (18 January 2020). "¡Matanzas campeón!". Granma (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 April 2021.
^ Cabrera Acosta, Boris Luis (18 January 2020). "Se acabó el maleficio: ¡Matanzas campeón!". Cuba Debate (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 April 2021.
^ "Matanzas se lleva el título en la II Liga Elite del Béisbol Cubano" (in Spanish). Diario de Cuba. 24 January 2024.

[1] "Equipo Matanzas". Béisbol en Cuba (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2021.

[2] Febles Hernández, Miguel (18 January 2020). "¡Matanzas campeón!". Granma (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 April 2021.

[3] Cabrera Acosta, Boris Luis (18 January 2020). "Se acabó el maleficio: ¡Matanzas campeón!". Cuba Debate (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 April 2021.

[4] "Matanzas se lleva el título en la II Liga Elite del Béisbol Cubano" (in Spanish). Diario de Cuba. 24 January 2024.

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v t e Cuban National Series
Promotion to Cuban Elite League
Teams (founded)	Artemisa (2011) Camagüey (1977) Ciego de Ávila (1977) Cienfuegos (1977) Granma (1977) Guantánamo (1977) Holguín (1977) Industriales (Havana) (1961) Isla de la Juventud (1977) Las Tunas (1977) Matanzas (1992) Mayabeque (2011) Pinar del Río (1992) Sancti Spíritus (1977) Santiago de Cuba (1977) Villa Clara (1961)
Defunct teams	La Habana Province Metropolitanos (Havana) Agricultores Azucareros Camagüey Centrales Citricultores Forestales Ganaderos Granjeros Habana Henequeneros Las Villas Mineros Occidentales Oriente/Orientales Vegueros
Seasons	1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2022 2023
Awards	Most Valuable Player Rookie of the Year
List of champions (1961–2022)