It's not always about how you start. It's about how you finish.
Amarillo, the D-backs' Double-A affiliate, took that to heart Wednesday, digging its way back during a winner-take-all Game 3 against Springfield. The Sod Poodles overcame a two-run deficit to take the Texas League crown in a 6-4 victory at Route 66 Stadium.
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The D-backs picked up Avery Owusu-Asiedu in a trade last December, and the outfielder made all the difference in the finale, swatting a two-run homer to break a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning.
Carlos Virahonda (AZ No. 5) logged a three-hit game, posting a .400 average and 1.306 OPS in the postseason. Outfielder Angel Ortiz plated a pair of runs in the win to back starter Mason Marriott (AZ No. 26), who struck out four in two scoreless frames. And exuberant reliever Alfred Morillo did his second series-closing backflip of the postseason.
COMPLETE D-BACKS PROSPECT COVERAGE
En route to their second title in the past four years, the Sod Poodles dethroned the Cardinals, the 2025 champions. Amarillo has won all three of its title appearances, including as a Padres affiliate in 2019, when it debuted in the Texas League with a best-of-5 series win over Tulsa.
Here are a few notable players who helped make this year's championship happen:
Druw Jones, OF
The son of Hall of Fame outfielder Andruw Jones, Arizona's No. 23 prospect started to put things together offensively during his first season at Double-A. The 2022 second overall pick posted a .368 average and a .989 OPS in June before bouncing back from another down stretch with a .356/.408/.533 slash line and two homers in the final 11 regular-season games in September. The 22-year-old -- who boasts a 70-grade field tool -- put his speed (also a 70) to good use as well en route to a career-high 38 stolen bases.
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David Hagaman, RHP
Although he didn't make the most impactful postseason start, Hagaman (AZ No. 4) shined upon his Aug. 4 promotion to Double-A, lowering his ERA to a full-season career-best 2.55. The D-backs acquired the 2024 fourth-rounder in the Merrill Kelly swap ahead of the 2025 Trade Deadline, and in 35 1/3 innings across seven Double-A starts, Hagaman punched out 46 batters while walking only 12 and posted a 1.16 WHIP.
Danny Serretti, IF, Cristofer Torin, SS and Manuel Pena, 3B
Serretti, Torin (AZ No. 17) and Pena (AZ No. 29) were not only the anchors in the infield, but also three of the best players in Amarillo this season. The 26-year-old Serretti played three infield positions and posted a .928 OPS with 14 homers across 74 games before an August promotion.
Torin spent his entire campaign with the Sod Poodles, tallying the second-most homers (16) on the team, while also walking 45 times to 62 strikeouts in 118 regular-season contests. In 61 games, Pena crushed an Amarillo-leading 26 homers with a 1.027 OPS before departing for Reno in the middle of June.
The D-backs' lone Top 100 prospect, Demetrio Crisantes (AZ No. 1/MLB No. 72), made a brief stop at Double-A in his return from shoulder surgery. The second baseman slashed .319/.413/.548 across 35 contests before a late July promotion to Triple-A.