2019 Tucson Saguaros Season Recap - Bill Rogan's Saguaros Miss the Playoffs for the First and Only Time
The 2019 Tucson Saguaros season was unlike any other in franchise history. Since entering the Pecos League in 2016, Tucson had immediately established itself as one of the league's elite franchises. The Saguaros won the Pecos League Championship in their inaugural season, returned to the playoffs in 2017 and qualified again in 2018. Winning baseball had become the expectation in Tucson almost immediately.
Then came 2019. Under first-year manager Bill Rogan, the Saguaros finished exactly .500 at 30-30. For most professional baseball teams, a .500 season would simply be remembered as an average year. For Tucson, it was historic for the wrong reason. For the first time in franchise history, the Tucson Saguaros did not qualify for the Pecos League playoffs, and years later it remains the only season in Saguaros history in which Tucson failed to reach the postseason.
The frustrating part was that there was plenty of talent on the roster. Lawrence Chavez reached base more than half the time, Evan Douglas hit 15 home runs, James Garnett hit 13, Michael Klein won seven games and struck out 80 hitters, Robby Medel went 6-2 with a 2.81 ERA and closer Joe Rivera recorded nine saves. Tucson had players capable of producing winning baseball, but the Saguaros could never put everything together consistently enough to remain among the Pacific Division's playoff teams.
Strangely enough, the most memorable night of the entire season had little to do with the standings. On July 19 at Cherry Field, one of the most recognizable actresses in the world arrived to throw out the first pitch. Jane Seymour, the former James Bond girl and international television and movie star, was in Tucson because her son, Kris Keach, was pitching for the Saguaros. For one night, a .500 Pecos League baseball team became the center of a very different kind of attention.
Tucson entered 2019 with another managerial change. Bill Moore had managed the Saguaros in 2018 and led Tucson to a 41-18 regular-season record. The Saguaros reached the playoffs before losing to the eventual Pecos League Champion Bakersfield Train Robbers. For 2019, Moore moved on to manage the Wasco Reserve and Bill Rogan took over Tucson.
Rogan was stepping into one of the most successful jobs in the league. The Saguaros had never missed the playoffs, had already won a championship and had played winning baseball every season. The standard had already been established, and Rogan's challenge was to maintain it. The official Pecos League managerial record credits Rogan with a 30-30 record in his only season managing Tucson.
The 2019 season also represented an important change in where the Saguaros played. Tucson had spent its first seasons searching for a consistent home-field situation. The Saguaros had played at Kino Stadium, Reid Park and neutral-site games in Winslow before finally receiving approval during July of 2018 to move into Cherry Field.
For 2019, Cherry Field became Tucson's full-time home. The Saguaros partnered with Tucson High School and played their home schedule at the historic facility in central Tucson. Cherry Field had lights, locker rooms and an excellent playing surface, but operating professional baseball there also came with challenges. The team's own franchise history notes that beer sales were never confirmed at Cherry Field, creating a very different business environment from the large crowds and stadium setup Tucson had experienced at Kino.
The season did not begin the way Tucson hoped. The Saguaros opened at Cherry Field against the High Desert Yardbirds, who won Opening Night 7-5, followed with a 6-2 victory and then defeated Tucson 11-2. The Saguaros finally broke through with a 4-3 victory on June 1 behind Robby Medel, but High Desert answered the following day with an 11-3 win.
Tucson had opened the season 1-4. That immediately put the Saguaros in a position they weren't accustomed to occupying. Instead of setting the pace and forcing everyone else to chase them, Tucson was chasing the rest of the division almost immediately.
The Saguaros recovered quickly against California City. Tucson won 7-5 on June 6, then Daniel Diaz helped the Saguaros win 10-7 the following night. Tucson followed those victories by erupting against the Whiptails in one of its biggest wins of the season, scoring 20 runs in a shutout victory. Sean Lubreski then helped the Saguaros defeat California City 9-3.
Tucson continued the offensive surge by defeating White Sands 17-14 and 9-8. For a stretch, the Saguaros looked like the offensive team everyone expected. The problem was maintaining it. A big victory could be followed immediately by a difficult loss, and that pattern of dramatic swings would follow Tucson throughout the summer.
Lawrence Chavez Becomes an On-Base Machine
Lawrence Chavez put together one of the most unusual offensive seasons on the Tucson roster. Chavez played 58 games and hit .326, collecting 60 hits in 184 at-bats. He scored 57 runs, hit eight doubles, two triples and six home runs, drove in 28 and stole 17 bases.
