After playing for seven years in the Kansas City branch system, making his professional debut in the Panama League with the Astronauts in the 2021-22 tournament, and even trying his luck in three major league games with the Kansas City Royals this this year, Freddy Fermín accepted the challenge of showing off his talent in front of the Caracas fans and has not tired of handing out firewood.
And the experience has been extremely satisfactory. So much so that the efficient 27-year-old Guyanese player has a very high chance of becoming the third consecutive slugger to be proclaimed champion with a batting average of at least .400 after Ali Castillo and Ramón Flores did it in the last two editions.
Until last weekend's games, Fermín had only gone scoreless in two of the 36 games in which he had been lined up by manager José Alguacil. In 132 plate appearances he had 56 hits to round out a .424 average, well over 40 fractions higher than his two closest rivals.
In the event that Fermín manages to maintain the best average in the league, he would be the first batting champion for Caracas since Colombian Harold Ramírez won the scepter in the 2018-19 edition by going 160-61 for an average of .381 in 44 games.
In total, since Alfonso “Chico” Carrasquel, shortstop for Cervecería Caracas, finished the 1948-49 season leading the league hitters with a .373 average, until Ramírez from Cartagena took the trophy fourteen seasons ago, fourteen members of the long-haired team have been crowned bat champions of the LVBP.
Fermín would be the third to achieve it with an average of at least .400, after the legendary Víctor Davalillo did it sixty years ago and, more recently, Bob Abreu, who did it just over twenty years ago.
A very unique case
Curiosities continue to accompany Fermín in his premiere campaign.
The Leones del Caracas catcher is also listed as the great favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award.
If it were completed along with the bat champion trophy, it would be only the second time in the history of the circuit that a player has won both awards.
Outfielder Odúbel Herrera won the Rookie of the Year award for the 2014-2015 campaign and was batting champion with the Tiburones de la Guaira by going 207-77 for .372 in 58 games.
