2016 Tucson Saguaros Season Recap - Tucson Embraces the Pecos League and the Saguaros Deliver a Championship
The Tucson Saguaros could not have scripted a better first season. Professional baseball returned to Tucson in 2016 with a new team, a new identity, a new league and plenty of questions about what the summer would bring. By August, almost every one of those questions had been answered. The Tucson Saguaros were not simply competitive. They were the best team in the Pecos League.
Tucson won 51 regular-season games, captured the regular-season championship, established a Pecos League record for victories and led the league in attendance. The Saguaros turned Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium into the showcase facility of the Pecos League, and on August 11, 2016, they completed an unforgettable ninth-inning comeback to defeat the Trinidad Triggers 5-4 and become Pecos League Champions in their inaugural season.
For manager J.D. Droddy, it was the culmination of a remarkable summer. For the Pecos League, it was validation that Tucson could become one of its premier markets. For the baseball fans of Tucson, it was an immediate reward for embracing a new organization and a level of professional baseball many in the community had never experienced before. The Saguaros arrived in Tucson promising professional baseball. They delivered a championship.
The Pecos League Finally Comes to Tucson
The arrival of the Saguaros represented an important step for the Pecos League. Tucson was not an unfamiliar baseball city. It had a long professional baseball history and a fan base that understood the game. That meant the Saguaros weren't entering a market where professional baseball had to be explained. They were entering a city where baseball fans had expectations.
The Pecos League announced that Tucson would begin play in 2016 and placed the new club at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium. The inaugural schedule was built around giving Tucson fans a regular weekend baseball experience. Thursday nights featured $1 beer, Friday nights featured fireworks and Saturday nights were designed around special events. Home games were scheduled at Kino on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, while the Saguaros also played Sunday games at historic Warren Ballpark in Bisbee.
The first home series was scheduled for May 19 against the Las Cruces Vaqueros. It was a completely new Pecos League operation in one of the largest cities the league had ever entered, and Tucson responded.
Kino Immediately Becomes the Gem of the Pecos League
The difference between Tucson and many existing Pecos League markets was immediately obvious. Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium offered the Saguaros a professional baseball environment unlike almost anything else in the league at the time. The Pecos League would later describe the Kino Sports Complex as the "GEM of the Pecos League."
That wasn't simply promotional language. Tucson gave the league a major-market facility, an established baseball community and a place where Pecos League players could experience playing in a ballpark built for professional baseball. For players who had spent portions of their independent careers traveling through small towns and playing in modest facilities, walking into Kino was different. For the league, having Tucson on the schedule was different. For Tucson fans, it meant the return of summer professional baseball to a stadium they already knew.
The combination worked immediately. Tucson led the Pecos League in attendance during its first season.
Tucson Fans Give the Pecos League a Chance
Perhaps the most important part of the 2016 season happened away from the standings. Tucson baseball fans gave the Pecos League a chance, and that mattered. This wasn't affiliated Minor League Baseball coming back to town. There were no Major League prospects assigned to Tucson by a parent organization and no familiar Pacific Coast League structure behind the team. This was independent professional baseball.
The players were playing for the Saguaros because they wanted another opportunity in the professional game. The Pecos League was asking Tucson fans to embrace something different, and they did. Fans came to Kino, bought Saguaros hats and shirts, learned the players, attended Thursday promotions and Friday fireworks and adopted a completely new baseball identity.
Years later, the Pecos League would remember that Tucson's core baseball fan base was happy when professional baseball returned in the form of the Saguaros. Even the team's unusual cactus logo, which initially received mixed reactions, eventually grew into one of the league's most popular identities. Nothing, however, could have accelerated that connection faster than winning. Tucson won immediately.
J.D. Droddy Gets the Opportunity in Tucson
The responsibility for building the first Saguaros team went to J.D. Droddy. Droddy was already well known around the Pecos League. He had been part of the Trinidad Triggers organization and had managed Trinidad during an important period in that franchise's history. His time with the Triggers included the 2013 season, when Trinidad reached the playoffs and became the subject of the reality television series that followed the team throughout the summer.