The number that separated Chavez from almost everyone else was his walk total. Chavez drew an extraordinary 70 walks in only 58 games and was also hit by four pitches. That helped him produce a remarkable .511 on-base percentage and made him one of the most dependable baserunners in the entire league.
Daniel Diaz became another reliable everyday player. Diaz played 58 games and collected a team-high 68 hits in 222 at-bats. He scored 41 runs, hit eight doubles, one triple and seven home runs and drove in 39. His .306 batting average gave Rogan another consistent bat near the top and middle of the order.
Caleb Wichman Adds Power and Patience
Caleb Wichman played 57 games and hit .303 while collecting 56 hits, including 10 doubles, one triple and seven home runs. Wichman drove in 32 runs, scored 46 and drew 44 walks, helping him finish with a .456 on-base percentage. Like Chavez, Wichman gave Tucson a hitter who could keep innings alive even when he wasn't collecting hits.
James Garnett Supplies Big Power
James Garnett provided one of Tucson's biggest power threats. Garnett played 41 games and collected 42 hits while hitting 13 home runs, second on the team despite playing significantly fewer games than several everyday players. He drove in 39 runs and posted a .605 slugging percentage and .996 OPS, making him one of the most dangerous hitters on the roster.
Evan Douglas Leads the Team With 15 Home Runs
Evan Douglas supplied even more power from shortstop. Douglas played 56 games and collected 49 hits, including 11 doubles and a team-high 15 home runs. He also drove in a team-high 49 runs. Douglas' .549 slugging percentage reflected the damage he could create even though his batting average finished at .251. Between Douglas and Garnett alone, Tucson received 28 home runs.
Riley Richarz Brings Speed
Riley Richarz provided a different type of offensive weapon. He played 53 games, collected 58 hits, scored 48 runs and hit 11 doubles and three triples. His biggest weapon was his speed, as Richarz stole a team-high 24 bases. Combined with Chavez and Wichman, Tucson had several players capable of creating offense without waiting for a home run.
Michael Klein emerged as one of Tucson's most important starting pitchers. Klein went 7-3 with a 4.00 ERA, made 12 starts and threw 69.2 innings while completing one game. He struck out a team-high 80 hitters, and his seven victories also led the pitching staff. In a season where Tucson struggled to find consistent results, Klein remained one of the club's dependable starters.
Robby Medel arguably produced Tucson's best starting-pitching numbers. Medel went 6-2 with a 2.81 ERA, made 11 starts and threw a team-high 70.1 innings. He completed two games, struck out 68 and also recorded one save.
On July 4, Medel delivered one of Tucson's best pitching performances of the year when the Saguaros defeated Alpine 1-0 at Kokernot Field. In a league where double-digit run totals were common, Tucson winning a 1-0 game against one of the strongest teams in the league demonstrated exactly what Medel could do.
Joe Rivera was one of the most effective relief pitchers in the league. Rivera appeared in 23 games and posted a 2.13 ERA, throwing 25.1 innings while allowing only six hits and striking out 43. Most importantly, Rivera recorded nine saves, giving Tucson one of the strongest single-season closing performances in franchise history.
Sean Lubreski Gives Tucson More Quality Relief
Sean Lubreski went 3-2 with a 2.79 ERA in 24 appearances. He threw 29 innings and struck out 36 while walking only 10. With Rivera and Lubreski, Tucson had legitimate late-inning pitching. The problem wasn't necessarily finishing games once the Saguaros had the lead. It was that Tucson wasn't carrying enough leads into those late innings to separate itself in the standings.
Kris Keach Joins the Saguaros
One of Tucson's most interesting players was right-handed pitcher Kris Keach. Keach appeared in 19 games and made four starts, going 1-4 with a 4.86 ERA. In 37 innings, he struck out 58 hitters, demonstrating legitimate swing-and-miss ability. Keach also contributed occasionally at the plate, collecting four hits in 14 at-bats.
His season would eventually bring the Saguaros more attention than anyone could have expected, not simply because of what Keach did on the mound but because of who came to Tucson to watch him pitch.
The biggest night of the 2019 Tucson Saguaros season didn't involve a playoff game, a championship or even a Tucson victory. It involved Jane Seymour. Seymour was already famous around the world from decades of work in movies and television. She had starred as Solitaire opposite Roger Moore in the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die and later became known to another generation as the star of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
In July of 2019, however, Seymour came to Cherry Field for something much more personal. She came to watch her son play professional baseball. Kris Keach was pitching for the Tucson Saguaros, and on July 19, Jane Seymour Night became one of the most memorable promotional events in franchise history.
