Pacific Coast League playoff preview
The Pacific Coast League was barreling toward the playoffs with what looked like four new participants -- then the El Paso Chihuahuas happened again.The defending-champion Chihuahuas rallied to overtake the Salt Lake Bees on the last weekend of the regular season, clinching their third straight Pacific Southern Division title with
The Pacific Coast League was barreling toward the playoffs with what looked like four new participants -- then the El Paso Chihuahuas happened again.
The defending-champion Chihuahuas rallied to overtake the Salt Lake Bees on the last weekend of the regular season, clinching their third straight Pacific Southern Division title with a victory Saturday night.
For the third time in three years, El Paso will face a different Pacific Northern Division champion, this season drawing the Reno Aces. The other semifinal features the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, who clinched their first playoff berth in 20 years by dominating the American Northern Division.
Opposing the Sky Sox will be the Memphis Redbirds, who won the American Southern by 20-plus games and became the first PCL team to reach 90 wins since 2006.
Memphis Redbirds (91-50, American Southern Division champion) vs.
Colorado Springs Sky Sox (80-57, American Northern Division champion)
Season series tied, 8-8
Game 1 at Memphis, Sept. 6 at 8:05 p.m. ET
Game 2 at Memphis, Sept. 7 at 8:05 p.m. ET
Game 3 at Colorado Springs, Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. ET
Game 4 at Colorado Springs, Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. ET (if necessary)
Game 5 at Colorado Springs, Sept. 10 at 3:30 p.m. ET (if necessary)
A funny thing happened on the way to the Sky Sox and Redbirds going head-to-head: They also finished the regular season going head-to-head, splitting four games in Colorado Springs.
Memphis manager Stubby Clapp summed up their postseason matchup with one word: "Tight."
"They've got a good team," Clapp said. "They've got good pitching we didn't see. Their hitters and position players are very good athletes.They play good baseball. They're a veteran type of team."
Of course, Clapp's squad can be described with those same attributes. Even with the usual slew of players moving back and forth between Triple-A and the Majors, the Redbirds racked up 91 victories.
"My hats off to [my] staff and the players," Clapp said. "They came every day to work, ready to get better, ready to help the guys get better. I think that was the beginning of the recipe. The guys continued to just stay active, they never quit."
Complete postseason coverage >>
Memphis was strengthened by the constant influx of additional prospects moving up from Double-A to replace those recalled to St. Louis. Three of those in-season additions -- right-handers Dakota Hudson (1-1, 4.42 ERA), Kevin Herget (4-2, 4.62) and Ryan Helsley (3.60 in one start) -- will start the first three games of the series, Clapp said.
"Obviously it's nice when you have the players to be able to do that," he said. "Just to be able to incorporate them into the atmosphere we've created, it made things run smooth. They knew what was expected of them."
The big bats for Memphis are third baseman Patrick Wisdom (.243/.310/.507, 31 HR, 89 RBI) and outfielder Tyler O'Neill (.246/.321/.499, 31 HR, 95 RBI).
Colorado Springs has not announced a rotation, but right-handers Taylor Jungmann (9-2, 2.59), Bubba Derby (5-0, 3.55) and Angel Ventura (6-4, 4.06) are strong candidates to start.
The Sky Sox have lost most of their power hitters to Milwaukee, leaving a more contact-oriented attack led by infielders Iván De Jesús Jr. (.345/.407/.488, 7 HR, 65 RBI) and Nate Orf (.320/.397/.507, 9 HR, 65 RBI).
El Paso Chihuahuas (73-69, Pacific Southern Division champion) vs.
Reno Aces (80-62, Pacific Northern Division champion)
El Paso won the season series, 8-7
Game 1 at Reno, Sept. 6 at 10:05 p.m. ET
Game 2 at Reno, Sept. 7 at 10:05 p.m. ET
Game 3 at El Paso, Sept. 8 at 9:05 p.m. ET
Game 4 at El Paso, Sept. 9 at 9:05 p.m. ET (if necessary)
Game 5 at El Paso, Sept. 10 at 8:05 p.m. ET (if necessary)
Reno first baseman Christian Walker, recently named the PCL's MVP, will be among the Aces looking to take down the defending-champion Chihuahuas.
