A Look Back at the 2026 Tulsa Drillers
I have consistently stated it is difficult to gauge the development of prospects without reaching AA. Tulsa was chock-full of potential MLB players.
Tulsa began the year as one of the more hyped teams, largely due to their OF: Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, and Kendall George. Somewhat shocking that Mike Sirota was left off the original Tulsa roster, but he ultimately got there. Tulsa also had three pitchers they were counting on: RHSP Patrick Copen, LHSP Adam Serwwinowski, and LHSP Luke Fox. RHSP Payton Martin was considered a back of the rotation starter, but were counting on him as well. The team was hopeful that LHRP Maddux Bruns could emerge from his previous tribulations. He did not. Former Tulsa RHRP Nick Robertson was back with Tulsa. The expectations for Tulsa were high. Robertson dominated at Tulsa and was promoted to OKC.
Tulsa got off to a great start and won the first half by 5.0 games, and qualified for the playoffs. They had the best record in the Texas League in the 1st half. They also had the best full season overall record (88-50) in the Texas League for 2026. That was 9.5 games better than the Springfield Cardinals. Springfield won the 2nd half and beat Tulsa 2 games to 0 in the Texas League North Division Championship. Springfield lost to the Amarillo Sod Poodles in the Texas League Championship.
As a team, the Drillers led the League in runs, HR, BB, OBP and OPS. They were ranked in the first half of the teams for 10 of the 12 metrics I have been measuring. They were in the bottom half of the teams in SB and doubles.
Most Wins in Franchise History: Finished with 88 regular season wins, breaking the previous franchise mark and recording the most victories of any team across all of Minor League Baseball in 2026. This is also the highest win total for any Tulsa professional baseball team since the 1968 Triple-A Oilers.
Single-Season Home Run Record: Set a new single-season franchise team record for home runs, leading the Texas League with 199 long balls on the year.
Most Runs in a Season: Shattered the previous franchise record by scoring 807 runs over the course of the season.
Modern-Era Home Run Record: Infielder Jake Gelof hit 34 home runs, claiming the Texas League home run crown and breaking Tulsa's modern-era (1932–present) single-season home run record previously held by Tim Wheeler (33 in 2011).
Besides leading the Texas League in HR, Gelof finished second with a .950 OPS in his 124 games this season. He also compiled the second-most RBI total in the league with 103, as he and De Paula became the first Drillers duo to reach 100 RBI in the same season.
Individually:
Kendall George was off to such a great start that he was mentioned as a possible promotion candidate with MVP hype. His game was not built on SLG, but rather on bat to ball skills and speed. He is considered a good defensive CF, but not elite. Unfortunately, George injured his knee in a freak accident involving a bat dog on May 25, 2026. George tried to come back a month after the incident, but right before the deadline he was pulled from a game because of soreness. He went on the IL on August 4, and had left knee arthroscopic procedure on August 7, 2026, to address lingering issues from a patellar/meniscus injury.
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George had 257 PA, so he did not qualify for batting leaders. He needed 373 PA.
Mike Sirota joined the Drillers on May 15. Reached 333 PA. needed 373 to be considered qualified. Neither George nor Sirota were included in any of the slash line metrics, and because of diminished PA they did not reach top ten in any of the other metrics. Tulsa stats for the two:
Kendall George – 257 PA, .332/.418/.399/.817, 33 SB (5 CS), 31 BB, 49 K
Mike Sirota – 333 PA, .297/.450/.490/.941, 5 SB (0 CS), 65 BB, 75 K
Individual league leaders (top 10).
JDP, Gelof, and Hope were peppered generously amongst the League’s best.
Texas League Most Valuable Player: Josue De Paula, Tulsa (LAD)
“De Paula was an offensive force all year long on a loaded Tulsa team that featured six players on the Top 100 Prospects list. Despite missing the end of the Double-A season because he was called up directly to the big leagues in September, he led the Texas League in hits (152) and RBIs (104) while slashing .304/.401/.547. The 21-year-old also became the first Dodgers Minor Leaguer since Joc Pederson in 2014 to post at least 25 homers and 30 steals in a season (27 and 31, in this case).
His 104 RBI and 106 runs scored marked just the second time in Drillers’ history that a player recorded over 100 RBI and runs scored in the same season. The only other Drillers player to do so was Carlos Peña in 2000.”
De Paula also is the fourth Drillers player to be named the Texas League’s MVP, joining Bubba Smith (1996), Ryan Shealy (2004) and Matt Beaty (2017).
