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 looks at the rosters for the 2023 American Association All-Star game to be played in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, analyzing the selections.

Time for the Other Half

On Monday, the American Association named their selections for the 2023 All-Star game. The East Division team was provided earlier today, and now it is time to look at a very impressive West roster. This is a group that also has at least two representatives from each team, with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks having the most representatives with eight.

With that being said, here is the West Division roster.

(Starters’ names are bolded)

West Division

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks: Evan Alexander, Sam Dexter, B.J. Lopez, Reza Aleaziz, Jake Dykhoff, Tyler Grauer, Kevin McGovern, Correlle Prime

Not only does Fargo-Moorhead have eight players on the club, but Manager Chris Coste will also lead the club. With just one starter from his team, the Skipper selected seven well deserving reserves from the RedHawks.

Evan Alexander is the one starter for the RedHawks, and is proving to be one of the best all-around players in the American Association. Alexander is hitting .335 in the leadoff spot for the RedHawks, stealing 19 bases and scoring 39 runs. He also has 22 extra-base hits, including six home runs.

Sam Dexter has always been one of those unsung players, but this year is putting up some impressive numbers, hitting .278 in 44 games. Dexter is a great leader as well, named as the team’s captain earlier this year, and has delivered several clutch late inning hits for Fargo-Moorhead.

B.J. Lopez will be the backup catcher for the West. He is not having a particularly good offensive season (.204,1 HR, 15 RBI), however, Lopez is viewed as one of the best defensive catchers in the league and pitchers love to throw to him. With five hurlers from the RedHawks on the team, they will love knowing they have their catcher behind the plate.

Five pitchers were selected from Fargo-Moorhead, starting with arguably the greatest pitcher in American Association history, Kevin McGovern. McGovern is 5-3 with a 3.18 ERA in nine starts, striking out 51 in 53.2 innings pitched. He should have been the starting pitcher for the West last season but, with his manager guiding the team this year, expect McGovern to get the nod this season.

Joining McGovern is the other ace of the staff, Tyler Grauer. That the left-hander’s contract has not been transferred to affiliate club has been surprising, but he continues to shine in his second season with Fargo-Moorhead, going 4-1 with a 3.63 ERA in eight starts. He tossed the first complete game shutout in the American Association this season, and will likely be the second pitcher to enter the game.

Jake Dykhoff is 3-3 with a 4.43 ERA in nine starts. With the loss of Davis Feldman, Dykhoff has been invaluable to the staff. He was touched up for five runs in his last start, but this came after the right-hander had allowed one total run in his previous three outings, a span of 19.1 innings.

Correlle Prime has been an All-Star before, but this will be his first time appearing in the midseason classic as a pitcher. After starting the season with a couple of rough outings, Prime has been sensational of late, allowing two or fewer earned runs in six of his last seven starts. The right-hander enters the contest 3-3 with a 4.21 ERA in nine starts.

The last member of the RedHawks to make the All-Star team is right-hander Reza Aleaziz, who has proven to be an invaluable property for Fargo-Moorhead. With the bullpen losing its closer and Alex DuBord battling his way back from arm injuries, Aleaziz has been a stabilizing force for the group, posting a 2.34 ERA in 15 appearances.

Kansas City Monarchs: Chris Herrmann, Justin Wylie, Dylan Rosa, Trey Jeans, Jalen Miller

That Chris Herrmann is still in the American Association is a testament to the lack of intelligence in affiliate ball. The veteran catcher has eight seasons of Major League experience and has been an absolute beast this season, hitting .354, third-best overall. Herrmann is first in RBI (49) and has 12 doubles and 11 homers. The veteran will be the starting catcher for the West.

Also appearing for the West Division is Justin Wylie, who will start at second base. Wylie is hitting .307 with 26 runs scored in 40 games. He has also stolen nine bases.

Dylan Rosa was selected as a starter, but was traded to the Chicago Dogs, making his first appearance for Chicago on Monday. He will clearly not be starting for the West Division, and it was not revealed what his role would be in the All-Star game at the time that this article was written.

It was not surprising to see that Jalen Miller was selected. He leads the American Association in victories (6-2), posting a 3.35 ERA in 10 starts. Miller has allowed just one unearned run in his last two starts, span of 15.2 innings pitched. He had a stretch of three straight starts where he did not allow a run, spanning 17 innings.

