2024 Tucson Saguaros Season Recap - A Good Tucson Team Runs Into a Historic Alpine Club
The 2024 Tucson Saguaros entered the season still carrying the expectations that came with being one of the most successful franchises in Pecos League history. Sean McNeill returned for another year as manager, and the Saguaros were coming off another appearance in the Pecos League Championship Series in 2023. Tucson had already won championships in 2016, 2020 and 2021 and had returned to the championship series in both 2022 and 2023, making meaningful baseball deep into the summer something the franchise had come to expect.
The 2024 team continued that tradition. Tucson finished the regular season 27-18, winning 60 percent of its games and returning to the Pecos League playoffs. The Saguaros eliminated the Roswell Invaders in the opening round, then went to Kokernot Field and gave one of the most dominant teams in Pecos League history everything it could handle. Tucson defeated the Alpine Cowboys 4-1 in the opening game of their playoff series and later carried a 4-3 lead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of the deciding game. The Saguaros were one out away from eliminating an Alpine team that had gone 45-4 during the regular season. Instead, Alpine tied the game and then won 5-4 in the tenth inning. For Tucson, the season ended one out away from one of the biggest postseason upsets in Pecos League history.
Sean McNeill Returns for His Fifth Season in Tucson
On January 27, 2024, Tucson announced that Sean McNeill would return as manager of the Saguaros. It would be his eighth season managing in the Pecos League and his fifth season managing Tucson. At the time, McNeill ranked second in Pecos League history with 215 managerial victories, trailing only Bill Moore. His Tucson résumé already included two Pecos League Championships and repeated appearances in the league finals.
McNeill had turned the Saguaros into one of the most consistently successful teams in the league, and the goal in 2024 was obvious: return to the postseason and make another championship run.
The Saguaros did something unusual before the season even began. Instead of holding Spring Training in Arizona, Tucson traveled to Nebraska. The Saguaros prepared for the season in North Platte and then opened the year against the expansion North Platte 80s.
The arrangement reflected the geographic realities of the expanded Pecos League. Tucson was part of a ten-team Mountain Division that stretched across Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska. Six teams from the division would qualify for the postseason, and Tucson expected to be one of them.
The biggest obstacle became obvious very quickly. The Alpine Cowboys were putting together an extraordinary season and eventually finished the regular season 45-4, a .918 winning percentage. Garden City was also outstanding at 42-9, while Trinidad finished 34-17 and Tucson finished 27-18.
Those numbers made the challenge clear. The Saguaros were a winning team, but they were playing in a Mountain Division containing several clubs having exceptional seasons.
Alpine's 45-4 record made the Cowboys look almost unbeatable, but Tucson was one of the teams capable of defeating them. On July 8 at Kokernot Field, the Saguaros beat Alpine 3-2. Joe Burch earned the victory after allowing two earned runs over six innings and striking out seven, while Zac Rice helped lead the Tucson offense.
The victory improved Tucson to 21-14 and planted an important idea in the Saguaros clubhouse: Alpine could be beaten. That belief would matter tremendously once the playoffs arrived.
Zach Campbell became one of Tucson's most consistent hitters. Campbell played 43 games and collected 64 hits in 188 at-bats while scoring 46 runs. He hit 12 doubles and two home runs, drove in 33 runs, drew 21 walks and stole 16 bases. His .340 batting average made him one of the most reliable players in McNeill's lineup.
Gavy Perez-Torres Establishes Himself at Shortstop
Gavy Perez-Torres became another central piece of the Tucson offense. Perez-Torres played 44 games and also collected 64 hits. He scored a team-high 50 runs, hit eight doubles, five triples and five home runs, drove in 35 and stole 16 bases. His .342 batting average made him one of the club's top hitters.
More importantly, 2024 represented another step in his development into one of the most important figures in Tucson Saguaros history. One year later, he would become the Mountain Division MVP and help lead Tucson to the 2025 Pecos League Championship. Two years later, he would take over as Tucson's manager. The foundation for that future was being built in 2024.
Wata Kumagai was one of Tucson's most productive hitters when he was in the lineup. Kumagai played 23 games and collected 41 hits in 102 at-bats, giving him a .402 batting average. He scored 24 runs, hit five doubles and four home runs and drove in 30. He also struck out only 11 times.
Kumagai's production gave McNeill another dangerous bat and added depth to a lineup that did not depend entirely on one player.
JuJuan Franklin Adds Extra-Base Power
JuJuan Franklin played 31 games and collected 41 hits while hitting 10 doubles, two triples and three home runs and driving in 25. Franklin also drew 18 walks. Mike Whalen hit .315 with eight doubles, four home runs and 31 RBIs, Jordan Harrison-Dudley hit .419 in limited action and homered five times in only 12 games, and Zac Rice hit five triples and four home runs in only 18 games.
The Saguaros had enough offense throughout the roster to remain dangerous.
Travis Cole became the most effective regular starting pitcher on the staff. Cole went 5-1 with a 2.82 ERA, made six starts and threw 35 innings. He allowed only 29 hits and 11 earned runs while striking out 35 hitters and walking only seven. That combination of strikeouts and command made him one of McNeill's most dependable pitchers.
