American Association Daily provides insights, features, and recaps of the action from around the American Association of Professional Baseball League, as well as player and coaching profiles and transactions. In today’s edition of American Association Daily, Robert Pannier previews the 2020 American Association Championship series, featuring the Sioux Falls Canaries and the Milwaukee Milkmen.

And Then There Were Two

It has been 10 weeks since the American Association boldly moved forward with their plan to play a 60-game season with six of their teams. At the time, they were the only professional baseball league outside of Texas willing to take to the diamond and the move led many top players to come and play baseball in Sioux Falls, St. Paul, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Fargo. It made for some very exciting action.

Now that 60-game season is finished. With 177 games completed, there are now only two teams left – the Sioux Falls Canaries and the Milwaukee Milkmen. The road to the championship series is a unique one for the team finalists and today we take a look at the championship series, giving you analysis on which team will likely walkaway with the league title.

The Matchup

This is a true contest of opposites, at least it looks like that on paper. The Sioux Falls Canaries were in the top two of almost every major offensive category, while the Milkmen were at the bottom of most categories. The opposite is true of the pitching staffs, where the Milkmen boast the top pitching staff in the league, while the Canaries are near the bottom.

However, the contrasts go much further than that. Milwaukee is the newest team to a major independent baseball league, while Sioux Falls was one of the very first franchises, starting back in 1993 when independent baseball was founded. It is pretty remarkable that the Milkmen have already reached the playoffs in just their second season.

Playoff History

Sioux Falls Canaries:
Playoff Appearances: 3
Championships: 1, 2008
Last Appearance: 2010
Team Founded: 1993

Milwaukee Milkmen:
Playoff Appearances: 0
Championships: 0
Last Appearance: N/A
Team Founded: 2019

Head-to-Head in 2020

July 28 – Milwaukee 4, Sioux Falls 7
July 29 – Milwaukee 8, Sioux Falls 6
July 30 – Milwaukee 4, Sioux Falls 5
August 4 – Sioux Falls 3, Milwaukee 1
August 5 – Sioux Falls 2, Milwaukee 5
August 6 – Sioux Falls 1, Milwaukee 3

Tale of the Tape: (league ranking in parenthesis)

Position Break Down:

(Milwaukee Milkmen player listed first in each evaluation.)

Catcher: Christian Correa vs. Roy Morales

This is the Kansas City connection matchup as both catchers were set to be playing for the T-Bones this season, but now find themselves in opposing dugouts in the championship series. Correa has not done much offensively, hitting .211 in 48 games with four homers and 20 RBI. He did play well against Sioux Falls this season, hitting .333 in three games with two runs driven in. Regardless of the lack of hitting, Correa is behind the plate because he is one of the best in the business. He calls a great game and his cat-like reflexes make him a favorite for pitchers.

Morales took three shots to the face a week before the season ended and may not be ready for Games 1 and 2. This position would have been an advantage for the Canaries, but Morales out puts them a step behind Milwaukee defensively. This is a huge loss as Morales is arguably the best catcher in the league. He hit .330 in 26 games after being acquired by the Canaries with two homers and 12 RBI. Morales had two hits in nine at-bats against the Milkmen this season.

Advantage: Milwaukee Milkmen

First Base: David Washington vs. Jabari Henry

Before Covid-19, Washington was the big acquisition for the Milkmen. He came with much fanfare and was seen as the perfect guy to protect Adam Walker II in the lineup. It took a while for Washington to get going, but he put together a solid season, hitting .245 with eight homers and 34 RBI. Washington must produce in this series as Walker will not likely see many good pitches to hit. The first baseman hit .217 against Sioux Falls.

The Canaries will likely use three or four players at first during this series, which may include Morales and Clint Coulter. Henry is better offensively than Washington, but he is a fish out of water otherwise. He hit .260 in 45 games with nine homers and 31 runs driven in. Injuries have him slightly hobbled and he may be forced to remain at first where he looks uncomfortable to say the least. However, he must be in the lineup as he soured Milkmen pitching, hitting .455 in three games with three of his five hits going for doubles.

Advantage: Milwaukee Milkmen

Second Base: Dylan Tice vs. Alay Lago

Tice was one of the big three selected by Milwaukee in the dispersal draft and he was another Milwaukee player who took some time to get going. Tice hovered around .200 for the first few weeks, but hit .248 overall with four homers, 29 runs scored, and 24 runs drive in. He played very well against Sioux Falls this season, hitting .304 with two runs scored. Tice is great with the bat and a defensive whiz.

Lago was challenging for the batting crown for much of the season, but a change in his swing sent his batting average spiraling downward. However, he did manage to rebound at the end of the season, finishing with a .321 average a year after earning the American Association batting title. Lago hit four homers, scored 41 runs, and drove in 35. In six games, Lago hit .318 against Milwaukee. He is not as good defensively as Tice, but who is?

