Highly touted prospects, veteran mix leads Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate to title

For the second time in four seasons, the Pacific Coast League crown belongs to the Dodgers' affiliate.

Triple-A Oklahoma City put a bow on its 89-win regular season with a 5-2 win over Las Vegas on Thursday night at Las Vegas Ballpark. The Comets won the final two games of the series after dropping the opener, and in doing so, claimed their fourth PCL championship and first since 2023.

Oklahoma City’s 89 wins was the third-highest total by the organization going all the way back to its inception in 1962. Only the 1965 (91 wins) and 2023 (90 wins) clubs finished with more -- and both won PCL titles.

That balance proved to be one of the defining characteristics of the Comets’ season. Oklahoma City could beat opponents with its offense, silence them with its pitching, and when necessary, find another way to win.

The result was a season that now stands alongside the best in franchise history, with the Comets adding another championship to an organization that is the final stop in the Dodgers’ seemingly unending pipeline of talent. Two of those phenoms -- Josue De Paula (LAD No. 1/MLB No. 6) and Mike Sirota (LAD No. 2/MLB No. 14) -- made their Triple-A debuts in the past week, adding two more weapons to a potent lineup.

While no championship is won without a collection of players performing, here are a few notables that helped secure Oklahoma City’s title:

James Tibbs III, 1B/OF

Tibbs arrived in Oklahoma City as one of the Dodgers’ top prospects and spent the season making plenty of noise in the middle of the Comets’ lineup.

The Dodgers’ No. 7 prospect slugged 30 homers, scored 109 runs and collected 107 RBIs while slashing .287/.409/.532. Tibbs led the PCL in total bases (278), walks (108) and extra-base hits (65).

The 2024 first-rounder also produced one of the Minors’ most memorable offensive stretches early in the season, going deep seven times in a six-game stretch, including a three-homer game against Las Vegas on April 4. Tibbs went deep in each of the first two games of the Finals against the Aviators, giving him seven long balls in nine games at Las Vegas Ballpark this year.

Zach Ehrhard, OF

Ehrhard, a 2024 fourth-round pick from Oklahoma State acquired in last July's Dustin May deal with Boston, combined a disciplined approach with speed and emerging power, putting together a .291/.400/.472 campaign. 

The Dodgers’ No. 15 prospect was one of 59 Minor Leaguers to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases in 2026, and his 120 runs led the PCL and represented the most by a Dodgers Minor Leaguer since Lemmie Miller (122) in 1983.

Ehrhard was particularly dangerous down the stretch, hitting safely in 15 of his final 17 regular-season games, including 12 straight to end September. The 23-year-old didn’t slow down in the Finals, reaching base nine times and batting .500 in the three games against the Aviators.

Jackson Ferris, LHP

While Ferris’ overall numbers don’t jump off the page, it’s imperative to remember the environment in which he pitched in.

With the Comets needing a victory to clinch the second-half title, Ferris retired the first 19 batters he faced against El Paso on Sept. 16 and finished the outing with a career-high 13 K’s across 7 2/3 scoreless innings.

The outing capped a remarkable stretch run for the Dodgers’ No. 17 prospect, who allowed just four runs over 36 frames while striking out 48 across his final six regular-season starts. In the process, the 22-year-old southpaw also provided the Dodgers with a glimpse of what might be on the horizon.

Cole Irvin, LHP

While prospects did their part, Oklahoma City received a rock-steady presence at the front of its rotation from Irvin. The 32-year-old southpaw anchored the staff, going 12-7 with a PCL-best 3.33 ERA across 28 starts and 137 2/3 innings.

Irvin briefly returned to the Majors with the Dodgers in August, but his impact for the Comets stretched well beyond his numbers. He got the nod in Game 3, tossing 2 1/3 scoreless innings to get Oklahoma City off and running.

But this was never about any one player. Oklahoma City spent the season proving its depth before navigating its way from the brink of elimination to a spot in the Triple-A National Championship game against Rochester on Saturday.