On June 29 against Austin, Cole delivered one of his best games of the season, throwing seven innings, allowing only one hit and striking out six as Tucson won 13-4.
Jesse Palafox became another important piece of the pitching staff. Palafox went 2-2 with a 1.92 ERA in 16 relief appearances, allowing only seven hits and three earned runs in 14 innings. Most impressively, he struck out 27 hitters, nearly two per inning. For a club looking to protect late leads, that kind of arm was extremely valuable.
Andrew Baker Does a Little of Everything
Andrew Baker became one of the more versatile players on the roster. As a pitcher, Baker appeared in eight games and posted a 2.51 ERA. He threw 14.1 innings, allowed only seven hits and struck out 19 while recording three saves. At the plate and in the outfield, he gave Tucson additional flexibility. That type of two-way contribution is especially valuable in Pecos League baseball, where roster spots and pitching depth are always important.
Blake Garrett Provides Important Starts
Blake Garrett went 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA during the regular season. He made seven starts and threw 39.2 innings while striking out 49 hitters. That strikeout total made him one of the most effective swing-and-miss pitchers on the staff. His biggest work, however, would come in the postseason.
Tucson ended the regular season with a 27-18 record. The Saguaros finished 12-5 at home and 15-13 on the road, and their .600 winning percentage was strong enough to comfortably qualify for the Mountain Division playoffs.
The contrast with Alpine, however, was enormous. Alpine had lost only four games all season while Tucson had lost 18. If the Saguaros wanted another championship run, they were eventually going to have to deal with the Cowboys. First came Roswell.
The postseason opened with Tucson facing the Roswell Invaders. The two teams had seen plenty of each other during the regular season, with Tucson winning several dramatic games against Roswell, including a 20-18 slugfest in June. Now the rivalry moved into the postseason.
The opening playoff game at Joe Bauman Stadium belonged completely to Tucson. The Saguaros defeated Roswell 22-4, with Blake Garrett earning the victory and Andrew Baker collecting two hits. Tucson had immediately taken control of the series.
Roswell fought back with a 14-10 victory in the next game, forcing Tucson to finish the job before advancing. The Saguaros ultimately won the series and moved on to face Alpine. The exact archived Tucson summary contains a conflict, with one team story calling the series a two-game sweep even though the official July 30 result records Roswell's 14-10 victory, but the outcome is clear: Tucson eliminated Roswell and advanced.
Now came the matchup everyone understood would define Tucson's season. Alpine had gone 45-4, losing less than one game for every ten it played. The Cowboys had dominated the Mountain Division and were playing at Kokernot Field. Everything suggested Alpine should advance.
Tucson had a different idea.
Game 1 - Tucson Stuns Alpine 4-1
The Saguaros went into Kokernot Field and defeated Alpine 4-1. It was one of Tucson's best performances of the entire season. The 45-win Cowboys suddenly found themselves one loss from elimination, and Tucson had taken the first game on Alpine's own field.
The Saguaros were now one victory away from eliminating one of the most dominant regular-season teams in league history.
The Cowboys responded and survived long enough to force the series to a deciding game. That set up one of the most dramatic postseason games of 2024. Tucson had already proven it could beat Alpine, and now the Saguaros had one more opportunity. One game would determine everything. The winner would advance to the Mountain Division Championship Series, while the loser would go home.
Tucson Is One Out Away
The deciding game went into the ninth inning with Tucson leading 4-3. The Saguaros were three outs away, then two. Alpine came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with its season on the line, and Tucson recorded two outs. One more out and the 45-4 Cowboys would be eliminated. One more out and Tucson would pull off one of the biggest upsets in Pecos League playoff history.
The final out never came. Taylor Darden singled home Drake Angeron to tie the game 4-4. Kokernot Field had life again, and the game went to extra innings.
Alpine Walks It Off in the Tenth
Tucson could not recover. In the tenth inning, Matteo Avallone delivered for Alpine and the Cowboys walked off the Saguaros 5-4. Dallan Curthoys took the loss for Tucson. The game was over, the series was over and the Saguaros' season had ended one out away from advancing.
There was no shame in losing to Alpine. The Cowboys had gone 45-4 and were the best regular-season team in the Mountain Division by a wide margin. But Tucson had every reason to feel disappointed. The Saguaros had beaten Alpine 4-1 in the series, then reached the ninth inning of the deciding game with a lead. They reached two outs and were one out away.
Instead, Alpine tied the game and won in extras. Those are the kinds of playoff losses players remember for years.
Alpine Goes on to Win the Championship
The Cowboys survived Tucson and kept going. Alpine defeated Garden City in the Mountain Division Championship Series, then defeated the San Rafael Pacifics to win the 2024 Pecos League Championship.
That made Tucson's near upset even more significant. The Saguaros weren't eliminated by an ordinary playoff opponent. They were eliminated by the eventual Pecos League Champions, and they came within one out of knocking them out first.