Just don't expect Walker and his teammates to be overly serious when the series begins.
"It's going to be a lot of fun," Walker said. "That's how we're approaching it. Playoff baseball is exiting at any level. Stat lines are restarted, reset. When you play games like that, you just have to remember, it's a lot of fun."
Walker (.309/.382/.597, 32 HR, 114 RBI) had plenty of fun punishing PCL pitching all season. It came after a whirlwind offseason in which he was claimed off waivers four times before finally clearing waivers with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
With Reno, Walker found plenty of offensive support in the Aces' lineup. Even with outfielder Oswaldo Arcia (.326/.410/.639, 24 HR, 87 RBI) on the disabled list, there is still plenty of offense left. Outfielder Zach Borenstein (.279/.351/.573, 24 HR, 91 RBI) adds the power, while second baseman Ildemaro Vargas (.312/.355/.462, 10 HR, 65 RBI) sets the table.
"This lineup from head to toe, sometimes it seems like no matter what order we're in or who's hitting, there's always games where we're scoring lots of runs," Walker said. "There's never a moment or sense of panic. Everyone knows we're going to put ourselves in position to win. It's just trusting each other, trusting ourselves."
El Paso is not exactly lacking when it comes to its own big bats. Outfielder Nick Buss (.348/.395/.541, 11 HR, 55 RBI) was the regular-season batting champion. Fellow outfielders Franchy Cordero (.326/.369/.603, 17 HR, 64 RBI) and Rafael Ortega (.317/.383/.468, 6 HR, 53 RBI, 26 stolen bases) have also been tearing it up, along with third baseman Christian Villanueva (.296/.369/.528, 20 HR, 86 RBI).
Pitching figures to decide the final outcome. Reno will be led by lefties Anthony Banda (8-7, 5.39) and Eric Jokisch (8-8, 4.21), while El Paso's top starters are right-handers Chris Huffman (3-1, 3.31) and Matt Magill (6-5, 3.95).
In brief
Long time coming: The Sky Sox are making their first playoff appearance since 1997, and they have not won a PCL championship since 1995. That stands in sharp contrast to the Chihuahuas (2016), Aces (2012) and Redbirds (2009), all of whom have won a title in the last 10 years.
All-Stars on parade: In addition to PCL MVP Walker, two other members of the end-of-season PCL All-Star squad made the playoffs, though teammate Arcia does not seem likely to play due to injury. That just leaves Memphis' Wisdom, along with Clapp, who was named Manager of the Year. Five other members of the team were promoted to the Majors, including Las Vegas' Amed Rosario (Rookie of the Year) and Oklahoma City's Wilmer Font (Pitcher of the Year).
Missing in action: Only one team has lost a key player since initial Sept. 1 callups were announced. The D-backs recalled Reno closer Jimmie Sherfy, who had 20 saves in 23 chances with the Aces this season. Of course, others can still be recalled as needed, and with the D-backs, Brewers and Cardinals all in playoff contention, their needs would come before any of their affiliates.
Chris Jackson is a contributor to MiLB.com.
These players could earn teams extra Draft picks in 2025
Since the Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) was implemented under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, four players have earned their clubs extra Draft picks. The PPI rewards teams for promoting their best prospects to the big leagues at the start of the season, enabling them to earn a Draft pick if
Each team's best non-Top 100 prospect
There just isn't enough room to fit all the worthy talents on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list. We unveiled our latest rankings last Friday, and now we're going to spotlight the best prospect in each farm system who couldn't quite make the cut. We undertook the same exercise last
MiLB collaborates with Stand Up To Cancer
Minor League Baseball announced a new collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C), an organization that funds the development of new and promising cancer treatments to help patients today. Founded in 2008, SU2C raises awareness and funds research to detect and treat cancers with the aspiration to cure all patients.