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Texas League All Stars
https://x.com/TulsaDrillers/status/2102092651285692610?s=20
Full Texas League All-Star Team
1B: Hunter Fitz-Gerald (Arkansas, SEA)
2B: Charlie Pagliarini (Arkansas, SEA)
SS: Leo De Vries (Midland, ATH)
3B: Manuel Pena (Amarillo, AZ)
C: Rainiel Rodriguez (Springfield, STL)
OF: Josue De Paula (Tulsa, LAD)
OF: Mike Sirota (Tulsa, LAD)
OF: Zyhir Hope (Tulsa, LAD)
DH: Jake Gelof (Tulsa, LAD)
UTIL: Jesús Báez (Springfield, STL)
SP: Kade Anderson (Arkansas, SEA)
SP: Bryce Mayer (Corpus Christi, HOU)
SP: Ryan Sloan (Arkansas, SEA)
SP: Mason Molina (Springfield, STL)
RP: Nick Robertson (Tulsa, LAD)
RP: Charlie Beilenson (Arkansas, SEA)
Manager: Eric Wedge (Tulsa, LAD)
Wedge becomes the fifth Drillers manager to win the Texas League Manager of the Year Award and the first since Tim Ireland was honored in 2002.
For those who think JDP walked away with the MVP, I am guessing there are many Cardinals fans who would counter JDP with:
C— Rainiel Rodriguez, Cardinals, Double-A Springfield
“The minor leagues have been rich with talented teenage catchers in recent years. Francisco Alvarez, Edgar Quero, Samuel Basallo, Alfredo Duno and Rodriguez all achieved a 150 wRC+ in a minor league season as a 19-year-old this decade. The distinction for Rodriguez is that he was the only one to do it over a large Double-A sample. In fact, a furious finish with Springfield catapulted him to first place in the Texas League with a .328 average, .408 OBP, .591 slugging percentage and .999 OPS. He is the only player in the minors this year to lead a league in all four categories.”
Rodriguez more than held his own as a 19 year old in a premium position.
The Drillers did not have any pitchers who qualified. Here is the look at the team pitching:
RHSP Patrick Copen had an outstanding April, a horrid May to mid-July, and an excellent rebound from mid-July through the end of the year.
· April – 5 games, 28.0 IP, 0.96 ERA, .149/.273/.160/.432, 14 BB, 37 K, 0 HR – Texas League Pitcher of the Month
· May to mid-July – 12 games, 41.2 IP, 12.10 ERA, .315/.450/.583/1.033, 41 BB, 45 K, 12 HR
· Mid-July through September – 9 games, 46.1 IP, 3.30 ERA, .253/.314/.345/.659, 14 BB, 54 K, 2 HR
LHSP Adam Serwinowski was somewhat of a disappointment this year. He had a few outstanding starts, but not enough to call it a good year. His line was – 26 games, 127.0 IP, 5.31 ERA, .238/.343/.425/.768, 69 BB, 158 K, 19 HR. He was a prolific strikeout pitcher who walked too many. A LAD prospect trend. There are a lot of rumblings tat Serwinowski is built more of a high leverage reliever. 158 K in 127 IP tells a lot. Perhaps if he was limited to shorter outings, his control would improve. I suspect LAD will continue to push Serwinowski as a SP.
LHSP Luke Fox was also disappointing, but more so because he was injured most of the year. He had a total of 27.1 IP for Tulsa. 3.29 ERA, 0.915 WHIP, 10 BB, 32 K. He will get some additional work in the AFL.
But the star pitcher for Tulsa was RHSP Christian Zazueta. On June 23, Zazueta was promoted to Tulsa. He pitched in 12 games for Tulsa, 55.0 IP, 3.44 ERA, 0.982 WHIP, .225/.267/.417/.684. He is another prolific strikeout pitcher, but his BB/K ratio is otherworldly: 8 BB to 78 K. The SLG slash line is high because he allowed 9 HR. His efforts were good enough to get a SP All Star nod.
LHSP Zach Root was promoted to Tulsa on July 28. After 4 starts, Root was placed on the IL. Root needs to curtail his injuries, but he shows that he could be a solid MLB SP.
RHP Payton Martin survived Tulsa as a 22-year-old. He should return to Tulsa next year. Will he stay a SP, or will he get converted to RP?
Josue De Paula and Mike Sirota have both been promoted to AAA (De Paula had a brief but excellent MLB stint), so I did not include them as AA Top 30 picks. The AA top 30 prospects:
· CF Eduardo Quintero - #3
· RHSP Christian Zazueta - #5
· OF/2B Chuck Davalan - #6
· LHSP Zach Root - #8
· OF Kendall George - #11
· LHSP Adam Serwinowski - #14
· 3B/2B Logan Wagner - #19
· RHSP Aidan Foeller - #20
· SS Elijah Hainline - #21
· RHRP Jacob Kmatz - #24
Kmatz was a deadline trade along with C Hunter Feduccia to Tampa Bay for OF Jack Suwinski. I think he will get a long look next year.
Players I will still be looking at even not on the top 30 prospects.
· 3B Jake Gelof – You don’t hit 34 HR and not get noticed or a chance.