Perez-Torres was especially good once the playoffs began. In five postseason games, he collected 12 hits in 24 at-bats, scored 13 runs and hit five doubles, one triple and one home run. He drove in six runs, stole five bases and finished the postseason with a .500 batting average.
That performance provided another indication of what was coming. Perez-Torres wasn't simply becoming a good Tucson player. He was becoming one of the central figures in the franchise.
Marquise Wood also produced a huge playoff performance, hitting .500 in five postseason games with nine hits in 18 at-bats. He scored six runs, hit three doubles and drove in nine. JuJuan Franklin hit .412 and drove in five, Cam Collier hit .412 with a home run and five RBIs and Jordan Harrison-Dudley collected seven hits.
The postseason lineup became very dangerous, which is one reason Tucson was able to push Alpine to the limit.
Blake Garrett Delivers in the Playoffs
Blake Garrett also stepped forward on the mound. Garrett went 1-0 in the postseason with a 1.50 ERA, throwing six innings while allowing only three hits and one earned run and striking out seven. Joe Burch also won a playoff start, throwing six scoreless innings.
Tucson's pitching was good enough to give the Saguaros a legitimate opportunity to eliminate Alpine.
Sean McNeill's 2024 Tucson Saguaros finished the regular season 27-18 for a .600 winning percentage. They went 12-5 at home and 15-13 on the road and finished with a team ERA of 6.05. Tucson defeated the Roswell Invaders in the opening playoff round before losing to the Alpine Cowboys in the deciding game of the next round, 5-4 in 10 innings. The Saguaros were eliminated by the eventual 2024 Pecos League Champion Alpine Cowboys.
Zach Campbell hit .340 with 64 hits, 46 runs, 12 doubles, 33 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. Gavy Perez-Torres hit .342 with 64 hits, 50 runs, eight doubles, five triples, five home runs, 35 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. Wata Kumagai hit .402 with 41 hits, four home runs and 30 RBIs in 23 games. JuJuan Franklin hit .336 with 10 doubles, three home runs and 25 RBIs, while Mike Whalen hit .315 with eight doubles, four home runs and 31 RBIs.
On the mound, Travis Cole went 5-1 with a 2.82 ERA, 35 strikeouts and only seven walks in 35 innings. Jesse Palafox went 2-2 with a 1.92 ERA and struck out 27 in 14 innings. Andrew Baker posted a 2.51 ERA with three saves and 19 strikeouts in 14.1 innings. Hector Sepulveda went 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA, while Blake Garrett finished 3-1 and struck out 49 hitters in 39.2 innings.
In the playoffs, Gavy Perez-Torres hit .500 with 12 hits, 13 runs, five doubles, one triple, one home run, six RBIs and five stolen bases. Marquise Wood also hit .500 with nine hits, three doubles and nine RBIs. Blake Garrett went 1-0 with a 1.50 postseason ERA, while Joe Burch went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in six innings.
The 2024 season represented a slight step backward from Tucson's recent standard. The Saguaros had reached the Pecos League Championship Series in both 2022 and 2023, but in 2024 they did not get that far, and their regular-season win total also dropped.
But context matters. Tucson was sharing a division with an Alpine team that went 45-4 and a Garden City team that went 42-9. The Mountain Division was loaded, and when Tucson finally got its opportunity against Alpine in the playoffs, the Saguaros nearly eliminated the eventual champions. That tells a different story from simply saying Tucson finished 27-18 and lost before the division finals. They were competitive with the very best team in the league.
The Foundation of the 2025 Championship Team Was Already There
The 2024 roster also becomes more interesting when viewed from the future. Gavy Perez-Torres was already emerging as one of Tucson's best players. Mike Whalen was on the roster. Jesse Palafox was developing into a late-inning option, and Blake Garrett was giving the Saguaros important starts. Several pieces of the next Tucson championship era were beginning to come together.
One year later, Perez-Torres would hit 13 home runs, drive in 74 runs and become Mountain Division MVP. Tucson would go 43-9 and win the 2025 Pecos League Championship. That makes 2024 feel less like the end of something and more like a transition year between two major Tucson postseason runs.
One Out From Changing the Entire Postseason
Ultimately, one moment defines the 2024 Tucson Saguaros better than anything else. It was the bottom of the ninth inning at Kokernot Field with Tucson leading 4-3 and two outs. Alpine's 45-4 season was hanging by a thread, and the Saguaros were one out away from eliminating the eventual Pecos League Champions and advancing themselves.
Had Tucson recorded that final out, the entire Mountain Division postseason would have changed. Instead, Taylor Darden tied the game, Alpine survived and Matteo Avallone won it in the tenth. Tucson's season was over.
That is why 2024 should not be remembered as an ordinary 27-18 season. The Saguaros were good enough to make the playoffs, good enough to eliminate Roswell, good enough to beat a 45-win Alpine team at Kokernot Field and good enough to get within one out of doing it again. They just couldn't get that final out.
The 2024 Tucson Saguaros came remarkably close to changing Pecos League history.
