Cangrejeros de Santurce (baseball) - 1980-2000: Influx of MLB Players

1980-2000: Influx of MLB Players

The following season, an Executive Vice president position was created just to allow participation to Zorilla, who also received a recognition for assembling the 1955 lineup and a new logo was debuted. Robinson returned for his final season as Santurce's manager. With a lineup of Beníquez, Pérez, Rondón, Lenny Randle, Bob Molinaro, Oquendo and Moret, the team won the pennant. The Cangrejeros defeated Arecibo in their semifinal, but lost the championship to Bayamón. Cookie Rojas was assigned to the manager position on 1980-81, signing Iván DeJesús, Fernando González and Willie Aikens. Cepeda, Gómez and Pizarro now served as coaches for the team. However, Santurce was unable to classify, finishing fifth. On April 9, 1981, Zorilla died and the following season was held in his honor. Gómez managed part of the 1981-82 season, before resigning the office for Jack Aker. Carlos Lezcano, Ed Figueroa, Guillermo Montañez and Jerry Morales were signed to the roster. After advancing to the post season, the Cangrejeros lost the semifinals to Ponce. In 1982-83, the Cangrejeros played their home games in Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, in the municipality of Bayamón. Figueroa, Pérez, Luis Tiant, Reggie Patterson, José Álvarez and Hernández were among the players in the roster. The team won the regular season pennant. Arecibo defeated the Cangrejeros in their semifinal. Ray Miller would serve as Santurce's manager in 1983-84. The team signed John Shelby and Jerry Willard, who won the LBPPR's MVP. Santurce finished third, but went on to lost the semifinals to Ponce. In 1984-85, the Cangrejeros signed Sandy Alomar, Jr. and Rubén Sierra, receiving large amounts of game time despite their youth. Frank Verdi was the team's manager. Santurce finished third during the regular season. The Cangrejeros won its semifinal over Caguas. The San Juan Metros won the final series in seven games. Willard won the batting championship and Sierra was the Rookie of the Year.

Featuring a young roster, Santurce finished third and advanced to the newly-established Round Robin in the 1985-86 season. The team got to a slow start during this phase, and was eliminated when Mayagüez and San Juan clinched the first two places to advance to the finals. In 1986-87, the team developed a three-year professional agreement with the Dodgers, which provided them with several prospects and staff members, including manager Kevin Kennedy. Despite this, the team finished fifth during the regular season and did not advance to the Round Robin. The Cangrejeros won the 1987-88 pennant. Alomar, Sierra and DeJesús were joined by the returning Willard, Mike Hartley, Orlando Sánchez, Bill Krueger and Mike Pérez. After a solid performance in the Round Robin, the team advanced to the finals along the Indios. The team lost the final series in seven games. In the final season of their contract with the Dodgers, the Cangrejeros experienced severe offensive lapses, finishing last in the league's standing. Alomar, Jr. did not play during this season and left for Ponce afterwards. Ed Romero and Dwight Smith were the only players to be selected for the All-Star Game. The 1989-90 season was shortened by ten games due to Hurricane Hugo, which affected Puerto Rico's metropolitan area severely. Ray Miller was brought in as manager, but was unable to gain consistency in the team's performance. Santurced finished fifth during the regular season, being eliminated from the Round Robin. Sierra did not play during this season, while DeJesús recorded a solid performance. The 1990-91 team included Beníquez, DeJesús, Sánchez, Mark Lemke, Junior Ortíz, Jaime Navarro, Candy Sierra and Luis Aquino among others. The manager office was held by Mike Cubbage and Mako Oliveras during the latter part of the season. After a slow star caused by several injured players, Santurce played better under Oliveras an qualified to the Round Robin. After finishing second, the team defeated Mayagüez in the final, 5-3 in a best-of-nine series. The Cangrejeros participated in the Caribbean Series, but were only able to win once in the preliminary round. During the next season, the team was reinforced with some players from the Atlanta Braves and Steve Wendell. DeJesús, now 38 years old, retired from the league. The Cangrejeros finished fourth during the regular season. However, they were unable to advance in the Round Robin, losing four consecutive games.

In 1992-93, Bayamón lost its franchise and Santurce received the rights for Juan González and Francisco Oliveras. The combined offensive of new arrivals, González, Dickie Thon and Héctor Villanueva carried the team throughout the season. The team's bullpen also recorded the league's lowest ERA, with 1.63 led by Oliveras, Greg Harris, José Lebrón and Scott Bailes. Santurce advanced to the Round Robin, where they finished second after defeating Mayagüez in an elimination game. The team went on to win the championship, winning the final series against San Juan 5-1. The Cangrejeros carried most of the LBPPR's awards, Oliveras was Manager of the Year and Lebrón was pitcher of the Year, while González won the league's MVP and led it in home runs. Santurce went on to win their first Caribbean Series in four decades, relying on their pitching staff and Thon's offense, while Villanueva was named the event's MVP. In 1993-94, the Cangrejeros with a roster that included González, Sierra and Leo Gómez, finished fourth during the regular season. After finishing the Round Robin with a record of 8-4, the team advanced to the final series, losing to San Juan 5-2. For 1994-95, the Cangrejeros lost the rights of González and Oliveras to Caguas, which now held Bayamón's former franchise. The team experienced offensive lapses throughout the season, finishing fifth. This performance led to the firing of three reinforcement players, Troy O'Leary, Carl Everett and Gerald Williams, the entire outfield was changed, while only Sierra was producing. Thon retired after limited participation.

In 1995-96, the LBPPR suspended the Round Robin and returned to its former format. José Cruz was brought in as manager, which brought in a loose agreement between the team and the Houston Astros, which loaned some of their prospects. José Cruz, Jr. made his debut during this season. Rey Ordóñez, Darryl Strawberry, Melvin Nieves, Eduardo Pérez and Orlando Merced formed part of the roster. Santurce finished third during the regular season. However, the Cangrejeros lost their semifinal to Arecibo. The 1996-97 team included several figures from the Astros, including Matt Galante and prospects Dennis Colón, James Mounton, Chris Holt and Brian Hunter among others. Santurce advanced to the postseason, but lost all of their semifinal games against San Juan. The following year, the Cangrejeros were unable to advance, finishing last during the regular season. In a year that the presence of Astros' personnel was already diminishing, Sierra still had solid offensive, while Scott Elarton pitched a no-hitter for the team. In January 1999, the final "City Championship" of the decade was played, since San Juan's franchise was moved to Carolina. Santurce advanced to the playoffs, but were swept by Mayagüez in their semifinal.