Newest Naranjero Solano happy to be near home

SAN LUIS, Ariz. – Hermosillo was the road team Monday night at Joe Orduno Park in a Mexican Pacific League preseason game against Mexicali.

But Naranjero pitcher Javier Solano was home for the first time in what must have seemed like a very long time.

Solano, who attended San Luis and was a recipient of The Sun/Yuma Rotary's Baseball Player of the Year award before being signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, spent the past season in Ogden, Utah with the rookie-ball Raptors of the Pioneer League.

“I feel pretty good coming back here,” said Solano, for whom English is not a first language. “This is where I live, so playing here, I feel pretty good.”

Solano signed with the Naranjeros and will pitch out of their bullpen when the LMP starts Oct. 11.

“I’m hoping to do good,” Solano said. “I hope to get more experience, work more on my breaking ball.”

The LMP champ advances to the Caribbean Series to play the champs from the Puerto Rican, Dominican and Venezuelan leagues in a six-game round-robin. Like it does every four years, Mexico hosts the series this season in early February.

The host city isn’t exactly San Luis, but still close to home for Solano. The games will be played in Mexicali at the home of the Aguilas.

Like the Little League World Series, the rosters for the Caribbean Series are slightly tweaked, with big leaguers being added to the rosters of the competing teams. But Solano said if he pitches well, he can earn another trip to home – or at least, closer to home than Ogden.

“I’m going to work hard to get there,” he said.

With the Raptors, Solano went 2-3 with a 9.47 ERA in 18 relief appearances, striking out 36 in 38 innings. Solano said his ERA was bloated because of the way the league was structured – pitchers are instructed to go out and throw just a fastball for a particular game, or just breaking pitches for another, he said.

“It was good experience,” Solano said. “I did good, but my numbers weren’t that good. But I was pitching to go to a higher level.”

And pitching far from home in Big Sky country – the Pioneer League has teams in Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming – was an adjustment.

“Everything changed,” Solano said. “The people you know, they are not there. Sometimes it’s hard.”

Solano joins one of the most successful LMP teams. The Naranjeros have won 14 league titles, most recently in 2006-07, and were the first Mexican team to win the Caribbean Series, doing so in 1976. Former big leaguers Erubiel Durazo and Vinny Castilla are also former Naranjeros.

The Aguilas have seen even bigger stars play for them – John Kruk, Mike Piazza and Fernando Valenzuela spent time with Mexicali.

Solano was slated to pitch the seventh and eighth innings Monday night. Due to deadlines and the lack of wireless access at the Joe (think that will catch on?), Solano pitched too late to report on.

But during pregame ceremonies, he got the loudest cheer for any non-former Major League home run champion.

The loudest cheer from the overflow crowd was to former Giant slugger Kevin Mitchell, who was at the game working with a Mexicali prospect and threw out the first pitch.

The Joe (see – it’s catching on already) had temporary bleachers set up and still looked like it could only seat 500. With the Arizona Winter League in talks to add San Luis as a sight, it was nice to see a big crowd.

For Solano, it must have been nice just to see some familiar, friendly faces.