Who I Want to Win in the 2026 SPHL Playoffs

Photo Credit: SPHL

First round

#8 Macon v. #1 Peoria- Peoria

#7 Knoxville v. #2 Huntsville- Huntsville

#6 Birmingham v. #3 Roanoke- Birmingham

#5 Pensacola v. #4 Evansville- Evansville

Semifinals

#6 Birmingham v. #1 Peoria- Peoria

#4 Evansville v. #2 Huntsville- Evansville

Presidents Cup Finals

#4 Evansville v. #1 Peoria

Winner: Evansville Thunderbolts

My 2026 MiLB Regular Season Predictions

Photo Credit: MiLB

By Zane Miller

Playoff teams in italics

Triple-A

International League East

Syracuse Mets

Lehigh Valley IronPigs

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

Worcester Red Sox

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Charlotte Knights

Norfolk Tides

Rochester Red Wings

Durham Bulls

Buffalo Bisons

International League West

Toledo Mud Hens

Indianapolis Indians

Memphis Redbirds

Columbus Clippers

Nashville Sounds

Gwinnett Stripers

St. Paul Saints

Iowa Cubs

Omaha Storm Chasers

Louisville Bats

Pacific Coast League East

El Paso Chihuahuas

Round Rock Express

Oklahoma City Comets

Sugar Land Space Cowboys

Albuquerque Isotopes

Pacific Coast League West

Sacramento River Cats

Tacoma Rainiers

Salt Lake Bees

Las Vegas Aviators

Reno Aces

Double-A

Eastern League Northeast

Hartford Yard Goats

Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Somerset Patriots

Portland Sea Dogs

Reading Fightin Phils

New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Eastern League Southwest

Altoona Curve

Akron RubberDucks

Erie SeaWolves

Richmond Flying Squirrels

Harrisburg Senators

Chesapeake Baysox

Southern League North

Birmingham Barons

Chattanooga Lookouts

Knoxville Smokies

Rocket City Trash Pandas

Southern League South

Biloxi Shuckers

Montgomery Biscuits

Columbus Clingstones

Pensacola Blue Wahoos

Texas League North

Springfield Cardinals

Arkansas Travelers

Wichita Wind Surge

Tulsa Drillers

Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Texas League South

Midland RockHounds

Frisco RoughRiders

Corpus Christi Hooks

San Antonio Missions

Amarillo Sod Poodles

High-A

Midwest League East

West Michigan Whitecaps

Lake County Captains

Great Lakes Loons

Dayton Dragons

Fort Wayne TinCaps

Lansing Lugnuts

Midwest League West

Beloit Sky Carp

Quad Cities River Bandits

Cedar Rapids Kernels

Peoria Chiefs

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

South Bend Cubs

Northwest League

Vancouver Canadians

Eugene Emeralds

Everett AquaSox

Tri-City Dust Devils

Spokane Indians

Hillsboro Hops

South Atlantic League North

Greensboro Grasshoppers

Brooklyn Cyclones

Hudson Valley Renegades

Frederick Keys

Wilmington Blue Rocks

Jersey Shore BlueClaws

South Atlantic League South

Winston-Salem Dash

Hub City Spartanburgers

Rome Emperors

Asheville Tourists

Bowling Green Hot Rods

Greenville Drive

Mario Mendoza’s Four-Hit Game: Texas Rangers v. Detroit Tigers 5/18/1981

Photo Credit: Donruss

By Zane Miller

If you’ve been watching baseball for any substantial amount of time, then you’ve likely heard the term “Mendoza Line” used at least once during a broadcast. Named after veteran MLB shortstop Mario Mendoza, it refers to a player hitting around or below the lackluster batting average of .200. Usually, there are only a couple of full-time batters throughout the league per season hitting poorly enough to finish the year below the Mendoza Line, though said players are often bringing something else to the table to justify their place in the lineup.

In Mendoza’s case, this was his stout fielding ability. Of course, with his playing career spanning from 1974 to 1982, Mendoza retired well before Statcast or other modern-day defensive analysis techniques, but was nonetheless well-known at the time for his powerful throwing arm. This ability was especially useful at the shortstop position, and his prowess is backed up by the fact that he was used as an emergency pitcher on at least one occasion. However, even with a notably strong arm, it was outweighed by his frequent struggles at the plate.