These are the best tools on the new Top 100 Prospects list
Players featured on last year’s edition of the best tools among Top 100 prospects should look familiar to even casual baseball fans at this point. Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes (best fastball, slider) took the Major Leagues by storm as the NL Rookie of the Year, thanks to his hard-throwing ways
Answering your Top 100 Prospects list questions
MLB Pipeline released its new Top 100 Prospects list on Friday, and it was met with a bevy of questions and comments about fans' favorite prospects. To help make sense of all the inquiries, Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo took to Reddit and responded to fan questions in a Top 100 Prospect-focused
Here are every organization's Top 100 prospects for 2025
MLB Pipeline’s 2025 Top 100 Prospects list went live on Friday night, led by the newest Dodger, right-hander Roki Sasaki, Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony and Twins outfielder Walker Jenkins. There’s a lot of offensive firepower throughout the list, beyond those two outfielders at the top, but while the bats
Check out MLB Pipeline's 2025 Top 100 Prospects list
He was one of the most sought-after talents this offseason, and he hadn’t even played stateside ball yet. Now, he can add another bullet point to his already lengthy baseball resume. Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki tops MLB Pipeline’s 2025 preseason ranking of the Top 100 prospects, followed by Red Sox
The Show Before the Show: Episode 488
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
Get ready to cheer for ... the Bathtub Donkeys?
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 The Baseball Traveler newsletter here.
These are MLB’s No. 1 prospects at each position
MLB Pipeline's 2025 rankings of the Top 10 prospects at each position are official and the 2025 Top 100 Prospects list will be revealed at 7 p.m. ET on Friday on MLB Network and MLB.com.
Sasaki leads Top 10 RHP Prospects list. Who else made the cut?
Last year, the right-hander we had at the top of this always-deep Top 10 prospects list went on to win the National League Rookie of the Year, as Pirates flamethrower Paul Skenes went from No. 1 pick in the 2023 Draft to top rookie in the NL a year later.
Here are the Top 10 LHP prospects for 2025
MLB Pipeline will reveal its 2025 Top 100 Prospects list at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 24, with a one-hour show on MLB Network and MLB.com. Leading up to the release of the Top 100, we'll examine baseball's top 10 prospects at each position. MLB.com has produced top 10
Here are the Top 10 outfield prospects for 2025
MLB Pipeline will reveal its 2025 Top 100 Prospects list at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 24, with a one-hour show on MLB Network and MLB.com. Leading up to the release of the Top 100, we'll examine baseball's top 10 prospects at each position.
Here are the Top 10 shortstop prospects for 2025
MLB Pipeline will reveal its 2025 Top 100 Prospects list at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 24, with a one-hour show on MLB Network and MLB.com. Leading up to the release of the Top 100, we'll examine baseball's top 10 prospects at each position.
Here are the Top 10 third base prospects for 2025
MLB Pipeline will reveal its 2025 Top 100 Prospects list at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 24, with a one-hour show on MLB Network and MLB.com. Leading up to the release of the Top 100, we'll examine baseball's top 10 prospects at each position.
Did you know these famous people played Minor League Baseball?
This story was excerpted from The Baseball Traveler newsletter.
The Show Before the Show: Episode 487
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
Here are the Top 10 second base prospects for 2025
Once upon a time, second base was not often seen as a position that would provide a ton of offensive impact. Boy, have times changed.
Here are the Top 10 first base prospects for 2025
MLB Pipeline will reveal its 2025 Top 100 Prospects list at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 24, with a one-hour show on MLB Network and MLB.com. Leading up to the release of the Top 100, we'll examine baseball's top 10 prospects at each position.
Here are the Top 10 catching prospects for 2025
The Dodgers understand the importance of a top catcher. While superstars Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman grab plenty of headlines, Will Smith remains one of the pillars of Los Angeles’ success. Since he debuted in 2019, Smith ranks second among all Major League catchers with an 18.5 fWAR,
In honor of National Hat Day, here are 10 of MiLB's most popular caps of '24
We are celebrating the small yet mighty canvas that is the Minor League cap for National Hat Day. Clubs across the Minors utilize them as a fun way to represent their teams, regions and sometimes even their parent organizations. Not to mention they also look pretty sweet. Here's a close