2023 Tucson Saguaros Season Recap - Another Mountain Division Championship and Another Trip to the Pecos League Finals
By 2023, the Tucson Saguaros had become one of the defining franchises of the Pecos League. The organization had won Pecos League Championships in 2016, 2020 and 2021 and had returned to the Championship Series in 2022. Under manager Sean McNeill, Tucson had developed an expectation that simply reaching the playoffs was not enough. The goal was to win the league.
The 2023 Tucson Saguaros came extraordinarily close. Tucson finished the regular season 34-13, established itself as one of the strongest teams in the Mountain Division and entered the postseason as the division's top seed. Once the playoffs began, the Saguaros became even better. They swept the Garden City Wind, swept the Trinidad Triggers and won the Mountain Division Championship without losing a postseason game.
Then Tucson traveled to California to face the San Rafael Pacifics in the Pecos League Championship Series. After losing Game 1, Tucson shut out San Rafael in Game 2 to force a winner-take-all championship game. The season ultimately ended with the Saguaros on the wrong side of a 2-0 score at Albert Park. For the second consecutive season, Tucson had reached the Pecos League Championship Series only to finish one step short of another championship. Even so, the 2023 season reinforced something that had become increasingly clear throughout Sean McNeill's tenure: the Tucson Saguaros had become the standard for sustained success in the Mountain Division.
Sean McNeill Continues Tucson's Winning Era
Sean McNeill returned to manage the Saguaros in 2023 with an impressive run of success already behind him. McNeill had taken over Tucson in 2020 and immediately won the Pecos League Championship. He won another championship in 2021, and in 2022 Tucson went 34-8 and reached the Pecos League Championship Series before losing to the Roswell Invaders.
That meant the challenge entering 2023 wasn't rebuilding a struggling organization. It was maintaining a championship-level operation year after year while assembling another largely new roster of independent professional baseball players. McNeill did exactly that. The Saguaros again became one of the league's most difficult teams to beat, finishing 34-13 during the regular season and earning the top seed on the Mountain Division side of the postseason bracket.
A Different Pecos League in 2023
The Pecos League operated 16 teams during the 2023 season, divided between the Mountain and Pacific Divisions. Tucson competed in an eight-team Mountain Division with the Alpine Cowboys, Austin Weirdos, Blackwell FlyCatchers, Garden City Wind, Roswell Invaders, Santa Fe Fuego and Trinidad Triggers.
The structure created a unique season. Mountain Division teams played their regular-season schedules within the division, while the Pacific Division operated separately in California. The two sides of the league would not meet until the Pecos League Championship Series. Four teams from each division qualified for the postseason, which made winning the Mountain Division a tournament of its own. Tucson would first have to survive its familiar rivals before it would even get an opportunity to see the best team from California.
The Season Begins With 36 Runs
If anyone wondered what kind of offense Tucson would have in 2023, the Saguaros provided an answer immediately. Tucson opened its season May 31 against the Austin Weirdos at Govalle Park and won 36-4. The Saguaros collected 30 hits in the game.
R.J. Johnson went 7-for-8 with six RBIs and scored six runs. Madison Santos went 5-for-6 with six RBIs and five runs scored. Gavy Perez-Torres drove in seven runs, while Jordan Medina drove in five. Tucson had scored 36 runs in its first game of the season. It was an extreme example of an offensive identity that would remain with the club throughout the summer. Tucson could score runs in bunches.
A Roster Built Around a Mix of Veterans and New Professionals
As was typical of successful Pecos League clubs, the 2023 Saguaros combined returning players with rookies and players who had experience elsewhere in professional baseball. B.J. Minarcin returned to the Tucson outfield as one of the team's important veterans, while Steve Joyner also returned after playing for the Saguaros previously.
The roster included shortstop Gavy Perez-Torres, third baseman JuJuan Franklin, infielder Zachary Campbell and outfielders Kirkland Trahan, Jordan Harrison-Dudley and Ryan Murphy. Madison Santos brought affiliated experience to Tucson after previously playing in the New York Yankees organization. The pitching staff included Blake Garrett, Brendan Konal, Daulton Montagna, Isaac Keehn, Jackson Smith, Jaymon Cervantes and Travis Cole among others. Garrett entered the season with significant independent baseball experience, including time with the Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League.
The combination gave McNeill the type of roster he had successfully managed in Tucson before. There were experienced players who understood independent baseball surrounded by younger players trying to establish their professional careers.
B.J. Minarcin Remains a Tucson Fixture
Few players were more closely connected to this era of Saguaros baseball than B.J. Minarcin. Minarcin returned in 2023 as a veteran outfielder and remained a major part of Tucson's offense. One of his biggest games came July 2 at Fort Marcy Park against the Santa Fe Fuego, when the contest turned into one of the wildest offensive games of Tucson's season.