Interestingly, Mendoza technically only has one full season in which he hit below his namesake statline, coming in 1979 with a .198 batting average in 148 games as a member of the Seattle Mariners. He did have four part-time campaigns beneath the .200 mark, though the aforementioned plate issues led to him being pulled from the lineup and playing in less than half the games as a result. In 1980, though, Mendoza had arguably the best batting season of his career, getting 68 hits, 16 walks, 14 RBI and two home runs for a .245 average in 114 games played. While it was far from Silver Slugger-winning territory, the signs of improvement were there and the Texas Rangers were interested, eventually working out a trade with Seattle to bring Mendoza in as the primary shortstop.

Coming into the 1981 season, Mendoza had actually flirted with a four-hit performance on several different occasions, securing a trio of three-hit games during his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates before getting a total of seven three-hitters as a Mariner. In his first two months in Texas, Mendoza was having a decent enough start to the year, but it was nothing compared to what was to come on May 18^th on the road against the Detroit Tigers.

Facing Tigers pitcher Dan Petry for his first at-bat in the third inning with the score tied 1-1, Mendoza hit a leadoff single to get the ball rolling in what would be a big inning for the Rangers. After Mendoza’s hit, both Petry and the Tigers defense as a whole appeared to start unraveling, with leadoff batter Bump Wills drawing a walk before a wild pitch brought both runners to second and third. Center fielder Mickey Rivers put a weak grounder into play in what should have simply been a sacrifice RBI, but a rare misplay by second baseman Lou Whitaker enabled Mendoza to cross home without any outs being recorded. The error set up an eventual 4-1 Texas lead, though the Tigers were able to respond in the bottom half of the inning with two runs of their own.

Coincidentally, Mendoza led off once again to start the fourth inning, where he drew a walk but was promptly erased from the basepath thanks to a double play. The score remained 4-3 in favor of the Rangers for Mendoza’s next plate appearance in the top of the sixth, where he happened to be leading off the inning for a third time. By now, reliever Kevin Saucier had taken the mound for Detroit, but was in for a painful awakening as Mendoza hit a hard ground ball right back to him. Saucier was unable to recover in time as Mendoza reached for his second hit of the night, and was forced to exit the game due to a dislocated right shoulder sustained on the play.

The Tigers called upon their closer from the past two seasons in Aurelio Lopez on short notice to keep the Rangers’ lead at one. However, Lopez struggled to find the plate after getting an out on a fielder’s choice, hitting two batters to go along with a walk as two runs scored in the commotion. Fellow veteran reliever Dave Rozema took over with the bases loaded, but it wouldn’t take long before first baseman Pat Putnam drilled a two RBI double to give the Rangers a bit of breathing room.

All of the scoring allowed Mendoza to come to the plate a second time in the inning, this time getting an opportunity with the bases loaded. Sure enough, he drove in two more runs with a single to center field, officially giving Texas a double-digit run total on the evening and himself a three-hit game. The Rangers tacked on another run in the sixth for good measure, as they found themselves sitting pretty with an 11-3 lead.

As the Rangers continued to cruise with an eight-run advantage, Mendoza’s next chance at the plate came in the top of the eighth with a runner on first in left fielder Leon Roberts. After years of general ineptitude in the batter’s box and a few previous missed opportunities, Mendoza would finally capture the elusive four-hit game as he hit another single into center field. Of course, the moment was somewhat dampened as Roberts was thrown out trying to go to third on the play, but nonetheless it signified a superb hitting performance from an otherwise unlikely source.

The two teams each a couple of runs across in the later innings to bring the score up to 13-5 Rangers, where it would stay to the end of the game. Late in the ninth, Mendoza would actually have the change to do the truly shocking and secure a five-hit performance, but unfortunately this is where the storybook ending comes to a close as he struck out looking. That aside, Mendoza ended the night with the previously mentioned four knocks, a pair of RBIs and a walk as Texas improved to 19-14 on the 1981 season. This would be the final full season in Mendoza’s major league career, as he played in 88 of the team’s strike-shortened 105 games. He finished with 22 RBIs, seven walks, no home runs and 53 hits for a .231 average. Mendoza played sparingly in the 1982 season before being released and subsequently starting his coaching career.

Eventually, Mendoza worked his way into a managerial role for a handful of teams within the California (now Los Angeles) Angels minor league system, notably leading the Midland Angels to a Texas League championship finals appearance in 1995. He has amassed nearly 30 years of coaching experience both in MiLB and in his home country of Mexico, managing as recently as 2023. While his fielding ability at the shortstop position was always his calling card, his game on May 18^th, 1981 showed that any player with a bat in their hand at the plate is dangerous.