· LHSP Luke Fox – I am still an advocate
· RHRP Lucas Wepf – He deserves to be followed for another year
· LHP Wyatt Crowell – Will he be converted to relief
· C/1B Griffin Lockwood-Powell – He is an excellent depth catcher who deserves a chance to be a backup for some team
· 2B Taylor Young – I just like his ability to steal bases and tenacity as a player
Two legacy players who were injured again that I am not yet ready to give up on:
· RHP Jared Karros – Maybe one of these years he is going to stay healthy
· 3B/1B – Kyle Nevin – Please stay healthy
With the number of potential MLB players on the Tulsa roster in 2026, which players will go on to become MLB players with the Dodgers, and which of those players will be packaged in a trade for others? Another test will be, which of the players will flame out? Here is a hint...more than one.
Discussion (31)
Disagree, not disagreeable
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Curious about folks' rooting interests in today's games during the Dodgers' hiatus... All considered, I'm fairly pleased. First, the unworthy Astros lost. They deserve to get swept. And not just because of their "Trashtro" crimes, but also their .500 won-loss season record. The playoffs are for winners. Get 'em outta here. Second, I'm pleased for the Yankees. Normally I'd be rooting for Red Sox against the damn Yankees, but the Yanks don't have Judge, and Schlittler was magnificent. A Yankee victory could ultimately set up a rematch of the '24 series against the Dodgers--and a chance for redemption. It's just a compelling storyline. Third, I'm ambivalent about the Padres, because I'd normally root for the Cubs here. But in recent years, the Padres been the Dodgers greatest nemesis. If the Dodgers truly deserve a three-peat, the path should include the peaking Pads and their nasty bullpen. Fourth and foremost, hats off to the Braves. The Phillies are the clearly the weaker team; they nearly missed the playoffs. But all considered, I'd rather watch the Dodgers win another championship by beating the best.
Braves win game 1. Id like the Phillies to win game 2.
This is how good the Dodgers are. How many hitters produced to the numbers on the back of their card this year? DH-no C-no 1B-no 2B-no SS-no 3B-close LF-no RF-no CF-yes(one great month). Pitching. Snell-out, Glasnow-out, Ohtani-half a year, Diaz-out, Graterol-out. And the Dodgers won 100 games! And we complained all the way till the end
Padres activated Joe Musgrove and placed him on the post-season roster. Tigers let two of their coaches go.
I’m not nervous at all about the playoffs! We either win or lose. I’m counting on winning. I believe the rest will do Freddie wonders. We will see a different approach to these games I truly believe. The only one that concerns me is Ohtani. Not so much his health, but his plate discipline. Of course I am not an expert, but he does worry me a bit. I’m not pulling for the Braves or the Phillies. It doesn’t matter. Both have a tough lefty in their rotation to start game one. The Dodgers can beat either one. I do hope the cubs can get by the padres. The friars scare me more than any other team. Do I believe they’re better than Milwaukee? No. But they have confidence after taking 2 of 3 from the Dodgers, and they vein the season series against the Brewers. The cubs are in my opinion the best offensive team in the playoffs. The Dodgers could be if they hit like they are capable of. Bottom line. I like the Dodgers and the Rays rematch in the World Series! I ‘ll let you know guess who I am picking to win it!
Yankees will be without Judge for the wild card series. Braves activated Rowdy Tellez and Luke Williams for the wild card series.
Lovely recap.
Several of these guys seem destined for The Show, especially if AF starts making some trades instead of simply writing fat checks. Jake Geloff doesn't seem to get much love in the prospect rankings. Not yet, anyway. Is his glove a problem? Or is it just that his power surge is too recent to have been noticed? Geloff could be a nice chip in a trade for Jeremy Pena, as the Astros have to be thinking about a successor for Old Man Altuve. I like Kendall George too, but he doesn't seem to fit the current Dodgers' MO--and four or five outfielders are ahead of him.
Great job. Easy to forget how impressive George's numbers were before the injury.
“I have consistently stated it is difficult to gauge the development of prospects without reaching AA“
Me too.
In perusing those stats (great job by the way, thank you) there are many thoughts that come to mind. I’ll share only a few.
Yep, this Tulsa team was offensive. And what exactly does that mean for the ‘27 26? Iontkno. Maybe you can tell me Jeff. Trades? Promotions? Few movements? Who? Where? When?
Looking at those pitching numbers suggests to me that whole league was offensive. 3rd with a 4.79 ERA? Yoiks. Does that detract from our players numbers? How many guys on that All League team had better numbers than our 4?
George with knee surgery? How will that affect his base running? Improve it maybe? His stat line is very much what I expected to see out of Kim at AAA. Kim is on my MDL this year. Most Disappointing List. I really wanted to see his speed and versatility in the Dodgers lineup. And for a guy who is probably the strongest in the organization it sure didn’t translate into slug. Yeah. Most disappointing.
Good report. AA. That is where the Dodgers highest rated talent resides. How many make the Majors, here or elsewhere, as early as ‘27?
Great coverage of Tulsa!
"Another test will be, which of the players will flame out? Here is a hint...more than one."
It's very hard to make the leap from A to AA... lots of flameouts there.
In many respects, I think the transition to AAA from AA is easier... but not always an indicator of success.