When the Pecos League announced its move into Tucson, the managerial job immediately attracted attention. Droddy wanted it, applied and was selected to lead the expansion Saguaros. It became one of the most successful managerial decisions in league history. Droddy didn't need several seasons to build Tucson into a contender. He did it immediately.
The Saguaros Start Winning Immediately
Expansion teams are usually given time. There is supposed to be a period of learning the league, developing a roster and establishing an identity. The Saguaros weren't interested in waiting. By the end of May, Tucson had already established itself as one of the strongest teams in the league.
On May 27, Tucson defeated the Alpine Cowboys 11-5 at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium to improve to 8-1. Adam Urbania went 3-for-4 while Cameron Cox earned the victory with six strong innings. That early record was a warning to the rest of the league. The new team in Tucson was real, and it was very good.
A Team Tucson Could Be Proud Of
What made the first Saguaros season especially rewarding for local fans was the quality of baseball they received from the beginning. The Pecos League hadn't simply placed a team in Tucson and hoped people would show up. J.D. Droddy assembled a club capable of winning the entire league.
Players such as Ryan Retz, Jimmy Heck, Adam Urbania, Michael Rampone, Jesse Baker, Michael Morris, Burnell Dailey, Steven Borkowski and Cameron Cox became the first generation of Tucson Saguaros. They weren't names inherited from another Tucson franchise. They were creating a new history.
Each victory made that identity stronger. Each successful weekend at Kino gave fans another reason to return. As the summer progressed, what began as curiosity about a new independent team increasingly became excitement about a championship contender.
Tucson Takes Its Winning Baseball on the Road
The Saguaros weren't simply taking advantage of Kino Stadium. They could win anywhere. In June, Tucson traveled to Alpine and delivered consecutive convincing victories against the Cowboys at historic Kokernot Field.
On June 7, the Saguaros won 9-1. Randy Keen threw a complete game and allowed only one earned run, while Adam Urbania drove in three runs and homered. The following night Tucson won again, this time 14-8. Michael Morris went 4-for-4 as the Saguaros improved to 16-6.
These weren't meaningless early-season victories. They demonstrated that Tucson could handle the travel and difficult environments that defined Pecos League baseball.
The Wins Continue to Pile Up
By July, Tucson had moved beyond being a good expansion team. The Saguaros were chasing league history. Their lead in the Southern Division grew, their victory total climbed and Kino became increasingly important to the Pecos League's 2016 story.
Near the end of the regular season, Tucson had already clinched the league's top playoff seed and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. With two games remaining, the Saguaros were one victory away from setting the all-time Pecos League record for wins. They got it.
Tucson finished the regular season 51-14. Fifty-one victories in the franchise's first season. The regular-season championship belonged to Tucson, and so did the No. 1 playoff seed.
The Best Record and the Best Attendance
Those two accomplishments together told the story of the inaugural season better than almost anything else could. Tucson led the Pecos League on the field, and Tucson led the Pecos League in the stands.
The Saguaros established a league record with 51 regular-season victories while also leading the league in attendance. For the Pecos League, it was difficult to imagine a better first-year result. A market that was new to the league had embraced its team, and a new team had rewarded that support with the best record in the league.
Kino had become the showcase ballpark, and the Saguaros entered August with the opportunity to give Tucson the one thing still missing from the inaugural season: a championship.
Roswell Stands Between Tucson and the Finals
Tucson's regular-season success earned the Saguaros a first-round playoff bye. The Roswell Invaders advanced to face them in the Southern Division Finals, and Roswell was no ordinary opponent. The Invaders had won Pecos League Championships in 2011, 2013 and 2015 and entered the series as the defending champions.
They were precisely the kind of team Tucson would have to beat if it wanted its first season to end with a championship. The series immediately became a battle. Game 1 required 13 innings before Tucson finally won 8-7 when Ryan Retz delivered a two-out double to drive in the winning run in the bottom of the 13th.
