The Guerreros de Oaxaca have a new manager — and they went big. Asdrúbal Cabrera, the Venezuelan infielder who won the 2019 World Series with the Washington Nationals, has been named Oaxaca’s skipper for the 2027 Liga Fuerte de México season. The Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (LMB Banorte) made the announcement official on October 21, 2026.
Who Is Asdrúbal Cabrera and Why Does This Hire Matter?
Cabrera spent 15 seasons in MLB (2007–2021), earned two All-Star nods (2011 and 2012), and took home a Silver Slugger in 2011. But the moment that defines him for a lot of fans came late in his career. Washington signed him as a free agent in August 2019, and he delivered: a .404 OBP and .565 SLG in 38 regular-season games — numbers you’d expect from a middle-of-the-order bat, not a veteran fill-in. In the World Series, he hit .286 with 3 RBI across all 7 games. He knows what a championship clubhouse looks like from the inside.
He’s also not new to managing. In his first season as a skipper — the 2025–26 LVBP campaign with Caribes de Anzoátegui — Cabrera guided the club all the way to the Venezuelan winter league championship series. The LVBP isn’t a showcase league; it’s high-level baseball with a mix of top prospects and seasoned veterans. Surviving a debut there and reaching the final is a legitimate credential.
28 Years and Counting: Oaxaca’s Drought Is Real
The Guerreros last won the LMB title in 1998. That’s 28 seasons without a championship — meaning any fan under 32 has never seen Oaxaca lift the trophy. The front office is betting that a manager with Major League pedigree and Caribbean winter ball experience can finally break that streak.
The team Cabrera inherits finished 48–45 in 2026, made the playoffs as a wild card, and lost to the Olmecas de Tabasco 4–3 in the South Zone Series. Not a disaster, but not a championship-caliber club either. There’s work to do.
His coaching staff will include Jackson Melián and pitching coach Jesús Hernández, according to journalist Jesús Ponte via LVBP En La Jugada ahead of the official announcement.
A New Stadium, A New Era?
The 2027 season also marks the debut of Estadio Yu’va, Oaxaca’s brand-new ballpark. New manager, new stadium, same 28-year itch to scratch.
The fair question is whether one winter league managing stint — however impressive — is enough to compete for an LMB title right away. Honest answer: it depends heavily on the roster Cabrera gets. What nobody can take from him is the experience of knowing exactly what winning in October feels like. Oaxaca is counting on that being contagious.
