[caption id="attachment_70" align="alignleft" width="241"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-70" src="http://baseballbrazil.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/660570-royals-take-the-crown-13eb5-241x300.jpg" alt="Photo credit: wsav.com" width="241" height="300" /> Photo credit: wsav.com[/caption]

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Welcome to the start of the 2015-2016 MLB offseason, the good news being that there’s still a lot of baseball going on that involves Brazilians!

Let’s start with an <strong><em>abraço bem forte</em></strong> for Kansas City OF <strong>Paulo Orlando</strong>. Not only was he part of the Royals’ World Series Championship team, he was very important to the cause. In addition to going 3-11 at the plate with 3 runs scored and an RBI in 12 playoff games, Orlando was also a key pinch runner and late inning defensive replacement as the Royals marched to their first championship in 30 years and only their second championship in the history of the organization. Orlando has established himself this season as a bona-fide major league baseball player, and all of Brazil should rightly be proud of him and inspired by how far he has come.

There are naysayers who still think that Brazil (after you get past <strong>Yan Gomes</strong>, Orlando and pitcher <strong>Andre Rienzo</strong>) doesn’t have much to offer MLB, that the baseball system currently in place in Brazil is broken and corrupt, and that the Brazilian economy and the general sports landscape doesn’t lend itself very well for the sport to truly develop and produce major-league caliber talent on the scale of, say, Venezuela or the Dominican Republic. While much of that may indeed be true, the fact is that the last few years we’ve seen an unprecedented breakthrough of Brazilian baseball in to mainstream MLB and international baseball that cannot be denied and that has gone against incredible odds. So why doubt it or poo-poo it now (I’m talking to you, certain MLB journalists)? I can tell you first hand that Orlando’s success in the playoffs has generated a lot more interest by MLB teams in Brazil.

[caption id="attachment_71" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-71" src="http://baseballbrazil.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Fukuoka-SoftBank-Hawks-v-Brazil-WBC-2013-Friendly-Q2ICzENfVr5l-300x200.jpg" alt="photo credit: zimbio.com" width="300" height="200" /> photo credit: zimbio.com[/caption]

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Another piece of good news for Brazilian baseball is that left handed pitcher <strong>Oscar Nakaoshi</strong>, who had played in Japan in recent seasons at the University of Hakuoh, then moved on to the semi-pro team at Honda, was signed last month by the Japanese Professional League’s <strong>Hiroshima Carp</strong>. Nakaoshi also pitched for the Brazilian national team in the <strong>2013 World Baseball Classic</strong>.

Meanwhile, back in Brazil the <strong>22<sup>nd</sup> edition of the Brazil Interleague Baseball Cup (Adult level)</strong> began its first round this past weekend at <strong>Estadio Mie Nishe</strong> in São Paulo. The teams in this year’s Cup are <strong>GECEBS</strong>, <strong>Anhanguera</strong>, <strong>Atibaia</strong>, <strong>Marília </strong>and <strong>Nippon Blue Jays</strong>. Results of the first round can be found on the <a href="http://www.cbbs.com.br/noticia/softbol-nacional/165-xxii-taca-brasil-de-beisebol-interclubes-adulto-1-rodada">CBBS website</a>.

[caption id="attachment_72" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-72" src="http://baseballbrazil.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/12112408_889589637815400_1032781611061080071_n-300x175.jpg" alt="photo credit: cbbs.com.br" width="300" height="175" /> photo credit: cbbs.com.br[/caption]

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Taking place last month was the <strong>57<sup>th</sup> Annual U-17 Brazilian Interclubs Baseball Championship</strong>, taking place in Marília, with <strong>Guarulhos</strong> taking home the trophy after beating <strong>Nippon Blue Jays</strong> in the final. <strong>Lucas Tsukamoto</strong>, of Nippon Blue Jays, was the Best Hitter with a .571 batting average, Guarulhos’ <strong>Leonardo Vilas Boas de Oliveira</strong> was voted the Best Pitcher and MVP of the tournament. More information can be found<a href="http://www.cbbs.com.br/noticia/beisebol-nacional/147-lvii-campeonato-brasileiro-beisebol-inter-clubes-juvenil-2015"> here</a> on the CBBS website.

Also last month, the <strong>U-14 Brazilian national team</strong> participated in the <strong>Pan American Baseball Championship</strong> in Venezuela for that age group. They were able to beat the home team <a href="http://www.cbbs.com.br/noticia/beisebol-internacional/140-campeonato-pan-americano-de-beisebol-sub-14-pre-junior-resultados">Venezuela, Chile, Guatemala and Nicaragua</a> in the classification phase before <a href="http://www.cbbs.com.br/noticia/beisebol-internacional/142-campeonato-pan-americano-de-beisebol-sub-14-pre-junior-fim-da-fase-classificatoria">losing to the Dominican Republic and Panama</a> to close out that round. Subsequent losses to <a href="http://www.cbbs.com.br/noticia/beisebol-internacional/145-resultado-final-campeonato-pan-americano-de-beisebol-sub-14">Panama and Nicaragua</a> in the semi-final and third place games left them in 4<sup>th</sup> place in the tournament. Pitcher <strong>Eric Pardinho</strong> took home awards for most “Effective Pitcher” (ERA of 0.00) and Most Wins with 2. <strong>Vitor Seidi</strong> was named Best Catcher and <strong>Guilherme Feruglio</strong> Best 3<sup>rd</sup> Baseman in the tournament.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;