> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://news.probaseballcircuit.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Road to the Pro Circuit Cup - URL: https://news.probaseballcircuit.com/road-to-the-pro-circuit-cup/ - Published: 2026-08-03T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-09T01:40:52.000Z - Description: Eight teams. Every series best of seven. Cincinnati brings the season's best all-around profile; El Paso brings an October standard no one else can match. - Author: Kevin - Boston - Tags: News, SimDate:2028-10-06 **Professional Baseball Circuit · 2028 Postseason** Eight teams. Every series best of seven. Cincinnati brings the season's best all-around profile; El Paso brings an October standard no one else can match. ## Balance meets October history The Regents led the PBC in both offense and run prevention. The Diablos arrive with 11 championships. Between them sits a field full of leverage: Chicago's lineup, St. Louis' recent rivalry edge, Los Angeles' ace, Las Vegas' injury, and two fourth seeds with nothing to lose. *PBC Baseball Operations · Final regular-season snapshot: 2028-09-26* > **The question of October** > > Can Cincinnati withstand John Weber's absence and turn the PBC's best record into a second championship — or will El Paso own another October? --- # Part I — The playoff field *What each qualifier is, what it fears, and why it still has a path.* ### Favorite — Cincinnati Regents ![Cincinnati Regents logo](https://news.probaseballcircuit.com/content/images/pbc_logos/cincinnati_regents_110.png) **61–27 · Eastern No. 1** The PBC's most complete club: first in OPS (.821) and ERA (3.39). Orion Baker gives Cincinnati the October ace every favorite wants. **The pressure point:** The cost of being the favorite is immediate: 3B John Weber (.890 OPS) is out four weeks. ### Challenger — Chicago Union ![Chicago Union logo](https://news.probaseballcircuit.com/content/images/pbc_logos/chicago_union_110.png) **53–35 · Eastern No. 2** Chicago's route is loud offense. Jordan Blackwell, Pat Houle and John McKinney form a lineup capable of flipping any series. **The pressure point:** A 4.13 ERA ranked 10th; the Union must survive the games Jason Zierer does not start. ### Matchup problem — St. Louis Lions ![St. Louis Lions logo](https://news.probaseballcircuit.com/content/images/pbc_logos/st_louis_lions_110.png) **52–36 · Eastern No. 3** The Lions arrive with a fifth-ranked 3.71 ERA and recent muscle: they eliminated Chicago in each of the last two postseasons. **The pressure point:** The lineup ranked eighth in OPS. Juan Tercero has to make the pitching edge matter. ### Underdog — New York City Gothams ![New York City Gothams logo](images/new-york-city-gothams-logo.png) **49–39 · Eastern No. 4** Conor Kirk's 1.178 OPS gives the Gothams an unmistakable star for their first-round swing at the favorite. **The pressure point:** New York City is 0–4 in verified postseason series. The breakthrough has to begin in Cincinnati. ### Dynasty — El Paso Diablos ![El Paso Diablos logo](images/el-paso-diablos-logo.png) **59–29 · Western No. 1** Eleven championships, a 3.55 ERA, and a rotation built for short series make El Paso October's standard bearer. **The pressure point:** The offense ranked sixth in OPS. Houston's rotation can make every run feel expensive. ### Ceiling — Los Angeles Knights ![Los Angeles Knights logo](images/los-angeles-knights-logo.png) **56–32 · Western No. 2** Corey Martin (18–3, 2.81 ERA) and Braden Deming (1.076 OPS) give Los Angeles the field's most explosive one-two punch. **The pressure point:** The Knights' 4.10 ERA leaves a question behind Martin. ### Resilience — Las Vegas Aces ![Las Vegas Aces logo](images/las-vegas-aces-logo.png) **55–33 · Western No. 3** Third in both OPS and ERA, Las Vegas still has enough balance to threaten anyone. **The pressure point:** C Ruben