The Show Before the Show: Episode 26

Kelsie Heneghan live from El Paso on Triple-A National Championship

September 24, 2015

Check out the latest episode of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review The Show Before the Show on iTunes. Send your questions and feedback to [email protected]. You can follow hosts Tyler Maun (@TylerMaun) and Sam Dykstra (@SamDykstraMiLB) on Twitter.

Episode 26:

Three Strikes (13:20):

Several Minor League champions were crowned since the last recording of the podcast. Tyler and Sam update you on those and give some of their favorite storylines from those title runs, such as Bowie's first-ever Eastern League title and Chattanooga's ability to rebound from a tough second half and lift a community after a tragedy.
Twins No. 6 prospect Max Kepler and Brewers No. 8 prospect Jorge Lopez were each called up to the Majors after playing in the Southern League Finals, so the guys discuss what those promotions mean and what it must be like to get the bump to the Majors right after winning or losing a league title.
Sam talks about last week's Toolshed piece on Rangers No. 4 prospect Lewis Brinson, who thrived at three levels in the Texas system this year thanks to the confidence he found in himself a season ago.

Kelsie Heneghan calls in (29:55)

MiLB.com's Kelsie Heneghan makes her podcast debut after covering Fresno's 7-0 win over Columbus in the Triple-A National Championship Game down in El Paso. She talks about what made Grizzlies starter Chris Devenski stand out in his first Triple-A start, what the win means for manager Tony DeFrancesco after his 2014 cancer diagnosis and how the Grizzlies have shown that the Astros' plans for their Minor League system are working. (You can follow Kelsie Heneghan on Twitter -- @Kelsie_Heneghan -- and read more of her Triple-A National Championship Game coverage.)

Ben's Biz Banter (41:12)

Benjamin Hill (@bensbiz) joins for his weekly segment, and he turns his focus to the ballpark situation with Triple-A Pawtucket. The PawSox announced they will no longer stick to their original plans to build a waterfront ballpark in Providence. However, it's still not likely that the club will try to stay in McCoy Stadium for the long term. Ben discusses his pieces about both sides of the issue concerning the ownership's point of view as well as that of passionate local fans. Sticking with the Red Sox theme, Ben talks about Portland pitcher Mike McCarthy, who is working with the non-profit organization Baseball Miracles to spread the sport to disadvantaged children around the globe.

Wrapping up (53:53)