The Smokies spent their 2026 season raising expectations for Knoxville's new baseball era, clinching the city's first playoff berth since the team left in 1999 and setting the tone for what's possible in Year 3.
As the stadium district just east of the Old City grew around Covenant Health Park, so did the on-field product, despite roster changes that sent Chicago Cubs prospects up and down through organization. The Smokies finished the season 73-64, with a 37-31 home record in their second year at the stadium.
"If you take a look back at the whole year, we were a really good baseball team throughout it," Smokies managerLance Rymel told Knox News after the season-ending Southern League Divisional Series loss Sept. 17. "That's big-league stuff."
The season was highlighted by a Southern League North first-half title, the first for the Smokies since 2011. The title was made possible with an 18-8 record in the month of June, as the Smokies clawed back in the standings to overtake the Chattanooga Lookouts and punch their ticket to the postseason three months before the regular season ended.
The roster will change, and the stadium district will be further along by the time baseball returns to downtown Knoxville in 2027. But the culture of a clubhouse driven by playing championship-caliber baseball to earn the next call from the Cubs is expected to endure.
What will the Smokies roster look like in 2027?
The future of the Chicago Cubs runs through Knoxville.
The Smokies balanced player development with wins in 2026, producing one of the Southern League's top teams even as prospects arrived, earned promotions and exited in trades.
Knoxville saw the meteoric rise of catching prospect Owen Ayers, who became a top prospect in the system as the hottest hitter in the minor leagues. He finished the year in Triple-A Iowa and could be an Opening Day option for the Cubs in 2027.
Fifth-ranked prospect Kane Kepley arrived in Knoxville with a gritty style that fit right in, finishing the season with 20 stolen bases in 32 Double-A games. When the High-A season ended, No. 1 Cubs prospect Josiah Hartshorn made his way to Knoxville, reaching a fourth level in his first professional season at age 19.
Both players could be back in a Smokies uniform when the 2027 season begins in April.
"I know for a fact we got a lot of guys in this clubhouse that's going to probably have a good chance of playing in the big leagues in the next couple of years," Rymel said. "Hopefully, they can look back at their time in Knoxville and just think of ... how much better they got here."
Ethan Conrad, the Cubs' first-round pick in 2025, finished his first healthy professional season at High-A South Bend and could make Knoxville his next stop. Cade Townsend and Caden Sorrell, members of the Cubs' 2026 draft class, also could be on track to reach the Smokies in 2027.
As Smokies players continue to develop, so will the city around them
Covenant Health Park continues to be a catalyst for growth in the city.
Its first national broadcast, a One Knox SC match, is scheduled for Sept. 27 on ESPN2. And next month, the stadium will host its first football game when Baylor School, led by Tennessee football commit David Gabriel Georges, faces Knoxville Catholic on Oct. 30.
The stadium district just east of the Old City continues to sprout, with BerrySocial, Iron Forge Brewing Co. and Jackie's Dream opening at the park during the season. Other concepts such as ParTee Golf, an indoor entertainment venue with golf simulators, a full bar and food service, are expected to be ready by Opening Day 2027 as the city and the Smokies work to create their own version of Chicago's Wrigleyville.
"Covenant Health Park is a great place," Rymel said. "Winning, losing − you get to come to a great ballpark with a lot of buzz around it. Good fans, good atmosphere. We love playing at Covenant Health Park. Randy Boyd and his team did an excellent job building this. And I feel like with the new restaurants, it's only going to get better."
Trevor McGee covers the Knoxville Smokies and One Knox SC for Knox News. Email: trevor.mcgee@knoxnews.com; X: @TrevorMcGee12
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Smokies playoff season sets the tone for Year 3 of Knoxville's baseball era
