Six Drillers Receive Postseason Honors

Wedge Named Manager of the Year, De Paula Named Most Valuable Player

The Tulsa Drillers just completed one of their best seasons in franchise history, and several key members of the 2026 team have been recognized for their performances. Today, Major League Baseball announced the 2026 Texas League All-Star Team and league awards winner, with six members of the Drillers receiving honors

Leading the team are Eric Wedge, who was named the Texas League’s Manager of the Year, and Josue De Paula who was named the TL’s Most Valuable Player.

A total of five Drillers players were named to the Texas League All-Star Team. De Paula, Mike Sirota and Zyhir Hope swept all four outfield spots, while Jake Gelof was named the All-Star designated hitter and Nick Robertson was selected as an All-Star reliever.

Wedge, who managed ten years in the majors and was the 2007 American League Manager of the Year, was named the Texas League’s Manager of the Year in his second season in charge of the Drillers. He led Tulsa to a Double-A best 88-50 record, marking the most wins in Drillers franchise history.

Along the way, Wedge and the Drillers began the 2026 campaign with a franchise-best start to a season, opening with a 14-4 record. The start eventually led to the franchise’s best first-half record and winning percentage as the Drillers concluded the half with a 46-23 (.667) mark.

Tulsa reached the Texas League playoffs for the second consecutive season under Wedge thanks to the first-half title.

Wedge becomes the fifth Drillers manager to win the Texas League Manager of the Year Award and the first since Tim Ireland was honored in 2002.

De Paula played in 124 games with Tulsa before his promotion to the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 11. He finished his time in the Texas League by batting .303 with 152 hits, 27 home runs, 104 RBI, 106 runs scored and 31 stolen bases.

De Paula led the TL in hits, RBI and runs scored and was tied for the most doubles with 37. His 104 RBI and 106 runs scored marked just the second time in Drillers history that a player recorded over 100 RBI and runs scored in the same season. The only other Drillers player to do so was Carlos Pena in 2000.

De Paula also is the fourth Drillers player to be named the Texas League’s MVP, joining Bubba Smith (1996), Ryan Shealy (2004) and Matt Beaty (2017).

Sirota joined the Drillers on May 15 after he began the season with High-A Great Lakes, and his impact was felt immediately. The outfielder compiled a .297 batting average with 10 home runs, 40 RBI, 65 walks, and 62 runs scored in 71 games in Tulsa. He was also named to the 2026 All-Star Futures Game during his time with the Drillers and was recently promoted to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets.

Gelof led the TL with 34 home runs and finished second with a .950 OPS in his 124 games this season. He also compiled the second-most RBI total in the league with 103, as he and De Paula became the first Drillers duo to reach 100 RBI in the same season.

Gelof’s 34 home runs set a new Drillers single-season record, topping Tim Wheeler’s 33 blasts from 2011.

Hope rounded out the trio of All-Star outfielders. The lefthander appeared in 94 games with the Drillers and compiled a .293 batting average with 23 home runs, 87 RBI and 68 runs scored. Hope was traded to Detroit on August 2 in the Tarik Skubal deal, but his 87 RBI were still good for the fifth-best total in the league.

Rounding out Tulsa’s All-Stars was reliever Nick Robertson. The hard-throwing right-hander was dominant in his 22 games with Drillers, compiling a 6-1 record and a minuscule 0.59 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 30.2 innings pitched. Robertson began the season by not allowing a run over his first 18 appearances and 24.2 innings pitched.

2026 TEXAS LEAGUE ALL-STAR TEAM

1B Hunter Fitz-Gerald (Arkansas)
2B Charlie Pagliarini (Arkansas)
3B Manuel Pena (Amarillo)
SS Leo De Vries (Midland)
C Rainiel Rodriguez (Springfield)
OF Josue De Paula (TULSA)
OF Zyhir Hope (TULSA)
OF Mike Sirota (TULSA)
DH Jake Gelof (TULSA)
UT Jesus Baez (Springfield)
SP Kade Anderson (Arkansas)
SP Bryce Mayer (Corpus Christi)
SP Ryan Sloan (Arkansas)
SP Mason Molina (Springfield)
RP Nick Robertson (TULSA)
RP Charlie Beilenson (Arkansas)

MANAGER OF THE YEAR - Eric Wedge (TULSA)
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER - Josue De Paula (TULSA)
PITCHER OF THE YEAR - Kade Anderson (Arkansas)
TOP MLB PROSPECT - Leo De Vries (Midland)