Hernandez (4.5 WAR, .953 OPS) is out 5–6 weeks, reshaping the entire series. ### Spoiler — Houston Mavericks ![Houston Mavericks logo](images/houston-mavericks-logo.png) **50–38 · Western No. 4** Alfonso Soler, Randy Lusk and Leo Canales give Houston a more dangerous lower-seed profile than its record implies. **The pressure point:** El Paso has eliminated the Mavericks in both prior October meetings. --- # Part II — Four series, four pressure points *The positional, rotation, bullpen, and availability details that matter — without mistaking projections for official roster announcements.* ## Cincinnati Regents vs. New York City Gothams **Eastern Opening Round · Best of Seven** *The PBC's best complete team meets the field's most desperate breakthrough candidate.* **How they win** - **Cincinnati Regents:** Baker and Kinney establish control early, while Cincinnati's balance absorbs the loss of Weber. - **New York City Gothams:** Kirk and the Gotham lineup force offense, denying Cincinnati the low-scoring script it prefers. **The position edge** The middle of the diamond favors Cincinnati; Kirk's right-field production is New York City's loudest edge. **Projected October arms** CIN: Baker (2.51), Kinney (3.44), Black (4.64) · NYC: Smith (3.91), Van Deventer (3.66), Dugger (4.92) **Bullpen hinge** Late innings: Cincinnati — Clanton (2.24), Baek (2.77) · New York City — Öunap (2.43), Brooks (3.00) > **Availability:** John Weber is out four weeks; Christiaan Linders is the likely third-base adjustment. **The pick: Cincinnati in six** ## Chicago Union vs. St. Louis Lions **Eastern Opening Round · Best of Seven** *Chicago's bats collide with St. Louis' run prevention in the third consecutive October meeting.* **How they win** - **Chicago Union:** Blackwell, Houle and McKinney create enough separation for McNeal to close games. - **St. Louis Lions:** Cream, Reynoso and Williams keep the scores narrow, preserving the Lions' recent edge in this rivalry. **The position edge** Chicago owns the outfield thunder; St. Louis counters with Tercero and a deeper infield profile. **Projected October arms** CHI: Zierer (3.30), Naugle (4.29), Kuehnemund (4.90) · STL: Cream (3.35), Reynoso (4.52), Williams (3.06) **Bullpen hinge** Late innings: Chicago — McNeal (2.41) · St. Louis — Reynolds (3.07) > **Availability:** No playoff-impact absence changes the central matchup. **The pick: St. Louis in seven** ## El Paso Diablos vs. Houston Mavericks **Western Opening Round · Best of Seven** *Houston brings a real rotation; El Paso brings the game's deepest October institutional memory.* **How they win** - **El Paso Diablos:** Ortiz, Bender and Hernandez give Felipe Gutierrez and the Diablos enough runway to dictate close games. - **Houston Mavericks:** Canales, Corsino and Kunishige turn this into a starter's series and let Soler deliver the swing moment. **The position edge** Houston's infield is formidable, but El Paso has the stronger defensive spine and the series' defining bat in Gutierrez. **Projected October arms** ELP: Ortiz (3.24), Bender (3.52), Hernandez (3.38) · HOU: Canales (2.89), Corsino (3.37), Kunishige (3.32) **Bullpen hinge** Late innings: El Paso — Trombley (2.09) · Houston needs length from its starters. > **Availability:** No playoff-impact absence changes the central matchup. **The pick: El Paso in six** ## Los Angeles Knights vs. Las Vegas Aces **Western Opening Round · Best of Seven** *The tightest series in the field: Los Angeles owns the best Game 1 pitcher, Las Vegas the steadier healthy staff.