From Fluor Field to October baseball, the Greenville Drive will be well represented throughout the 2026 Major League Baseball Postseason.
Former Drive players and staff members can be found across 10 different playoff organizations, a testament to Greenville’s longstanding role in developing players, coaches and baseball personnel on their way to the game’s biggest stage.
The 2026 postseason features 12 teams, with the Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday, September 29.
No organization features a stronger Greenville connection than the Boston Red Sox, where a collection of recent and longtime Drive alumni will try to help Boston make a run through October.
Leading the group is left-handed pitcher Payton Tolle, whose rapid rise from Greenville to the Major Leagues has continued into the postseason. Tolle is joined by Roman Anthony, Nick Sogard, Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela, giving the Red Sox a sizable group of former Drive position players alongside one of baseball’s most exciting young arms.
Pitchers Brayan Bello and Wyatt Olds add additional former Drive arms to Boston’s postseason contingent.
The Greenville connection extends beyond the playing field as well. Nelson Paulino serves as Boston’s interim hitting coach, while former Drive catchers Charlie Madden and Drew Ehrhard are serving as bullpen catcher and interim bullpen catcher, respectively.
Boston enters the postseason as the American League’s No. 5 seed and opens the Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees, adding another chapter to one of baseball’s most storied rivalries.
The Drive connections continue throughout the National League.
The Philadelphia Phillies feature former Greenville pitcher Chase Shugart, who spent time in Philadelphia’s bullpen during the 2026 season, along with former Drive athletic trainer Paul Buchheit, now Philadelphia’s Head Athletic Trainer.
For the Atlanta Braves, versatile outfielder/infielder Mauricio Dubón returns to postseason baseball. Dubón, who played for Greenville during the 2015 season, has developed into one of the Major Leagues’ most versatile defenders and is part of Atlanta’s postseason plans.
The Chicago Cubs include former Drive pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn, along with hitting coach Dustin Kelly, another member of the extended Greenville baseball family. Zeferjahn is part of Chicago’s pitching staff as the Cubs prepare for their Wild Card Series matchup with San Diego.
Waiting on the other side of that series is one of the most recognizable players ever to come through Fluor Field. Former Drive shortstop Xander Bogaerts will represent the San Diego Padres in October. Bogaerts began his professional career in the Red Sox organization and played 72 games for Greenville as an 18-year-old in 2011 before eventually becoming a four-time Major League All-Star and World Series champion.
Former Drive catcher Christian Vázquez, another World Series champion from Boston’s farm system, is back in postseason baseball with the Houston Astros. Vázquez is part of Houston’s catching tandem as the Astros host Chicago in the American League Wild Card Series.
That opponent, the Chicago White Sox, features one of the largest collections of former Drive players outside of Boston.
Catcher Kyle Teel, infielder Chase Meidroth, pitcher David Sandlin and designated hitter/outfielder Andrew Benintendi all have Greenville ties and are part of Chicago’s postseason group. Teel and Meidroth were teammates played in Greenville during the 2023 championship season before rapidly climbing through the Minor Leagues, while Sandlin also pitched for the Drive on his path to the Majors. Benintendi starred at Fluor Field in 2015 during his first professional season before beginning what has become a lengthy Major League career.
Few Drive alumni have built a Major League résumé comparable to Mookie Betts, who will once again pursue another championship with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Betts played 76 games for Greenville during the 2013 season before emerging as one of the most accomplished players of his generation. He is joined in Los Angeles by hitting coach Aaron Bates, another former member of the Red Sox organization with Greenville ties.
The Milwaukee Brewers also carry a Drive connection into October with left-handed pitcher Shane Drohan, adding another former Greenville arm to the postseason field.
In all, the Drive are represented by players and staff members throughout both leagues:
Boston Red Sox: Payton Tolle, Roman Anthony, Wyatt Olds, Brayan, Bello, Nick Sogard, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Nelson Paulino, Charlie Madden and Drew Ehrhard
Philadelphia Phillies: Chase Shugart and Paul Buchheit
Atlanta Braves: Mauricio Dubón
Chicago Cubs: Ryan Zeferjahn and Dustin Kelly
San Diego Padres: Xander Bogaerts
Houston Astros: Christian Vázquez
Chicago White Sox: David Sandlin, Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth and Andrew Benintendi
Los Angeles Dodgers: Mookie Betts and Aaron Bates
Milwaukee Brewers: Shane Drohan
For Greenville fans, October once again provides plenty of familiar names to follow.
Some were highly touted prospects when they arrived at Fluor Field. Others began their climb through professional baseball far from the national spotlight. Coaches, athletic trainers and support staff have made that journey as well.
Now, they share another connection.
They are all part of the Drive family — and they are all headed to baseball’s biggest stage.