The Superior Double-A League of Puerto Rico will open on Sunday, 12 February, at the Estadio Pedro Montañez in Cayey, with the defending champions Toritos facing Criollos de Caguas.
The first full day of games is scheduled for 17 February and the regular season will run through 19 May.
A total 45 teams participate in the 84th edition of the league, the top competition organized by the Baseball Federation of Puerto Rico (FBPR).
Seven of the managers are former Major League Baseball (MLB) players. Juan Igor Gonzalez (Toritos de Cayey; he recently managed Puerto Rico at the U-23 Baseball World Cup), Edwards Guzman (Criollos de Caguas), José Tony Valentin (Atenienses de Manati, the 2022 Manager of the Year), Luis Matos (Maceteros de Vega Alta), Hiram Bocachica (Azucareros de Yabucoa), Tony Rodriguez (Patrulleros de San Sebastian), Jorge Padilla (Samaritanos de San Lorenzo).
Cayey will also host the opening of the Copa de Campeones (Champions Cup), a warm-up tournament for the Double-A season. The defending champions Toritos will face the 2022 runner-up Peces Voladores de Salinas, Mulos de Juncos, Mets de Guaynabo, Libertadores de Hormigueros, Cardenales de Lajas, Arenosos de Camuy and Azucareros de Yabucoa. The Champions Cup will run from 27 January to 4 February.
Eight teams will participate in the post season of the Youth Double-A League (Carnival of Champions), which opens on Friday, 3 February. The defending champions Azucareros Junior, Toritos de Cayey, Poetas de Juana Diaz and Ponys de Santa Isabel will compete for the South Division title. Maceteros de Vega Alta, Mets de Guaynabo, Manati RBC. Halcones de Gurabo will compete for the North Division title.
FBPR announced that the Hall of Fame of the Double-A League inducted 13 new members in the class of 2022. The list includes slugger José Ponce, who had 905 career hits; pitchers Orville Batista, Antonio Acevedo and Pedro Santos; position players José “Jochy” Pérez, Enrique “Guinea” Ayala, Ariel Miranda, Carmelo Navas and Rey Bones; former president Anibal Lugo; writer Oscar Cruz; statisticians and historians Edwin Nieves and Angel Juarbe.
