2022 American Association Season Review: Sioux City Explorers
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, Robert Pannier continues with Day 4 of his look back at the 2022 American Association season, today looking at the Sioux City Explorers, the last of the four teams to not make the playoffs.
The Sioux City Explorers Season in Review
The 2022 American Association season ended tragically for the Sioux City Explorers, who simply needed to win one of the final three games at home against the Lincoln Saltdogs, but were unable to do so, finishing with an identical record to Lincoln, giving the Saltdogs the playoff spot by virtue of their record again Sioux City. That left a bad taste in the mouths of the team and Manager Steve Montgomery in particular.
Tale of the Tape
(League ranking listed in parenthesis.)
Record: 49-51 (T-9)
Home Record: 23-25 (8)
Away Record: 26-26 (7)
Batting:
Average: .266 (7)
Homeruns: 98 (10)
Runs Scored: 496 (11)
On–Base Percentage: .344 (9)
Slugging Percentage: .407 (9)
Stolen Bases: 118 (5)
Pitching:
ERA: 4.87 (6)
Strikeouts: 876 (4)
Saves: 23 (6)
WHIP: 1.44 (3)
Shutouts: 8 (T-1)
CG: 2 (T-4)
Fielding:
Fielding Percentage: .977 (T-7)
Errors: 79 (T-7)
A Recap of the 2022 Sioux City Explorers Season
When one thinks of the Sioux City Explorers, there are three statistics that normally jump out: ERA, batting average, and stolen bases. Montgomery has built his team on outpitching opponents and producing lots of runs by using the speed and ability to get on base of his team. While the stolen bases were solid, fifth overall (118), American Association fans have been used to a top three finish for this team in stolen bases. Plus, they are used to a club that gets on-base with a high on-base percentage and batting average.
That was just not the case this past season. As a result, the club finished 11th in runs scored, practically unheard of in the Montgomery era.
The 2022 Explorers were the most perplexing in the league. Every time it looked like this team was on the cusp of putting together a big run, they would suffer some puzzling losses that would keep them from gaining momentum.
It started right away. Sioux City opened the season in Kansas City, where they took two of three from the defending champions. However, the club returned home and promptly lost two of three to the expansion Lake Country DockHounds before being swept by the Kane County Cougars. They then went to Lincoln where the first two games of the series were postponed because of rain, creating a double-header for Thursday, both losses, then returned home where they were swept by the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, than lost the opening game of their series against Milwaukee.
Sioux City was 3-12 coming out of May, tied for the worst record in the American Association. However, no one was pushing the panic button. Sioux City had gotten off to a tough start in two of the previous three seasons, yet found a way to make the playoffs. This was the expectation for the 2022 club as well, and a 14-12 June seemed to give credence to the idea that the team was going to turn things around.

After posting a 6.37 ERA in May, the club cut that by more than two full runs in June. A struggling offense in May was boosted by several key moves by Montgomery, including adding Danry Vasquez, Danny Amaral, and Ademar Rifaela. Patrick Ledet had a spectacular month, posting a 1.97 ERA in five starts, and Brandon Brosher was brilliant out of the bullpen, posting a 1.98 ERA and a 2-2 record in nine appearances. Thomas McIlraith saved eight games in June and the starting staff was coming into their own.
In July, Sioux City went 13-13, enough to keep them in the playoff hunt. Tyler Rando had a spectacular month, hitting .410 in 13 games, but that kind of success got noticed, and his contract was picked up by the Miami Marlins late in the July. The offense produced 139 runs in 26 games, but the pitching staff took a giant step backwards, posting a 5.88 ERA. Max Kuhns (2.35) and Mitchell Verburg (2.53) were both spectacular, but Ledet, Tyler Beardsley, and Zach Hedges had disappointing months in the starting rotation and Brosher struggled mightily, posting an 11.85 ERA in 10 appearances.
Once again, the panic button was not being pushed, and the club rebounded in August. To close out July, the Explorers swept the Chicago Dogs, then traveled to Fargo where they were swept by the RedHawks. That became the turning point for the club, as they earned victories in seven of their next nine games and had a stretch late in August heading into September when they went 12-3.