Seymour didn't simply attend the game. She threw out the ceremonial first pitch while wearing a Tucson Saguaros hat and personalized Saguaros jersey. Before making the pitch, she even warmed up in the bullpen with help from her son, Kris Keach.
It was a remarkable scene for independent baseball: a world-famous actress and former Bond girl warming up in the Cherry Field bullpen, preparing to throw the first pitch at a Pecos League game because her son was chasing his professional baseball dream with the Tucson Saguaros. The Arizona Daily Star covered the event, and Tucson television also featured Jane Seymour Night. For one evening, Cherry Field received attention far beyond the normal world of independent baseball.
The baseball connection made the night much more meaningful than an ordinary celebrity appearance. Jane Seymour wasn't simply appearing for a promotion. She was there because her son was one of the players. Keach entered the game against Alpine and pitched one scoreless inning of relief. The Saguaros lost the game 8-1, but the final score became almost secondary to the atmosphere surrounding the night.
Seymour publicly praised not only her son but the Tucson players for continuing to pursue professional baseball despite the difficult realities of the independent game. That made the night particularly appropriate for the Pecos League. The league existed to give players exactly the opportunity Keach was pursuing. There were long trips, small crowds, difficult conditions and no guarantees, but the players kept playing because they wanted to continue their baseball careers. For one night, one of the world's best-known actresses was at Cherry Field watching that process firsthand.
The Biggest Night of a Difficult Season
From a publicity standpoint, Jane Seymour Night became the highlight of the 2019 season. Tucson's official video archive still lists the July 19 KGUN9 feature on Jane Seymour Night among the team's historical videos. That matters because the 2019 season didn't ultimately produce the postseason moments Tucson fans had become accustomed to seeing.
There would be no playoff series, division championship or Pecos League Championship Series. Seymour's appearance instead provided the season with a completely different kind of signature moment.
The frustrating part of the 2019 season was that Tucson demonstrated repeatedly that it could compete with good teams. On July 4, Tucson shut out Alpine 1-0 at Kokernot Field. The following weekend, the Saguaros defeated Alpine 8-6, and on July 18 Tucson beat the Cowboys again, 4-3.
Alpine would ultimately go on to win the 2019 Pecos League Championship, yet Tucson had demonstrated that it could beat the Cowboys. That makes missing the playoffs even more frustrating. The problem wasn't that Tucson lacked enough talent to compete with championship teams. The problem was that the Saguaros didn't win consistently enough over the entire schedule.
The Pacific Division Race Slips Away
By late July, Tucson was fighting for its postseason life and every loss became more damaging. The Saguaros could not separate themselves from the other teams competing for playoff positions. They lost 11-2 to Alpine on July 21 and continued through a difficult late-season schedule that included Bakersfield and Wasco.
On July 30, Tucson defeated Wasco 16-9 behind Kris Keach, with the official game summary crediting Keach with starring in the victory. By then, however, it was too late to change the larger picture. The following night, Bakersfield shut out Tucson 11-0. The season was ending.
When everything was finished, the Saguaros had won exactly as many games as they had lost. Thirty wins, thirty losses and a .500 record. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't Tucson Saguaros baseball as the franchise had defined it during its first three seasons.
Tucson had gone 51-14 in 2016 and won the Pecos League Championship. The Saguaros went 46-14 in 2017 and returned to the playoffs, then went 41-18 in 2018 and qualified again. In 2019, Tucson went 30-30 and missed the playoffs. The direction was impossible to ignore. For the first time, the Saguaros were going home when the postseason began.
The historical significance of 2019 became greater as the years passed. Tucson returned in 2020 and won the Pecos League Championship. The Saguaros won again in 2021, reached the championship series in 2022, returned to the finals in 2023, made the playoffs again in 2024, won another championship in 2025 and even after a difficult 2026 regular season still found a way into the postseason.
That leaves 2019 standing completely by itself as the only Tucson Saguaros season without playoff baseball. It also makes Bill Rogan the only manager in franchise history whose Tucson team did not reach the Pecos League postseason. His 30-30 record is permanently attached to that unusual distinction.
2019 Tucson Saguaros - By the Numbers
Bill Rogan's 2019 Tucson Saguaros finished the regular season 30-30 for a .500 winning percentage while playing their first full season at Cherry Field. Tucson missed the Pecos League playoffs, making the team the only Saguaros club in franchise history not to reach the postseason.
