2026 Puerto Rico Superior Double-A Baseball League to open on February 1 in Juncos

The defending champions, Juncos Mulos, will host Las Piedras Artesanas on Sunday, February 1, at 15:00 (local time) at the Mariano Nini Meaux Stadium for the Puerto Rico Superior Double-A Baseball League opening game. The Mulos have the most league titles, 11.

The 2026 Double-A League will include 45 participating teams split into eight divisions. After a 20-game regular season, including inter-division games, the first round of the postseason, best-of-five Division semifinals and best-of-seven Division finals, will determine the participants in the Carnival of Champions (Carnaval de Campeones), and the top four finishers in the eight-team round robin will compete in the best-of-seven semifinals. The winners will play for the pennant in the best-of-seven championship series.

After the Opening Game, the other 43 participants will take the field for their opener on Friday, February 6

The Puerto Rican Baseball Federation (FBPR) introduced the new season in a press conference.

"We are looking forward to the 2026 season," said FBPR President José Daniel Quiles. "It was an intense offseason, since clubs traded for over 160 players. Teams are ready, and I believe fans will like what the best league on the island has to offer."

Five of the 45 managers are former Major League Baseball (MLB) players.

Raúl Casanova, the second-year skipper for the defending champions Mulos, had a nine-year MLB career as a catcher for the Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets. He also won in 2011 with the Maunabo Jueyeros.

Luis Matos, the second-year manager for the Plata del Comerio Pescadores, also played nine MLB seasons. He was an outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles. He also represented Puerto Rico internationally, managed the Caguas Criollos in Puerto Rico's Roberto Clement Pro League, and played and managed in the Mexican Baseball League (LMB).

Barceloneta Industriales skipper José Tony Valentin was an infielder for 16 MLB seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Mets. He previously managed the Manatì Atenienses in 2022 and 2023 and, in 2022, earned Manager of the Year honours.

Edwards Guzman, who played three years in the Big Leagues for the San Francisco Giants and Montreal Expos as a catcher and infielder, will move from Las Piedras Artesanos to Yabucoa Azucarers.

The Cayey Toritos first-year manager, Angel Ramon Santos, had a two-year MLB career as an infielder for the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians.

FBPR decided to dedicate the 2026 season to Juan Antonio Juanito de Jesus Diaz, a Juncos native who served for over five decades as an official scorer, statistician and radio analyst.

Double-A preseason

Patilla Leones defeated Peñuelas Petroleros in the final, 5-1, to win the Copa de Campeones (Cup of Champions), the pretournament event featuring the 2025 Division winners. Patillas won the tournament undefeated.

Albonito wins Youth League

Albonito Titans swept the best-of-five final against the Camuy prospect to win their first-ever Double-A Youth League. It's Albonito's first win since the Youth League was inaugurated in the 2015-2016 season. They succeeded Bayamon Vaqueros.

The two finalists dominated the season. Albonito had a 17-1 record in the regular season and went 8-1 in the postseason. Camuy had a 15-5 record in the regular season and went 10-2 in the postseason.

The Final Series

Albonito Titans-Camuy Prospect 10-0
Albonito Titans-Camuy Prospect 1-0
Camuy Prospect-Albonito Titans 1-4

The Hermanos Marrero Stadium in Albonito hosted the first two games. Game Two proved to be the turning point. After dominating the opening match, Albonito relied on strong pitching. Starter Sebastian Quiles allowed only one hit and struck out nine. Richard de Jesus retired the final two hitters on strikes and earned the save. They combined to win a pitching duel against Joniel Miranda, who suffered the loss despite allowing only four hits.

The Titans also had solid pitching in Game Three at the Félix Mantil Stadium in Isabela. Left-hander Pedro Sierra pitched a complete game, striking out eight and allowing only three hits.

Kevin Ortiz had two hits, including a two-run homer, and three RBIs, earning MVP honours.

Cover photo: José Espinal-FBPR