* **How they win** - **Los Angeles Knights:** Martin creates an early advantage and Deming gives the Knights enough offense to exploit a depleted Aces lineup. - **Las Vegas Aces:** Dixon, Eisenberg and Degenstein extend the series until Las Vegas' staff can take over the margins. **The position edge** Las Vegas has more healthy positional edges, but Deming is the series' biggest available bat. **Projected October arms** LA: Martin (2.81), Warner (6.35), Keeth (3.91) · LV: Dixon (3.90), Eisenberg (3.35), Degenstein (3.54) **Bullpen hinge** Late innings: Los Angeles — Mathias (2.39), Lock (2.35) · Las Vegas — Alvarez (1.62), Ayala (2.96) > **Availability:** Ruben Hernandez is out 5–6 weeks; Morgan Rhodes projects to inherit the catcher workload. **The pick: Los Angeles in seven** --- # Part III — The stars, and the absences, of October | Club | Player | Line | Why it matters | | ------------ | -------------------- | ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Cincinnati | **Orion Baker** | 15–4 · 2.51 ERA · 5.4 WAR | The field's clearest Game 1 advantage. | | El Paso | **Felipe Gutierrez** | 1.041 OPS · 3.9 WAR | The defining bat of a franchise that knows October. | | Los Angeles | **Corey Martin** | 18–3 · 2.81 ERA · 176 K | No starter enters the field with a stronger regular-season case. | | St. Louis | **Juan Tercero** | 4.7 WAR · .964 OPS | The Lions need their best player to make their pitching count. | | Availability | **John Weber** | OUT · 4 weeks | Cincinnati loses a .890-OPS third baseman for the opening round and potentially longer. | | Availability | **Ruben Hernandez** | OUT · 5–6 weeks | Las Vegas must replace a 4.5-WAR, .953-OPS catcher at the worst possible time. | --- # Part IV — By the numbers | | | | --------- | -------------------------- | | **61–27** | Cincinnati record | | **.821** | Cincinnati OPS · PBC No. 1 | | **11** | El Paso championships | | **18** | Corey Martin wins | --- # Part V — October has a memory **A new Cincinnati chapter** This is the first postseason under the Regents identity. The franchise enters with Toronto's 2023 PBC Cup in its lineage, won over El Paso in six games. **The El Paso standard** The Diablos own 11 titles: 2013–17, 2020–21, and 2024–27\. Their postseason record is 37–5 in series and 132–66 in games. **A rivalry with proof** Chicago and St. Louis meet for the third consecutive postseason. The Lions won the first two meetings, including a 4–1 result in 2027. --- # Part VI — The complete bracket *Every round is best of seven. Picks are editorial forecasts, not league projections.* **Opening Round** | Series | Pick | | ------------------------------------ | -------------------- | | (1) Cincinnati vs. (4) New York City | Cincinnati in six | | (2) Chicago vs. (3) St. Louis | St. Louis in seven | | (1) El Paso vs. (4) Houston | El Paso in six | | (2) Los Angeles vs. (3) Las Vegas | Los Angeles in seven | **Cup Qualifiers** | Series | Projected | | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------- | | Eastern: Cincinnati/New York City winner vs. Chicago/St. Louis winner | Cincinnati over St. Louis in six | | Western: El Paso/Houston winner vs. Los Angeles/Las Vegas winner | El Paso over Los Angeles in seven | **Pro Circuit Cup** | Series | Projected | | ----------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | | Eastern qualifier winner vs. Western qualifier winner | Cincinnati over El Paso in seven | --- # Part VII — Awards watch **East pitcher** Orion Baker and his 15–4, 2.51 ERA season leads the East case, with Chicago's Jason Zierer the most credible challenger. **West pitcher** Corey Martin's 18 wins, 2.81 ERA, and 176 strikeouts give him the strongest case in the field. **Hitter screen** Felipe Rodriguez (5.7 WAR, 1.029 OPS) leads the East conversation; Houston's Alfonso Soler (4.5 WAR, .937 OPS) heads the West screen. --- *Statistics reflect the September 26, 2028 final regular-season StatsPlus snapshot. Injury notes are limited to source-tagged availability reports. Projected rotations and usage are editorial assessments, not official postseason roster or Game 1 announcements. Full evidence, player packets, and research detail remain in the separate PBC Playoff Preview Research Book.*