Costello powers Miracle to FSL title
On the last day of the regular season, Class A Advanced Fort Myers needed a win and a loss by Charlotte to secure a spot in the postseason. The squad edged Clearwater, 2-1, and after the Fire Frogs rallied past the Stone Crabs, 5-2, the Miracle were headed to the
On the last day of the regular season, Class A Advanced Fort Myers needed a win and a loss by Charlotte to secure a spot in the postseason. The squad edged Clearwater, 2-1, and after the Fire Frogs rallied past the Stone Crabs, 5-2, the Miracle were headed to the playoffs.
Six games later -- behind a go-ahead three-run roundtripper from Ryan Costello -- Fort Myers wrapped up its second Florida State League title in five years with an 8-5 victory over Daytona in Game 4 of the circuit's Championship Series on Monday at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
Gameday box score
"It feels great, man," said Costello, who was acquired from the Mariners in a trade on July 30 and assigned to the Miracle on Aug. 1. A lot of hard work went into this. I've only been here for a month, but from what I understood, the first half was a struggle. So having the chance to come out here and make a difference has been great. But we came out on that last day knowing we had to win the game just to put ourselves in a position to have a chance. We knew if Charlotte won, it was over. But it's baseball, so you never know what's going to happen. We got the 'W,' and then sure enough, Florida pulled out a win and we were pumped."
After sweeping the best-of-3 semifinals round against Palm Beach, Fort Myers took a 2-0 series lead -- outscoring the Tortugas, 15-3, through the first two games of the Finals. Daytona avoided a sweep with a 6-2 victory in Game 3 on Sunday.
The Miracle collected nine hits in the final game and committed a pair of errors that led to three runs for the Tortugas in the second inning.
• Complete postseason coverage »
Costello's blast capped Fort Myers' five-run frame in the third. The 22-year-old turned on an inside fastball from No. 18 Reds prospectScott Moss (0-1) and deposited it over the wall in right field. The dinger scored 18th-ranked Twins prospectTravis Blankenhorn and No. 29 Jose Miranda -- who each collected an RBI base knock in the frame.
"He was a lefty, and he had a running two-seam fastball that he was trying to bust me in with and I kept biting," said Costello, whose long ball was his first career postseason extra-base hit. "So once I fell behind, 1-2, I was just trying to stay short and battle and put together a good AB. And sure enough, I put a good swing on a ball and it left the yard."
Right-hander Edwar Colina (1-0) yielded three unearned runs on a pair of hits with four walks and six punchouts for the Miracle. Righty Hector Lujan worked around a one-out single by Cincinnati's 23rd-ranked prospect Alfredo Rodriguez in the ninth by getting No. 11 Stuart Fairchild to ground into a series-ending 4-4-3 double play.
"It was out of our control," Costello said. "We really didn't know we were going to be in the playoffs until the very last moment, so that we were here, it just made us feel like we had to make something happen."
Top-ranked Twins prospect Royce Lewis went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. MLB.com's No. 10 overall prospect finished the Finals 5-for-17 with three homers, five RBIs and five runs. He collected at least one hit in every game.
Minnesota's No. 2 prospect Alex Kirilloff was 1-for-5 with a double and a run scored. The 30th-ranked prospect in baseball went 4-for-18 with two doubles and scored four times in the Championship Series.
Ibandel Isabel, who finished the regular season tied with Triple-A Las Vegas' Peter Alonso for the Minor League lead in homers with 36, smacked a two-run dinger for Daytona in the eighth.
Rob Terranova is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobTnova24.
Don't sleep on these prospects at Spring Breakout -- 1 from each team
The second edition of Spring Breakout is bursting with high-profile prospects. Seventy members of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 are slated to participate, including Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony (No. 2), Tigers outfielder Max Clark (No. 6), Red Sox infielder Kristian Campbell (No. 7), Rays shortstop Carson Williams (No. 9) and
Meet the 14 women who run MiLB teams
From California to Massachusetts, from Arkansas to Iowa, leadership in professional baseball is evolving. Coming into the 2025 season, there are 14 women in general manager positions across Minor League Baseball. When most fans think of the GMs in baseball, they likely assume the job is all about building a
2024 Draft class gets early chance to take center stage at Spring Breakout
When players are taken in the early rounds of the MLB Draft, it’s easy to dream about seeing them under the bright lights of the big leagues, but a common refrain has been that fans don't get to see those players for years after they're selected. Thanks to Spring Breakout,
From Spring Breakout to MLB? Here are nine players who could soon be in The Show
The inaugural Spring Breakout in 2024 provided a platform for fans to meet many of baseball's top prospects before they began standing out in the Majors shortly thereafter. Paul Skenes striking out Jackson Holliday. Jackson Chourio reaching twice and scoring a run. Jace Jung hitting a pair of homers.
