Pitchers of the Postseason

Here's a look at the top pitchers in each league during the Minor League postseason:

International League
Keith Couch, Pawtucket Red Sox
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 2 BB, 4 K)
Pawtucket was down to its last strike in Game 4 of the IL Finals before rallying to force a decisive fifth game in Durham. Thus on Saturday, Couch took the mound for the PawSox in his Triple-A debut, on the road, in the biggest game of the season. The 24-year-old, who had gone 8-2 with a 2.96 ERA for Double-A Portland, responded with a gem. Pitching for the first time in more than two weeks, Couch held the Bulls to one single and a pair of walks over 6 2/3 scoreless innings as Pawtucket exacted revenge for its Governors' Cup Finals defeat to Durham in 2013.

Pacific Coast League
Andrew Chafin, Reno Aces
(2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 15 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 1 BB, 9 K)
Chafin began the season with Double-A Mobile and was dominant, going 4-1 with a 1.96 ERA in nine starts before his promotion to Reno in May. The 24-year-old left-hander posted a 5.34 ERA in the PCL, however, with Triple-A batters hitting .298 off him. The playoffs were very much a different story. Chafin needed just 99 pitches in a four-hit shutout of host Las Vegas in Game 2 of the PCL semifinals and tossed six more scoreless frames at Omaha in Game 3 of the Finals. After walking 3.8 batters per nine innings for the Aces during the regular season, Chafin issued only one free pass in 15 postseason innings.

Eastern League
Ty Blach, Richmond Flying Squirrels
(1-0, 0.68 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 13 1/3 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 2 BB, 12 K)
Blach was one of the better pitchers in the Eastern League all season, going 8-8 with a 3.13 ERA that was fifth-best on the circuit. In Game 3 of the Western Division Finals, with Richmond and Akron tied at one game apiece, Blach tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win for the Flying Squirrels. The left-hander pitched nearly as well in Game 3 of the League Finals but was unable to prevent Binghamton's three-game sweep. Blach got no decision after giving up one run in seven innings before the B-Mets won on a walk-off single in the ninth.

Southern League
Austin Ross, Huntsville Stars
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 8 K)
After dropping Game 1 of the Southern League's North Division Finals at home, Huntsville needed to rebound quickly lest they head to Chattanooga having to win three in a row. Ross delivered, holding the Lookouts to one hit over seven frames as the Stars rolled to a 9-0 win. Unfortunately, the right-hander didn't get a chance for an encore -- Huntsville was eliminated in five games, making Ross the winner in the final Stars game in Huntsville. The team is moving to Biloxi, Mississippi, for the 2015 season.

Texas League
Marcus Walden, Midland RockHounds
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 G, 0 GS, 8 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 9 K)
Walden faced 25 batters in the playoffs; one of them reached base. The right-hander, who turned 26 last week, was released by the Blue Jays in mid-April and quickly snapped up by the A's, who optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento. His work as a starter in the PCL was undistinguished -- he had a 5.73 ERA in 11 outings -- but was a solid contributor to Midland's bullpen late in the season. In the postseason he was lights-out, helping the RockHounds win their first title since 2009. In four appearances, Walden threw 99 pitches -- 72 for strikes -- and did not issue a walk.

California League
Tyler Brunnemann, Lancaster JetHawks
(1-1, 1.35 ERA, 5 G, 0 GS, 6 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 3 BB, 12 K)
Some of the top prospects in baseball played for the JetHawks this season, including Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers and Mark Appel, but Brunnemann, a 40th-round pick in 2013, outshined them all in the playoffs. The right-hander spent most of the season with Class A Quad Cities before joining Lancaster in August. The right-hander yielded just one hit over 6 2/3 innings in his final four regular-season appearances and was nearly as strong in the postseason. He took the loss in Game 1 of the Cal League Finals when Visalia's Breland Almadova scored from second on a ground ball that never left the infield, but was otherwise untouchable. He capped his playoff run with three perfect innings to earn the win in Lancaster's Game 5 title clincher.

Carolina League
Jacob Dahlstrand, Salem Red Sox
(0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 8 K)
Salem only played three playoff games and only won one of them. That game belonged to Dahlstrand, though he didn't earn the victory. The 22-year-old Texan, a 10th-round pick in 2010, held host Myrtle Beach to a pair of singles over seven scoreless frames before Salem won on a controversial 10th-inning homer. Dahlstrand struck out eight and did not walk a batter, concluding a strong season that saw him go 8-5 with a 2.90 ERA as a reliever for Class A Greenville and a starter for Class A Advanced Salem.

