Spanish
Santo Domingo — Puerto Rican Alex Cintrón has been named as the new manager of the National and Caribbean Champions, Leones del Escogido, for the 2025-26 season of the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League (LIDOM). Cintrón will take the place of Albert Pujols, who led the team to the championship in the previous campaign.
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“It's a great challenge and an opportunity because we seek to repeat what Albert Pujols did,” said Cintrón during an interview on the program Grandes en los Deportes, minutes after his appointment was made official.
The former Major League player revealed that the initial approach came during MLB spring training from Aroboy: “I wasn't planning on leaving San Juan, but they didn't have to convince me.”
Cintrón also thanked key figures in baseball such as David Ortiz, Carlos Beltrán and Machete Maldonado, who recommended him for the position. In addition, he confirmed that Wellington Cepeda will be his pitching coach, highlighting his deep knowledge of the league.
Regarding other decisions, he was clear about the speculations about possible candidates for the dugout: “I respect (Plácido) Polanco a lot, but he was not among my options,” he stated. He also shared that he received words of encouragement from Ramón Laureano: “He told me to play in December.”
Confirmed Technical Staff
- Israel Alcántara, as third base coach and assistant hitting instructor. Currently, he manages in the Dominican Summer League with the Diamondbacks.
- Charlie Valerio, as catching coach, continues in his third year as bullpen catcher with the Tampa Bay Rays' big league team.
- “La Manta” De la Cruz, also linked to the DSL with the Angels.
- Hiram Bocachica, first base and outfield coach. The former Puerto Rican major leaguer is active as a bench coach in Yucatán (Mexican League) and has experience as an instructor in Venezuela and in the United States minor league system.
- Eduardo Núñez, quality control coach. Núñez, also Puerto Rican, works with the Brooklyn Cyclones (A+ of the New York Mets) and participated as an analytics assistant and video coordinator with Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