Advantage: Sioux Falls Canaries

Shortstop: Mason Davis vs. Andrew Ely

Davis battled to get his average firmly above .200 for about six weeks, and only hit .224 with five homers and 29 RBI. However, he is a game-changer as the 2018 Sioux City Explorers can attest to. Davis led the team in stolen bases with 15, and had an outstanding season against the Canaries, hitting .348 with four runs scored and three RBI in six games. He is solid defensively.

Ely is the best shortstop in the American Association and is a key to the overall success of the team. He hit .295 this season with nine homer, 55 runs scored, and 30 RBI. He is also a difference maker in the field. Ely struggled against the Milkmen this season, hitting .208.

Advantage: Sioux Falls Canaries

Third Base: Logan Trowbridge vs. Damek Tomscha

Trowbridge is the guy who can do it all, but he has had to settle into the third base spot after the first pick in the dispersal draft, Chase Simpson, played in five games and then never returned. Trowbridge finished with a .231 batting average, scoring 20 runs, and driving in 21. He does not get a lot of attention defensively because of his utility skills, but he is a solid third baseman. Trowbridge led the Milkmen this season, hitting .450 against Sioux Falls with four runs scored and two RBI.

Tomscha was a league MVP candidate until Walker won Player of the Week honors in back-to-back weeks. He had a monster season, hitting .320 with 10 homers and 49 runs driven in, third most in the league. Tomscha struggled against the Milkmen this season, hitting .200. He must step up his game and be a dominating force, especially early on in the series.

Advantage: Sioux Falls Canaries

Outfield: Adam Walker II, Brett Vertigan, Zach Nehrir vs. Logan Landon, Mike Hart, Grant Kay, Clint Coulter

This is where the Milkmen seem to have a clear advantage, especially with the number of injuries the Canaries have. Walker was named by the American Association as the MVP after hitting .22 homers, tops in the league, driving in 50, and scoring 42 runs. Vertigan was an on-base machine, hitting .293 with 33 walks, 31 runs scored, and 11 doubles. Nehrir had a disappointing season, hitting .196, but he is one of the best defensive outfielders in the league.

Walker hit only .208 and Nehrir hit .158 against the Canaries. Vertigan put up huge numbers against his former team, hitting .318 with six walks. This is a solid defensive group and they can help their team win games in a variety of ways.

It is hard to rival the group with the MVP of the league, but Sioux Falls can do so. That is thanks to the play of Logan Landon over the last month of the season. Landon had hits in 26 straight games to close out the season, finishing with a .333 average, 10 homers, 37 runs, and 43 RBI. Hart rebounded after spending less time catching, hitting .243 with seven homers and 40 RBI, and Kay hit .262 with 18 runs and 20 RBI in 39 games. Coulter hit .264 with 11 homers and 41 RBI. Kay is banged up to start the series and may not be available for Games 1 or 2.

Kay put up big numbers against Milwaukee, hitting .421 with four runs, two triples, and three RBI. Coulter hit only .190 and Landon struggled mightily, hitting .105.

Advantage: This would have been even, but injuries give the Milkmen the edge.

Designated Hitter: Jose Sermo vs. Whoever Is Somewhat Healthy

Sermo hit only .197 with five homers and 13 RBI after joining the Milkmen, but he has proven to be one of the best players in the league over the last three seasons. Sermo did hit well against Sioux Falls this season, hitting .261 with a homer and two RBI.

Whoever is at the DH position for Sioux Falls will likely be the guy who is well enough to play, but cannot get on the field to play a position. That could be Henry, Kay, or Morales.

Advantage: Even

Bench: Aaron Hill, Christ Conley vs. Ryan Brett

Conley gives the Milkmen the ability to give Correa the day off and may even DH for a few games in this series. He hit .333 in 15 games and is a solid backup at catcher. Hill hit .198 in 36 games. What gives Milwaukee an edge is that they may actually have a bench available.

Brett will be on the field for Games 1 and 2 but will transition to the bench as the Canaries get healthier, if they get healthier. He hit .243 in 40 games, with 24 runs scored and 14 RBI.

Advantage: Milwaukee Milkmen

Starting Rotation: Tim Dillard, David Holmberg, Drew Hutchison, Henderson Alvarez vs. Tyler Herron, Tyler Danish, Jake Zokan, Ty Culbreth

The Milkmen will start three guys who were recently on Major League rosters and the fourth starter was with a Major League organization within the last month. Holmberg won six games and finished with the best ERA in the American Association at 2.34. The lefty struck out 76 in 73.0 innings. Dillard joined the rotation late in the season and went 2-1 in five starts with a 3.12 ERA. Hutchison was 2-2 with a 4.09 ERA after joining the Milkmen and Alvarez was 2-1 with a 2.90 after he returned from the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Those kinds of numbers make this appear to be a major mismatch, but that is not the case. It is true that the Canaries starters do not have those kinds of numbers, but they do pitch in the Bird Cage. Despite this, they boast some impressive numbers of their own.

