9/23/26 : The impact of a Championship
Written by Steve Potter
The goal of every Major League Baseball organization is to win the ultimate prize - the World Series championship. Along the way, however, it doesn’t hurt to get a taste of what that feels like by winning some minor league titles.
The majority of the 2026 Reading Eastern League championship team likely won’t personally attain winning a World Series ring however all of them can now claim the experience of winning a professional baseball league championship at the AA level. That’s something to savor.
Every player that played in the 13-4 win on Tuesday night has spent time during their Phillies tenure working with the rehab team in Clearwater at some point. It’s a testament to their perseverance but also to the organization’s ability to rehabilitate injuries and get players back into productive action modes.
Five of the ten hitters who played in Tuesday’s game (Dante Nori, Aidan Miller, Carson DeMartini, Bryson Ware & Austin Murr) spent significant time at the Clearwater Complex this year (much of it at the same time as one another) rehabbing from various injuries. Over the years I’ve been an observer of players on rehab at the complex there’s always seemingly a special bond that’s created amongst them. It’s a tedious process to recover and return to game form, the down time is often filled by both organized and informal gatherings of the group. Fishing on the beach, kayaking, playing cards, billiards, karaoke, etc. fill the void. It creates a camaraderie of team spirit as they work towards the common goal of recovery.
That’s one of the reasons this Reading team is a special group - almost every player on the roster has been thru an injury rehab process during their career to date. LHP Braeden Fausnaught, who lost the entirety of this season working at Clearwater on his way back from TJ surgery, was even on hand watching the game from the stands with his dad and uncle alongside. I’m sure that Alex Binelas who was a huge component of the team’s success but is now sidelined with an injury watched his teammates remotely.
National pundits have proclaimed the Phillies organization as one lacking in “prospects” - especially those at the upper levels. This group of players battled their collective way to dispel that and it was indeed a battle. The club began the year stumbling out of the gate to an 0-3 opening season series loss to Akron and concluded the first half of the year with a 30-39 record. But then things turned in a spectacular way as reinforcements were added and key players returned from the injury list sidelines. The team went 40-28 in the second half and recorded 70 wins for the season, the most in Reading since the 2019 team won 80. It was a 15 game improvement over last season’s win total. Reading then blitzed thru the post season winning all four games they played.
While the team accomplishment was a great one the organization never lost sight of the player development process as well. As an example, RHP Gage Wood threw 100 collective innings this summer which was the progressive limit set for him in his first full pro season at the beginning of the year given he was coming off limited action in his final collegiate year. Some folks bemoaned that he didn’t start last night’s game but the intuition of management properly prevailed. From my view watching Gage happily invlolved in the championship celebration with his teammates was as important of a developmental growth in itself - the ultra competitive and intense young hurler had a chance to relax, smile and be part of the group experience - that’s huge. Similarly watching the equally intense competitor RHP Christian McGowan engage with fans in celebration and at the forefront of the team festivities was heartening - the young man has overcome both TJ and shoulder surgeries in his career and bounced back this season to appear in 46 games - it’s no accident by the way that he and Gage are good friends - both spirited competitors. Good stuff.
It was a great way to end this season’s minor league round ups - my 12th year of writing them after each night’s collective action. It’s the first time I’ve been able to end the year writing about a championship win. I’m always hopeful that what my writing provides sheds light on the development process and the daily grind of the minor leagues. I’m extremely happy for the organization and all of those involved in the village of collective support that this season can end on such a high note. From a personal perspective it’s uplifting given my family’s loss this summer - it’s a beam of brightness and I thank the folks for providing that.
Now on to Fall Ball and High Performance Camp … and there’s one more group that could bring even more joy to the Phillies collective unit. That ultimate organizational goal of winning this year’s World Series is still within reach for the big club - perhaps the youngsters at Reading have provided a lead in for that coming to fruition. Never say never - it can’t happen unless ya believe.
At least for this day once again - Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
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