Jimmy Heck hit a three-run home run and Steven Borkowski pitched seven innings with 10 strikeouts. The game demonstrated just how difficult postseason baseball was going to be. Tucson had spent the summer winning with remarkable consistency. Now every victory had to be earned against the league's defending champion.
Cameron Cox Sends Tucson to the Championship Series
The Southern Division Finals eventually came down to a deciding Game 3. This was the moment the inaugural Saguaros season could have ended. Instead, Cameron Cox delivered one of the biggest pitching performances in franchise history.
Tucson defeated Roswell 4-1, with Ryan Retz and Jimmy Heck each collecting two hits. The Saguaros had eliminated the defending Pecos League Champions. Tucson was going to the Pecos League Championship Series in its first season.
J.D. Droddy Faces His Former Team
There could hardly have been a more appropriate opponent waiting for Tucson. The Trinidad Triggers had won the Northern Division, and they were also J.D. Droddy's former team. Droddy had helped establish the Triggers during the early years of the franchise and had managed in Trinidad before eventually accepting the opportunity in Tucson.
Now his first season with the Saguaros would end against the organization that had helped establish his reputation in the Pecos League. The storyline was almost too perfect: a new Tucson franchise, a first-year championship appearance, a manager facing his former club and the championship series beginning at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Tucson Takes Game 1
The Championship Series opened August 10 in Tucson. Trinidad came out aggressively and scored five runs in the first inning. For a moment, the Saguaros appeared to be in serious trouble. But the team that had won 51 regular-season games didn't panic.
Tucson began working its way back. Michael Rampone drove in a run, then Ryan Retz delivered the biggest blow of the game with a grand slam. Tucson erased the early deficit and eventually defeated Trinidad 11-6. The Saguaros were one victory away from the championship.
August 11, 2016 - One of the Greatest Innings in Saguaros History
Game 2 looked like it was going to belong to Trinidad. The Triggers received seven outstanding innings from Joe Robinson, who held Tucson to one run. Trinidad carried a 4-1 lead into the ninth inning, and three outs separated the Triggers from forcing another championship game.
For Tucson, the situation was simple. Score at least three runs or continue the series another day. The Saguaros did something better. They scored four.
Michael Rampone singled. Ryan Retz was hit by a pitch in the helmet. Jimmy Heck reached as Tucson continued applying pressure. Jesse Baker singled. Adam Urbania walked. Tanner Geisel's sacrifice fly tied the game. Then, with Thomas McKenna batting, Jesse Baker scored the winning run on a wild pitch.
Tucson 5, Trinidad 4. Game over. Series over. Season over. The Tucson Saguaros were Pecos League Champions.
From 4-1 Down to Champions
It was an extraordinary way to complete an extraordinary first season. The Saguaros didn't clinch the title with an easy victory. They entered the ninth inning trailing by three runs, with their championship disappearing.
Then the first group of players ever to wear Tucson Saguaros uniforms produced the rally that would forever define the franchise's inaugural season. Four runs in one inning turned a 4-1 deficit into a 5-4 victory and a championship.
The players celebrated something they had spent the entire summer building, and Tucson baseball fans had the opportunity to celebrate a professional baseball championship in the very first season of their new team.
A Thank You to the Baseball Fans of Tucson
The 2016 championship belonged to the players and coaches who won the games, but the success of the inaugural season belonged to Tucson as well. The Pecos League came into a city with a long baseball history and asked fans to support something new.
Tucson could have ignored it. Fans could have decided independent baseball wasn't for them or compared the Saguaros endlessly with previous teams and previous leagues without ever allowing the new club to develop its own identity. Instead, Tucson gave the Saguaros an opportunity.
The fans came through the gates at Kino, supported the promotions, followed the standings, learned the roster and wore the new Saguaros logo. They helped Tucson lead the entire Pecos League in attendance during its first season.