Lawrence Chavez hit .326 with 60 hits, 57 runs, 70 walks, a .511 on-base percentage and 17 stolen bases. Daniel Diaz hit .306 with a team-high 68 hits, seven home runs and 39 RBIs. Caleb Wichman hit .303 with 56 hits, 10 doubles, seven home runs, 32 RBIs and 44 walks. James Garnett hit 13 home runs and drove in 39 while posting a .605 slugging percentage, Evan Douglas led Tucson with 15 home runs and 49 RBIs and Riley Richarz collected 58 hits, scored 48 runs and stole a team-high 24 bases. Nick Diaz hit .346 in 22 games, while Shawn Barrowdale hit .336 with a .480 on-base percentage.
On the mound, Michael Klein went 7-3 with a 4.00 ERA, threw 69.2 innings and struck out a team-high 80 hitters. Robby Medel went 6-2 with a 2.81 ERA, threw 70.1 innings, struck out 68 and completed two games. Joe Rivera posted a 2.13 ERA, recorded nine saves and struck out 43 in 25.1 innings. Sean Lubreski went 3-2 with a 2.79 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 29 innings, while Kris Keach went 1-4 with a 4.86 ERA and struck out 58 in 37 innings.
The numbers explain why 2019 remains frustrating. Tucson had a starting pitcher who went 7-3 and another who went 6-2 with a 2.81 ERA. The closer had nine saves and a 2.13 ERA. The lineup had a hitter with a .511 on-base percentage, 15-home-run power from Evan Douglas, 13 more home runs from James Garnett and speed from Riley Richarz.
There was enough talent to win 30 games and enough talent to defeat the eventual champion Alpine Cowboys multiple times. What Tucson never had was sustained consistency. The Saguaros could win four straight and then give games back. They could beat Alpine 1-0 and then lose 13-2. They could produce 20 runs one night and struggle to score the next. Over a 60-game season, those swings left Tucson exactly where the final record suggested: right in the middle at 30-30.
Jane Seymour Night Becomes the Lasting Memory
Because Tucson did not reach the postseason, there isn't one defining playoff game from 2019. There isn't a championship celebration or dramatic elimination game. Instead, the image that best survives from the season may be Jane Seymour standing on the mound at Cherry Field wearing Tucson Saguaros gear.
Few Pecos League teams have ever had a celebrity of her international stature throw out a first pitch. Seymour had been a Bond girl, starred in one of the most successful television dramas of the 1990s and worked for decades in movies and television. Yet the reason she came to Cherry Field was simple: her son was a Saguaro.
Kris Keach was trying to continue his professional baseball career, and his mother came to Tucson to support him. She warmed up in the bullpen, threw the ceremonial first pitch and then Keach entered the game and threw a scoreless inning. For a franchise whose 2019 season otherwise became remembered for missing the playoffs, it was a night that gave the year a permanent place in Tucson baseball history.
The End of Bill Rogan's Tucson Season
Bill Rogan would not return to manage the Saguaros in 2020. His only Tucson season finished 30-30 and became the only non-playoff season in franchise history. The Saguaros would make another managerial change, with Sean McNeill taking over in 2020.
What happened next could hardly have been more different. The Pecos League was forced into a COVID pod in Houston, Tucson went 26-4 and the Saguaros won the Pecos League Championship. That made 2019 an isolated valley between two very different periods of Tucson success. Bill Moore's 2018 club had won 41 games and reached the playoffs. Sean McNeill's 2020 club would dominate and win the championship. Between them was Bill Rogan's 30-30 team.
The Season That Stands Alone
Every franchise with a long history eventually has one season that simply doesn't fit with the rest. For the Tucson Saguaros, that season is 2019. The franchise entered the year having never missed the playoffs and finished the year at .500 and stayed home during the postseason.
There were good players, excellent individual performances, wins against strong opponents and a new permanent home at Cherry Field, but none of it produced a playoff berth. Tucson finished with 30 wins, 30 losses and no playoffs. For the Saguaros, that was unprecedented, and years later it remains unique.
But even the most disappointing Saguaros season produced one night that no other year could duplicate. A world-famous actress walked through the gates at Cherry Field. A former James Bond girl put on a Saguaros jersey. Jane Seymour warmed up in the bullpen, threw out the first pitch and then sat back and watched her son pitch for the Tucson Saguaros.
For a season without a playoff game, Jane Seymour Night became Tucson's biggest night of 2019.