Trey Jeans has been one of the most dependable relievers in the league this year. He is a perfect 4-0 with a 3.37 ERA in 15 appearances. He was rocked for five runs in three innings in his last outing, and has yielded nine total runs over his last six appearances, but had a stretch of seven straight appearances where he was not scored upon.

Lincoln Saltdogs: Drew Devine, Nick Anderson

Nick Anderson will be one of the starting outfielders for the West Division, and he is having a spectacular season. The outfielder is hitting .291 with 14 homers and 39 RBI. His home run total is tied for second and Anderson has also scored 39 times and earned 42 bases on balls, giving him an impressive .453 on-base percentage.

Drew Devine took over for Josh Altmann as the everyday shortstop for the Lincoln Saltdogs, and he joins his former teammate on the opposite side as the starting shortstop for the West. Devine is hitting .320 with 32 runs scored in 46 games, but has been on a torrid pace of late, going 16-43 (.372) over his last 10 games, including recording three three-hit games.

Sioux City Explorers: Matt Lloyd, Vince Fernandez, Solomon Bates, Kent Hasler

Matt Lloyd will be the starting third baseman for the West Division. Lloyd has only appeared in 35 games, as he was helping his nation (Canada) in the baseball qualifying, but has become one of the most dominant forces in the American Association. Lloyd is hitting .339 was seven home runs and 29 RBI, plus he has walked 24 times, giving him a .458 on-base percentage.

Vince Fernandez is one of the reserve outfielders and has been a solid power hitter for the Explorers, hitting 10 homers in 47 games. Fernandez has scored 32 runs and driven in 36, posting a .250 batting average. He had a recent six-game hitting streak, but has gone 1-15 since.

If it was not for McGovern being in the West, Solomon Bates would likely be the starter for this contest. The right-hander leads the American Association in strikeouts by a wide margin, recording 75 through his first 63.2 innings pitched. Bates is 5-4 in 10 starts, with a 3.81 ERA.

Kent Hasler is arguably the best set up guy in the league. The right-hander is 3-2 with a 2.29 ERA in 21 appearances. Hasler has dominating stuff, striking out 48 in 31.1 innings.

Sioux Falls Canaries: Mike Hart, Darnell Sweeney, Akeem Bostick

The Sioux Falls Canaries will have two starters in the All-Star game, starting with first baseman Mike Hart. Hart is one of the more interesting stories, as he began his professional career as a catcher-outfielder with the Lincoln Saltdogs and Sioux Falls Canaries, played in both the Atlantic and Frontier League last season, but returned to Sioux Falls this year where he is hitting .301 with 10 home runs and 33 RBI in 37 games.

It doesn’t matter what team Darnell Sweeney place for, you can be sure he will be an All-Star. Sweeney is hitting .317 with 11 homers and 28 RBI in 48 games. He has scored 49 runs, which leads the American Association. This is the fifth year Sweeney has been in the American Association, and he has hit better than .300 in each of the last two years. He will be one of the starting outfielders.

Akeem Bostick has become the anchor in the Sioux Falls starting rotation. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 5.01 ERA in seven starts. He got off to an impressive start, but has allowed 15 total runs over his last 16.0 innings.

Winnipeg Goldeyes: Max Murphy, Dayson Croes, Samuel Adames

Max Murphy was selected by the American Association as the top player last season and got off to a slow start this year. However, he has caught fire of late, clubbing home runs in four straight games (June 25-28) and is tied for second with 14 home runs. Murphy will be one of the starting outfielders.

He will be joined by third baseman Dayson Croes. Croes has the longest hitting streak in the American Association this year, reaching 25 games (May 14-June 13). The infielder is second in the lead with a .355 batting average, and has 30 runs scored and 32 RBI in 44 games. That RBI total is an impressive number for a guy at the top of the batting order.

Samuel Adames has been one of the few bright spots for the Winnipeg pitching staff this season. The closer has five saves and a 2.04 ERA in 20 appearances. Adames gave up a run on Sunday, snapping a string of six straight appearances where he had not given up unearned run.

By Robert Pannier