That support was especially meaningful because the Pecos League was offering Tucson something different. It was affordable independent professional baseball built around players trying to advance their careers and a team operating directly in the community. What Tucson received in return was not a rebuilding expansion club. It received a top-notch baseball team from the first pitch of the season.
The Saguaros won 51 games, had the best record in the league, defeated the defending champion Roswell Invaders in the playoffs and won the Pecos League Championship. For fans who decided to give the Pecos League a chance, there could have been no better reward.
The Pecos League Finds a Home in Tucson
The championship was important, but the relationship established between Tucson and the Pecos League may have been even more significant. Before 2016, Tucson was simply a market the league hoped would work. After one summer, there was no longer much doubt.
The league had found a major home in southern Arizona. Kino immediately became its premier facility, the Saguaros immediately became one of its premier teams and Tucson immediately became one of its strongest attendance markets.
The relationship wasn't built through promises about what the Saguaros might someday become. It was built through what fans saw on the field in Year 1: winning baseball, professional players, a first-class stadium, promotions and fireworks, playoff baseball and finally a championship celebration.
J.D. Droddy Delivers a Championship
J.D. Droddy's place in Tucson Saguaros history was secured immediately. He was the first manager, the manager who established the winning culture and the manager who brought Tucson its first Pecos League Championship.
Years later, the Pecos League continued recognizing Droddy specifically as the manager of the 2016 championship Saguaros. The league also credited him with building a championship roster that included players who had come through its developmental Spring League.
There would be other successful Tucson managers, other great Saguaros teams and eventually more championships. But there could only be one first manager and one first championship team. Those belonged to J.D. Droddy and the 2016 Tucson Saguaros.
The Beginning of a Championship Franchise
Nobody knew it in August 2016, but the championship was only the beginning of what Tucson would eventually become in the Pecos League. The Saguaros would develop into one of the most successful franchises in league history.
Future teams would chase the standard established by the inaugural club. Future players would arrive in Tucson knowing what the uniform represented, and future managers would inherit expectations created during that first summer: win, make the playoffs and compete for championships.
Those expectations didn't develop slowly. The 2016 team created them immediately.
The Legacy of the 2016 Tucson Saguaros
The numbers alone make the inaugural Saguaros one of the most important teams in Pecos League history. Tucson finished with 51 regular-season wins and only 14 losses, produced the best regular-season record in the league, established a Pecos League record for victories, finished first in league attendance, won the Southern Division playoffs and became Pecos League Champions.
But numbers don't completely explain what happened in Tucson that summer. A new relationship had begun between a city and a league. The Pecos League took a chance on Tucson, and Tucson baseball fans took a chance on the Pecos League. Both sides were rewarded.
Fans received a talented, exciting and championship-caliber professional baseball team from the very beginning. The league received a market that immediately demonstrated its appreciation by leading the Pecos League in attendance. Kino became the gem of the league, the Saguaros became champions and a city with a deep baseball tradition had a new team to call its own.
The final image of the season was almost perfect. Tucson entered the ninth inning of the championship game trailing Trinidad 4-1 and standing three outs from another game. Four runs later, it was over. The first Tucson Saguaros team had won the last game of the Pecos League season.
For the players, it was a championship. For J.D. Droddy, it was the defining achievement of his Tucson tenure. For the Pecos League, it proved that bringing the league to Tucson had worked. For the fans who welcomed the Saguaros into their city, it was difficult to imagine a better introduction.
Professional baseball was back in Tucson. The fans had embraced it. And the Tucson Saguaros were champions.
2016 Tucson Saguaros
The 2016 Tucson Saguaros were managed by J.D. Droddy and finished the regular season 51-14. Tucson won the Pecos League regular-season championship, established a Pecos League record for regular-season victories and led the league in attendance. The Saguaros defeated the Roswell Invaders in the Southern Division Finals before defeating the Trinidad Triggers in the Pecos League Championship Series to become the 2016 Pecos League Champions.
The first season of Tucson Saguaros baseball ended exactly where every franchise hopes its history will begin - with a championship.