The Saguaros won 30-23, and Minarcin went 5-for-7 and homered as Tucson improved to 21-6. His importance became even more obvious when the postseason arrived. In the game that ultimately clinched the Mountain Division Championship, Minarcin went 3-for-5 and drove in five runs. He had become exactly the type of veteran player a championship contender needed.
Gavy Perez-Torres Begins Making His Mark in Tucson
The 2023 roster also featured a player who would eventually become one of the most important figures in the modern history of the franchise. Gavy Perez-Torres played shortstop for the Saguaros, and one of his early signature performances came June 20 against the Alpine Cowboys at Kokernot Field.
Perez-Torres went 2-for-4 and homered as Tucson defeated Alpine 17-3. Blake Garrett was dominant on the mound that night, striking out 10 while allowing only two earned runs and four hits over six innings. At the time, Perez-Torres was another young player beginning his professional career. His role in Tucson would eventually become much larger, but 2023 represented an early chapter in his relationship with the Saguaros.
Big Offensive Nights Become Routine
The 36-run opening game wasn't the only time Tucson's offense overwhelmed an opponent. On June 30 at Fort Marcy Park, the Saguaros defeated Santa Fe 26-3. Colin Johnson produced one of the most memorable individual performances of the season, going 5-for-5 and hitting three home runs.
Jaymon Cervantes handled the other side of the game, working seven innings and striking out eight while allowing three earned runs. Two days later, Tucson scored 30 runs against the Fuego. By that point, the Saguaros were 21-6. Tucson wasn't simply winning games. On its best nights, the offense was overwhelming teams.
Tucson and Alpine Battle for Mountain Division Position
The Alpine Cowboys presented one of Tucson's strongest challenges during the regular season. Alpine ultimately posted a 36-13 record, while Tucson finished 34-13. The Saguaros nevertheless earned the top position on the Mountain Division side of the official postseason bracket and proved extremely difficult for Alpine during several head-to-head meetings.
Tucson won 10-2 at Kokernot Field on June 6, returned to Alpine and won 8-7 on June 12, won 17-3 on June 21 and then won 14-5 on June 27. The competition at the top of the Mountain Division demonstrated just how difficult the postseason would be. Tucson wasn't the only club capable of winning the division. Alpine, Trinidad and Garden City were all dangerous, and the Saguaros would have to earn another trip to the championship series.
A 34-13 Regular Season
By the end of July, Tucson had done enough to put itself in excellent postseason position. A July 29 victory over Roswell improved the Saguaros to 33-13, and Tucson eventually completed the regular season at 34-13. It was another remarkable record under McNeill.
More importantly, the Saguaros entered August playing for something that had become familiar in Tucson: another championship.
Garden City Stands in the Way
Tucson opened the postseason against the Garden City Wind in a best-of-three first-round series at Kino Sports Complex. The series was never particularly close. Tucson won Game 1 by a score of 12-1 and was even more explosive in Game 2, winning 19-5.
Two games produced two wins and 31 Tucson runs. The Saguaros advanced without needing a deciding third game. Meanwhile, Trinidad defeated Alpine in three games to advance to the Mountain Division Championship Series. The Triggers were all that stood between Tucson and another appearance in the Pecos League Championship Series.
Tucson Takes Game 1 Against Trinidad
The Mountain Division Championship Series opened August 6 at Kino Sports Complex. The game was delayed approximately two hours because of lightning, but once play began, Tucson eventually took control. A four-run fourth inning helped propel the Saguaros to an 8-5 victory.
Tucson was now one victory away from another Mountain Division title.
The Saguaros Win the Mountain Division Championship
On August 7, Tucson finished the job. The Saguaros defeated Trinidad 12-7 at Kino Sports Complex to sweep the Mountain Division Championship Series. B.J. Minarcin delivered one of his biggest performances of the season, going 3-for-5 with five RBIs. Jordan Medina and JuJuan Franklin homered, while Brendan Konal earned the win.
Tucson had swept Garden City and swept Trinidad. The Saguaros were Mountain Division Champions, and they had gone through the entire Mountain Division postseason without losing a game. Their reward was a trip to Marin County, California, where the San Rafael Pacifics were waiting.
Two Division Champions Finally Meet
The 2023 Pecos League schedule had kept the Mountain and Pacific Divisions separated during the regular season. That meant Tucson and San Rafael had not played each other all year. They would meet for the first time with the league championship at stake.
