The Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico (LAMP or Mexican Pacific League) named Salvador Escobar Cornejo as league president at its spring meetings in April, a month before it was announced the team in Navojoa, Sonora, was relocating to Tucson.
Escobar previously served in business development jobs with Coca-Cola, Grupo Modelo, TV Azteca, and Grupo Orlegi. He replaced Carlos Manrique, who resigned after three years as president of Mexico’s winter league.
According to a report in El Sol de Mazatlan, Escobar’s first priority was securing a new broadcast deal for the league.
“It’s an honor to be the head of the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico,” Escobar said in Spanish at a press conference announcing his election as league president. “There are many challenges ahead, many things to work on. We’re going to work to make the league stronger than it is.”
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Escobar has also already presided over two franchise moves as the new league president — Mayos de Navojoa to Tucson (becoming the first LAMP franchise to operate outside of Mexico) and the Sultanes de Monterrey moving to Tepic, Nayarit, after a sale of the team was approved by the 10 team owners.
The Mayos, based in Navojoa since 1959, won league titles in 1979 with Ricky Henderson, Larry Anderson, Dennis Martínez and Tim Stoddard on the roster and in 2000 with newly-appointed Tucson Baseball Team general manager Esteban Haro a pitcher on the team. Mexican Baseball Fiesta president Francisco Gamez was also a pitcher with the Mayos in 2000.
Novojoa finished the 2024-25 season with a 25-43 record, finishing ninth in the standings out of the 10 teams. The club finished in the bottom three each of the last three seasons, with their last winning season coming in 2021-22. Navojoa last won a playoff series in 2017-18 under manager Willie Romero, who is returning to the organization to manage the Tucson Baseball Team.
With a population of approximately 165,000, Navojoa was the smallest city in the LAMP, with a population of 90,000 fewer people than the next smallest city in the league, Los Mochis. Tucson’s metropolitan population is 1,043,433 as of the 2020 census.
ARCO Mexican Pacific League Franchises
Metropolitan population listed as of 2020
| Team | City | State | Population | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Águilas de Mexicali | Mexicali | Baja California | 1,032,686 | Estadio Nido de los Águilas | 17,000 |
| Algodoneros de Guasave | Guasave | Sinaloa | 320,000 | Kuroda Park | 8,500 |
| Cañeros de Los Mochis | Los Mochis | Sinaloa | 256,613 | Estadio Emilio Ibarra Almada | 12,500 |
| Charros de Jalisco | Zapopan | Jalisco | 1,476,491 | Estadio Panamericano | 16,500 |
| Jaguares de Nayarit | Tepic | Nayarit | 489,511 | Estadio Coloso del Pacifico | 9,480 |
| Naranjeros de Hermosillo | Hermosillo | Sonora | 812,229 | Estadio Fernando Valenzuela | 16,000 |
| Tomateros de Culiacán | Culiacán | Sinaloa | 860,500 | Estadio Tomateros | 19,210 |
| Tucson Baseball Team | Tucson | Arizona | 1,043,433 | Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium | 11,500 |
| Venados de Mazatlán | Mazatlán | Sinaloa | 501,441 | Estadio Teodoro Mariscal | 16,000 |
| Yaquis de Obregón | Ciudad Obregón | Sonora | 329,404 | Estadio Yaquis | 16,500 |
Escobar was present Wednesday during the Tucson Baseball Team’s introductory press conference at the Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium alongside local government authorities and agencies and the ownership group of the team headed by Victor Cuevas Jr. and Victor Cuevas III.
Escobar took the time to answer the following questions from AllSportsTucson.com about the relocation of the Mayos de Navojoa to Tucson and the expectations of the league for the franchise at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium:
Q – How did this come about that Tucson now has a team in the Mexican Pacific League?
A – “The decision, when you have the (involvement) and the support of the authorities and the community, for us, it was very easy. We were exploring different options because the situation in Sonora, at Novojoa is not easy for the level that the league expects for all the teams, competitive and the infrastructure. So the options that the familia Cuevas explored, (they) looked around and then said hello to Tucson. When the family and Victor worked here and put the options on the table and told us (the league) about all the work and all the (involvement) from the authorities and the community, it’s no brainer.”
Q – Did Major League Baseball play a part in any of this? A suggestion of getting a team here?
A – “No, we only have the winter-league agreement. We work on it and the rules, and a lot of communication, but not necessarily to make the decision (to move to Tucson). But, yeah, all the support.”
Q – What are you envisioning this first year being like? What are you hoping to see from a league standpoint? What are you hoping to see out of this?
A – “The community and the new fans base will expect a lot, and I think that that you will have to expect a very good team, because you have the base from Mexico. The (Cuevas) family knows the business, so they are working hard to complete and get the reinforcements for the team. I think you will have a very competitive baseball team. So I think that’s the expectation. (It is) difficult, because you came from another country, but I can (see) the feeling around, the mood. I think that if you are looking to come back, (with) the pro baseball here in Tucson, you can expect many things. I think that for us is (how) you feel right now. The warmth is not from the weather, but from the people. You love — as a community, you love baseball. So we are here, and we will enjoy the game.”
Q – For a move like this to happen, the team owners, presidents, have to agree to it. What’s the input from them? What’s the excitement level of the other teams, having a team here and to be able to play in Tucson and the US?
A – “All the support. I think that was the basic support and the basis to make this decision, because we, right now, for this season, are getting back and receiving two new teams, in Tucson and in Nayarit. So all the owners said yes, because both teams complete and get all the essence that the Liga Mexicana de Pacifico has and wants. Everybody supports. Obviously, it’s a big challenge, because you have to solve logistical troubles and (paperwork). But we are reasonably getting all the time for the (paperwork) and rules. We are international. We travel to the United States for the matches or the Serie del Caribe (Caribbean World Series). So it’s not a surprise for us in the administrative way, in the paper way. But yeah, first, the first step is to have the support from all the owners, and that’s it.”
Q – Is there a chance Tucson could host the Caribbean World Series after the current scheduling for that event is completed through 2032?
A – “Exactly, right now, you (Tucson) are part of the league, and you have the same opportunity that the other teams have to raise the hand and say, ‘Please come here with the Serie del Caribe.’ So we will work in the next (few) years to evaluate the situation. And of course, it’s a huge opportunity and possibility.”
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