Danish was dominating down the stretch, going 4-0 with a 2.13 after signing with Sioux Falls. Herron finished with a 4.60 ERA, but was tied for the league lead in wins with seven and went at least seven innings in five of his last six starts. Zokan is battling a little tenderness in his elbow, but was 4-2 with a 3.00 ERA in nine starts. Culbreth finally is healthy and looked dominant in his last start.

Advantage: Slight Edge Milwaukee Milkmen

Bullpen: Peyton Gray, A.J. Schugel, Myles Smith, Angel Ventura, Jake Matthys, Zach Hartman, Ryan Kussmaul, Karch Kowalczyk, Dylan Baker, Taylor Ahearn, Anthony Bender vs. Nicco Blank, Ryan Fritze, D.J. Sharabi, Keaton Steele, Alex Boshers, Tanner Anderson, Kevin Folman, Grady Wood, Eddie Medina

If these games are decided by the bullpen, we are going to have a lot of extra inning contests. These are two of the best bullpens in the American Association with the Milkmen’s group being absolutely ridiculous. It starts with closer Peyton Gray, who has yet to give up a run this season in 32 innings. He has 14 saves and has allowed just 10 hits and 14 walks, a 0.75 WHIP. Gray has 56 strikeouts.

Schugel (1.03) and Smith (1.88) both have ERAs under two and they combine with Kowalczyk to make it a five inning game. Ahearn and Kussmaul can both provide four or five innings if needed and Kussmaul is a former closer, so he knows how to handle the pressure of these kinds of games.

Steele finished tied for the league lead in saves with 16. He struggled for about two weeks when he was overworked, but is back in form and dominating games. Blank and Fritze are excellent as setup guys. Wood returns to the team after missing last season with a shoulder injury and has looked very good.

Boshers and Medina could have a very big impact on this series. Both are seasoned veterans who could give four or five innings out of the bullpen if needed and ensure that the relief corps is not taxed if there is an early blowout. Plus, both can take the place of Zokan if needed.

Advantage: Milwaukee Milkmen

Manager: Anthony Barone vs. Mike Meyer

There cannot be enough said about the job these two men have done, especially considering that neither team performed as expected. Milwaukee was supposed to be able to slug the ball and hit almost at will, but they were an anemic offense. No problem though. Barone figured out how to scratch out enough runs to earn victories and he convinced some major talent to come and play for him.

Meyer has done a great job as manager, but he will best be known this season for the moves he made to improve the club. Danish, Boshers, Medina, Morales, Zokan, Culbreth, Anderson, and Kay all came during the season and helped to turn a good team into a playoff club. He developed a philosophy to win in the toughest ballpark in the league, and it paid off.

Advantage: Even

Keys for Each Team

Sioux Falls Canaries:

1. Survive Games 1 and 2. They will likely be without three of their key players for the first two games in Milwaukee and must return home healthy, at least healthier. Psychologically, if they can stay close in the two games and get healthy, it will be a big psychological boost, even if they go home down 2-0.
2. Tomscha and Coulter must hit. Ely and Landon continuously get on at the top of the order. Despite Landon struggling against the Milkmen, he still managed to get hits against them. They need Tomscha and Coulter to drive the two home at least 50 percent of the time they get on base.
3. Play for the long series. The longer this series goes, the better it is for Sioux Falls.

Milwaukee Milkmen:

1. Score early. The Milkmen have the best pitching staff in the league – the best starters and the best bullpen. They can shut down even the most potent of offenses, so score first and then leave the Canaries tense trying to get back in games.
2. Get Washington going. He simply has to be the best player on the field in this series. No player on the Milkmen, outside of Walker, is a game-changer like Washington.
3. Ride the veterans. There is no dearth of experience in this locker room. Barone and his staff need to lean on these guys during this time. Be brave enough to follow your gut, but be humble enough to acknowledge when someone may know better.

Championship Series Notes

This will be the first appearance in the championship series for Ryan Kussmaul and Alex Boshers since the infamous “balk” call in Game 4 of the 2017 American Association Championship series.

Order of Games:

Game 1 – Saturday, September 12, Franklin Field, Milwaukee
Game 2 – Sunday, September 13, Franklin Field, Milwaukee
Game 3 – Tuesday, September 15, Sioux Falls Stadium, Sioux Falls
Game 4 – Wednesday, September 16, Sioux Falls Stadium, Sioux Falls
Game 5 – Thursday, September 17, Sioux Falls Stadium, Sioux Falls – x
Game 6 – Friday, September 18, Franklin Field, Milwaukee -x
Game 7 – Saturday, September 19, Franklin Field, Milwaukee -x

(x- denotes if game is needed)

By Robert Pannier