Brewers' 17-year-old international signee draws comparisons to Chourio
PHOENIX – A farm system loses an elite-level prospect like Jackson Chourio, who was the No. 2 overall prospect in baseball at the start of the 2024 season, to the big leagues, it’s easy to understand that it would take a hit in this year’s farm system rankings. So don’t
Cubs have MLB stars AND loaded farm system
MESA, Ariz. – It’s a testament to where a farm system is when a Top 100-caliber hitter gets traded away and there’s still a desire to tout the bats. The Cubs traded Cam Smith to the Astros in the Kyle Tucker deal, but they still have seven players on the
Griffin boosts Pirates system, known for producing arms, with some pop
BRADENTON, Fla. – The Pirates’ strength in pitching is obvious. This is the organization that drafted Paul Skenes after all and saw him become the National League All-Star starter one year later. Jared Jones and Mitch Keller serve as more developmental success stories on the bump, and Top 100 prospects
New Rays prospect additions fitting right into the organizational mold
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Thirteen members of the Rays’ Top 30 prospect list weren’t in the organization at this time last year. Two arrived in the 2024 Draft, one was a 2025 international signee and a whopping 10 have come over in trades since last March. Normally with that level
Headlined by big-name bats, Mariners' system strong on pitching depth, too
PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Mariners placed fifth in MLB Pipeline's new farm system rankings, thanks in large part to their seven Top 100 Prospects. That total ties them with the Cubs for the most in baseball, and all seven of them are hitters. Don't get the impression that the organization
All eyes turn to hurlers Sykora, Susana in Nats camp
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Last year in Spring Training, Nationals manager Dave Martinez named the section of young hitting prospects in big league camp led by James Wood and Dylan Crews "Hope Row." While Robert Hassell III and Brady House are still prospects, Wood has graduated and Crews will
Here are the prospects with the best tools in Spring Breakout
The inaugural edition of Spring Breakout was a rousing success last year. Sixteen games showcased not only many of baseball's best prospects but also some of the most jaw-dropping tools in the Minors. Of the 10 best individual attributes we highlighted a year ago, nine belonged to players who reached
Boston's 'Core Four' hitting principles breeding prospect success
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Boston was built to be a shining city on a hill, according to John Winthrop. Four centuries later, the Hub’s top three baseball prospects are meant to be a shining example atop the Red Sox farm system. Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer – the
Phils' teen catching prospect using ABS challenge experience to his advantage
CLEARWATER, Fla. – One of the storylines of Spring Training has been the implementation of the ABS challenge system in select ballparks across Arizona and Florida. But those in the Sunshine State might be a little more familiar with the tech than their southwestern counterparts. The Florida State League first
Texas' exciting crop of pitching prospects looks to spin the narrative
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Rangers haven't signed a fully homegrown pitching All-Star since Martín Pérez in 2007 and have ranked better than the Major League average in run prevention just once in the last 11 seasons. Not coincidentally, they won 90 games and the World Series when that happened in
The 10 best 2025 Spring Breakout rosters, ranked
Ding, ding, who’s ready for Round 2? Last year’s inaugural edition of Spring Breakout gave fans early looks at Paul Skenes, Jackson Chourio, Pete Crow-Armstrong, James Wood, Jackson Holliday, Ceddanne Rafaela and many other young stars who graduated off prospect lists in 2024. Not only does it serve as a
Yankees' prospect gains coming up long at short
TAMPA, Fla. -- The Yankees have a fascinating shortstop decision on their hands. You could say it’s the most interesting one since you-know-who retired in 2014. New York is battling going with a veteran presence in Isiah Kiner-Falefa or a prospect in Anthony Volpe or Oswald Peraza. It’s still too
Mets looking for top prospects to complement veteran stars
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The last time Juan Soto played in a Minor League game was back in 2018, when in the span of 39 games at age 19 he went from A ball to High-A to Double-A and then to the big leagues with the Nationals and never
'Eephus' director Lund talks movie on podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minors radio legend exits the booth in Birmingham
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MLB's 2025 farm system rankings -- with a new No. 1
It’s time to crown a new king. After a three-year run for the Orioles atop our preseason farm system rankings, they’ve stepped off the throne, making way for the Tigers. The O’s had slipped from the top spot in our 2024 midseason rankings as they’d graduated a number of prospects