Tijuana Toros: Juan Apodaca Has Tied His Home Run Tally of 2017, After Just 13 Games This Season
Tijuana, Mexico
The Tijuana Toros bashed Piratas de Campeche 14-5 on Friday at the Estadio Gasmart to improve to a 10-9 record this season.
Juan Apodaca improved to six home runs on the year as he went 1-for-3 with a solo shot, two RBI, and a walk.
The Venezuelan catcher is off to a tremendous start this season with six home runs and 15 RBI and has really been a focal point of Pedro Mere’s offense this year.
The most incredible thing about this feat is that Apodaca has already tied his home run tally of 2017 as he hit six dingers throughout all of last year. The South American backstop hit six home runs and had 41 RBI in 2017, but he is well on his way to exceeding that mark in 2018.
Apodaca is inclusively on his way to outperform his best year with the Border City Bulls, which came in 2016. The former Red Sox minor leaguer hit .322 with 14 home runs and 69 RBI in 2016 with the Toros, but he is off to a much more promising start in 2018.
This type of season was foreseeable from the Venezuelan catcher right from his first home run of the year. Apodaca’s first blast of 2018 was a grand slam in Tijuana’s second game of the year that led the team to a 9-0 win against Acereros del Norte.
¡De Venezuela para el mundo! Cayó el primer Grand Slam de la campaña cortesía de Juan Apodaca #ElBeisEsDinamita@AcererosOficial vs @TorosDeTijuana EN VIVO por https://t.co/4fNNLfGucE pic.twitter.com/gW5O9doRM4
— Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (@LigaMexBeis) March 24, 2018
Since then, the 31-year-old backstop has stayed consistent and has really become a fan favorite among Toros’ supporters. Apodaca may be one of the hottest bats in Pedro Mere’s lineup, but he does continue to bat out of the eight-hole, which demonstrates just how powerful the Toros’ offense is.
Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.