San Rafael had been dominant. The Pacifics finished the regular season 39-8 and then swept Lancaster and Bakersfield in the Pacific Division playoffs. Tucson had finished 34-13 and swept Garden City and Trinidad. Both teams arrived at the Championship Series undefeated in the postseason. Something had to give.
San Rafael Wins Game 1
The Championship Series opened August 10 at Albert Park in San Rafael. The Pacifics won the opener 5-3, giving Tucson its first loss of the entire 2023 postseason. The situation was simple: the Saguaros had to win the following night or their season was over.
Justin Fuson Keeps the Season Alive
Tucson responded with perhaps its most important pitching performance of the year. Justin Fuson started Game 2 for the Saguaros and held San Rafael to one hit over 5.2 scoreless innings while striking out five. Daulton Montagna followed him and continued shutting down the Pacifics, and Travis Cole finished the game.
Tucson won 4-0. A San Rafael club that had gone 39-8 during the regular season had been shut out on its home field with a championship waiting to be won. The Pecos League Championship Series was tied 1-1, and everything Tucson had worked toward since the beginning of the summer would come down to one game.
One Game for the Pecos League Championship
The deciding game was played August 12 at Albert Park and became a pitchers' duel. Jaymon Cervantes started for Tucson and gave the Saguaros exactly the type of performance they needed. Cervantes pitched seven innings, struck out seven and allowed only two runs.
On most nights, that would have been enough to give Tucson an excellent opportunity to win. But San Rafael starter Eric Parnow was even better. Parnow threw a complete-game shutout, struck out 11 and held Tucson to three hits. San Rafael scored once in the first inning and once in the fourth, and those two runs were enough.
San Rafael Pacifics 2, Tucson Saguaros 0.
San Rafael won the Pecos League Championship, and Tucson's season was over.
Another Championship Run Ends One Victory Short
The final loss made the ending particularly difficult for Tucson. The Saguaros had not simply reached the postseason. They had dominated it. Tucson swept Garden City by scores of 12-1 and 19-5, then swept Trinidad 8-5 and 12-7. The Saguaros arrived in California 4-0 in the postseason.
After losing the Championship Series opener, Tucson responded by shutting out San Rafael 4-0. That put the Saguaros nine innings away from another Pecos League title. They simply couldn't solve Eric Parnow in the deciding game.
For the second consecutive year, Tucson finished as the Pecos League runner-up. Roswell had defeated the Saguaros in the 2022 Championship Series, and San Rafael defeated them in 2023. It was a frustrating ending, but it also demonstrated the remarkable consistency Tucson had established.
The McNeill Era Continues to Produce Winners
Through four seasons managing Tucson, Sean McNeill had built an extraordinary record. The Saguaros won the championship in 2020, won it again in 2021, reached the Championship Series in 2022 and then reached it again in 2023.
Four seasons had produced four deep postseason runs, two championships and two runner-up finishes. The 2023 club was another example of the system that had made Tucson one of the Pecos League's most consistent organizations. McNeill assembled a roster containing veterans, rookies and players with experience at higher levels of independent or affiliated baseball, and by August they had developed into a team capable of winning the league.
The Beginning of Another Important Tucson Story
Looking back, the 2023 roster is also significant because several players became part of the larger story of the Saguaros franchise. B.J. Minarcin was already an established Tucson veteran, while other players were only beginning to establish themselves.
Among them was Gavy Perez-Torres. In 2023, Perez-Torres was a rookie shortstop trying to establish himself in professional baseball. He would eventually become one of the central figures in Tucson's future. The roster also featured players such as Madison Santos, Kirkland Trahan, Steve Joyner, Zachary Campbell, JuJuan Franklin, Blake Garrett, Isaac Keehn, Brendan Konal, Daulton Montagna, Jackson Smith, Jaymon Cervantes and Travis Cole. Together, they produced another championship-caliber season in Tucson.
The Legacy of the 2023 Tucson Saguaros
The 2023 Tucson Saguaros will ultimately be remembered as a team that came extraordinarily close to another Pecos League Championship. They finished 34-13, earned the top seed in the Mountain Division playoff bracket, swept Garden City, swept Trinidad and won the Mountain Division Championship.
They then traveled to San Rafael and shut out one of the best teams in the league with their season on the line. Tucson reached the final game of the Pecos League season with an opportunity to win another championship, and only a 2-0 loss separated the Saguaros from the title.
There would be no championship celebration in 2023, but there was another pennant, another 30-win season, another trip to the finals and another chapter in what had become one of the most successful sustained runs in Pecos League history.
The 2023 Saguaros didn't finish the season holding the championship trophy. They finished one victory away, and by then Tucson had established that it expected to be back.