Florida State League
D.J. Baxendale, Fort Myers Miracle
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 12 2/3 IP, 12 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 4 BB, 12 K)
It wasn't all easy sailing -- he gave up three unearned runs on 12 hits and four walks in 12 2/3 innings -- but Baxendale was the starter in both of the Miracle's series-clinching wins and a huge reason why Fort Myers captured its first FSL crown since 1985. A difficult season in which the 23-year-old Baxendale went 4-7 with a 5.48 ERA ended with a pair of strong outings, a championship and solid momentum going into the 2015 campaign.

Midwest League
Francisco Carrillo, Kane County Cougars
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 G, 0 GS, 3 SV, 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 2 BB, 7 K)
Kane County had an outstanding season from start to finish: the Cougars went 91-49 overall, 54-17 at home, and a perfect 7-0 in the playoffs. Carrillo didn't join the club until August but contributed to its success. He gave up runs in both of his first two Midwest League appearances -- and then he stopped giving up runs. The 24-year-old right-hander closed out the regular season with 12 1/3 scoreless frames over 10 outings, then made five more scoreless appearances as Kane County rolled through the playoffs. Carrillo allowed one hit over five postseason frames and recorded three saves in three opportunities.

South Atlantic League
Konner Wade, Asheville Tourists
(2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 12 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 12 K)
Wade started the final game of the regular season, so he didn't get into the action until the Finals. It was a good thing for the Tourists that they had him in reserve, as the 22-year-old right-hander won both Games 1 and 5. Relying on his command and a steady diet of groundball outs, Wade held Hagerstown to three hits over five scoreless innings in Game 1 and fired seven scoreless frames in the title-clinching Game 5. A perfect end to a successful campaign for the 2013 seventh-round pick, who ranked fourth among full-season Rockies farmhands with a 3.61 ERA.

New York-Penn League
Joe Musgrove, Tri-City ValleyCats
(1-0, 0.69 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 13 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 15 K)
Tied for first in the NYPL with seven wins and tied for second with 67 strikeouts during the regular season, Musgrove burnished his credentials in the playoffs despite the ValleyCats' Finals loss. The right-hander gave up a run on seven hits in Tri-City's playoff opener against Connecticut and came up big in Game 2 of the Finals. Facing elimination, Musgrove limited State College to two hits while fanning eight over seven innings in Tri-City's 3-0 win. He did not walk a batter.

Northwest League
Ryan Borucki, Vancouver Canadians
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 0 BB, 4 K)
Borucki couldn't lead the Canadians to their fourth straight title -- he didn't get a chance to pitch in the Finals before Vancouver was swept -- but he did his part in the semifinals, tossing seven scoreless innings in the club's playoff opener against Spokane. A 15th-round pick in 2012, Borucki missed the entire 2013 season with an elbow injury but came back strong this year, going 3-2 with a 2.37 ERA in 13 regular-season appearances for Vancouver and rookie-level Bluefield. The left-hander doesn't have overwhelming velocity, but he does possess outstanding command: he fanned 52 while walking just nine over 57 innings.

Appalachian League
Cole Brocker, Danville Braves
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 0 GS, 5 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 6 K)
A 39th-round pick (by the Tigers) out of Sacramento City College in 2011, Brocker instead went to Oregon State and went undrafted following his senior season in 2013. The Braves plucked the right-hander, now 24, from the independent leagues this summer and sent him to the GCL. He made his Appy League debut in Danville's playoff opener, earning the win with 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief against Princeton. Brocker held Johnson City scoreless over three frames in Game 1 of the Finals, but the D-Braves managed just one hit while striking out 15 times in a 2-1 loss.

Pioneer League
Keynan Middleton, Orem Owlz
(0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 0 GS, 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 4 BB, 11 K)
Middleton had a difficult regular season with the Owlz, going 5-4 with a 6.45 ERA in 14 starts. The Oregon native had success working out of the bullpen in the playoffs, however, yielding one unearned run over seven innings and recording his first professional save. Command remains an issue but is improving: after walking 5.6 batters per nine innings in 2013 that rate was down to 4.0 this season.