Dylan Kelly rejoined the club and was spectacular, hitting .311 in August, and newly acquired Miguel Sierra hit .400 in his first eight games. The team hit .276 overall, hitting 36 homers in 28 games and got outstanding performances from the pitching staff, especially from Kuhns (0.53) and Verburg (0.82) out of the bullpen and Nivaldo Rodriguez (1.57) and Matt Pobereyko (1.71) in the starting rotation.
All looked like it was right in Sioux City, as Lincoln came to town for a four-game series. The Explorers won the first game of the series, giving them a three-game edge over the Saltdogs, but lost two close affairs on Saturday and Sunday before being routed on Monday, 10-1. It left the team tied with Lincoln at 49-51, but losing out by virtue of the head-to-head record.
What Went Right
While there are going to be those who will be critical of Montgomery for not making the playoffs, this truly may have been his best managing season ever. There is no doubt he will take the blame for the team not making the playoffs, but he continually adjusted and made moves to improve the club that had them in the playoff hunt until the last game of the season. This was a club that easily could have given up on themselves coming out of May, but he found enough talent to keep this club competitive.
The additions made by Montgomery were huge. Pobereyko returned to go 2-1 with a 1.73 ERA in five starts and Rodriguez went 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA. Verburg was spectacular out of the bullpen (1.47), and the bullpen was strong overall. Six of the players he acquired after the season began hit better than .295.
What Went Wrong
Inconsistency is what killed this club, especially in the pitching staff. The Explorers were under .500 since the fifth game of the season all the way up until they took three of four from the RedHawks to begin September. It was an incredible battle to get to that point, but then the team lost the final three games. It simply did not make sense.
The big tickets also failed to deliver as the team had hoped. Nate Samson performed admirably, battling through foot injuries all season long, but was eventually released just before the Lincoln series (ironically, he joined the Saltdogs to help defeat his former team). Gabe Snyder had 18 homers, but drove in just 54 runs, and Sebastian Zawada hit only nine homers. Nick Franklin fell out of favor and was eventually traded, and Blake Tiberi hit .254 after hitting .272 the previous year.
Team MVP: Danny Amaral
This is a tough call, because several of the key additions proved to be vital for this club. However, the team performed much better after Amaral joined the club (May 27), going 46-43 after he was signed.
Amaral finished with a .295 batting average, scoring 67 runs and driving in 26 more in 85 games. He led the American Association in stolen bases with 48 and finished with an impressive 88.9% stolen base success rate. Amaral played all three outfield positions, second base, and at short, and had eight three-hit games during the season, including a four-hit performance (August 2).

Top Pitcher: Max Kuhns
Here is the reality. Sioux City would have been done early in the year had it not been for Kuhns. The right-hander appeared in 40 games, going 4-6 with four saves and a 3.20 ERA.
In May, Kuhns struggled, posting a 6.35 ERA in seven appearances. The team struggled with him. He started to turn things around in the early part of June, but then went through a rough patch of six games where he allowed 10 earned runs in 7.1 innings pitched (June 10-21).
That was the turning point of the season for the right-hander. His ERA was 8.15 at that point, but then he gave up just five earned runs over his final 25 appearances. That was a span of 41.1 innings, giving him a 1.09 ERA from June 23 on.
What to Expect in 2023
Maybe no team has been hurt more by the change in the landscape of Major League Baseball over the past three seasons than the Explorers. Sioux City is not the New York of the Midwest and isn’t a hot draw for many players. Montgomery has made it such by helping to return a significant number of players to affiliate ball, but it is a challenge to build a competitive club in the Northwest Iowa city. He has figured out a way to do so.
However, the American Association landscape is changed. By putting Sioux City in the same division with clubs like Lincoln, Fargo-Moorhead, Winnipeg, Kansas City, and Sioux Falls, one has to be on their A-game every single day, not only on the diamond but on the phone and in negotiations. Expect Montgomery to step up his game as well, because the only way this team makes the playoffs this year and has a legitimate shot at a championship is if he out GMs every other manager in the league.
American Association Transactions
January 26, 2023
Chicago: Released INF Connor Kopach
Lincoln: Signed RHP Ben Terwilliger
Milwaukee: Released C Christ Conley
Winnipeg: Traded OF Reggie Pruitt Jr. to Milwaukee to complete a previous transaction
Winnipeg: Signed C Hidekel Gonzalez and C Jackson Smith
By Robert Pannier