Relentless offense, improved pitching from key prospects spur Phils' Double-A squad to title

Double-A Reading spent the majority of the 2026 season proving that a championship-caliber club doesn’t have to rely on just one star.

The Fightin Phils finished off a perfect postseason with a 13-4 win over Erie on Tuesday night at FirstEnergy Stadium to claim their first outright Eastern League championship since 1995. The 2001 club was declared co-champions with New Britain in the wake of Sept. 11.

Reading sported one of the top pitching prospects in the sport in Gage Wood (PHI No. 1/MLB No. 30), but also relied on its offense to rally from a subpar first half. The Fightins soared to the second-best record in the Eastern League (40-28) in the second half and won all four of their playoff games by a combined score of 40-12.

During the regular season, Reading finished third on the circuit in OPS (.771) and fourth in runs (735) and homers (177). The latter stat was highlighted by Bryan Rincon (PHI No. 4/MLB No. 98), whose 26 roundtrippers tied for the most in the Eastern League with teammate Alex Binelas.

Here are a few notable players who helped guide the Fightin Phils to the first title they can call their own in 31 years:

Gage Wood, RHP

Wood opened 2026 at High-A Clearwater but made the jump all the way to Reading after a dominant start to the season. While there was a measure of inconsistency for the 22-year-old, he also flashed ace-like potential in his 17 regular-season Double-A outings.

A 4.72 ERA in the Eastern League belied Wood’s overall effectiveness. The right-hander with a 70-grade fastball ran an impressive 99/18 K/BB ratio in 68 2/3 innings. He surrendered two or fewer runs in 12 of his 17 regular-season starts, including a masterpiece on Sept. 3, when he fanned a career-high 10 in four frames.

Bryan Rincon, SS

Few players in the Phillies’ system made a bigger leap in 2026 than Rincon.

The 22-year-old entered the year better known for his glove and instincts than for overwhelming offensive production. By season’s end, Rincon had transformed into one of the Eastern League’s most productive all-around hitters, slashing .267/.410/.517 with 26 homers, 67 RBIs and 30 stolen bases.

The Venezuela-born infielder continued to make an impact in the postseason, driving in seven runs in four games, including five in Reading's first playoff contest.

Carson DeMartini, 3B

DeMartini was felled by a hamstring injury that cost him nearly three months, but he returned in late July and provided a steady bat down the stretch and into the postseason. Philadelphia’s No. 23 prospect hit .298 with 15 extra-base hits, five homers, 19 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 31 games from Aug. 5 through the end of the regular season.

The 2024 fourth-round pick out of Virginia Tech brought a combination of patience, power and speed to a lineup that sorely missed those attributes for much of the first half. Overall, DeMartini slashed .286/.421/.508 with 22 extra-base hits, nine long balls, 30 RBIs and 18 steals in 55 Double-A games. He also launched one of two grand slams by the Fightins in the Championship Series finale. (Caleb Ricketts swatted the other one.)

Mavis Graves, RHP

Graves found his footing after making the jump to Double-A, giving Reading another promising arm down the stretch. The Phillies’ No. 26 prospect settled in quickly following his promotion in late July, posting an 0.96 ERA and striking out 31 in 18 2/3 innings across 14 relief appearances.

The 2024 second-rounder helped solidify Reading’s pitching staff over the final six weeks and offered another encouraging step in his own personal development as a pitcher to watch in the Phillies’ system.

Rincon, DeMartini, Wood and Graves represent key components of a Reading squad that found its stride at the ideal time, but they were hardly alone. The Fightin Phils’ postseason roster also featured the return of Top 100 prospect Aidan Miller (PHI No. 2/MLB No. 58) from a year-long injury, Aroon Escobar (PHI No. 6) and Dante Nori (PHI No. 7), among others. All told, Reading had one of the more prospect-heavy rosters in the Minors.

As evidenced by their offensive firepower in the playoffs, the Fightins relied upon the same formula that carried them through the regular season to take home the Eastern League title. A deep, talented lineup consistently put pressure on opposing pitching, while a collection of young arms gave Reading enough on the mound to keep the momentum rolling. It was a combination that proved impossible to stop when the games mattered most.