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, the Minor League Sports Report and This Week in the Association name Sioux Falls Canaries outfielder as Player of the Week and St. Paul Saints right-hander as Pitcher of the Week for Week 9.

Player of the Week: Logan Landon, Sioux Falls Canaries

The Minor League Sports Report and This Week in the Association named Sioux Falls Canaries outfielder Logan Landon the Player of the Week in the American Association for Week 9. Landon had hits in all six games, extending his hitting streak to 24 games. He hit .357 overall, with three homers, six runs scored, and 11 RBI. Most importantly, Landon helped the Canaries go 4-2 as they clinched their first playoff berth in a decade.

The Canaries outfielder began the week with three games against the red-hot Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, where he was 3-13 with a run scored, a homer, and two RBI. Landon helped the Canaries end the RedHawks winning streak at eight in the second game of their series, going 1-5.

The team then returned home to take on the Chicago Dogs, and Landon was nothing short of spectacular. In the three-game series, the centerfielder went 7-15 with two doubles and two homers. He scored five runs and drove in nine others. He began the series going 2-5 with two homers and five RBI in a 10-5 victory. The next night Landon went 4-6 with two runs scored, two doubles, and four RBI. He finished off the week going 1-4 in the playoff clinching victory over the Dogs.

For the week, Landon was 10-28 with six extra base hits. That gave him a slugging percentage of .786 and an OPS of 1.186. His 24-game hitting streak is the longest in the American Association this season.

Landon becomes the second Sioux Falls player to earn Player of the Week honors. Damek Tomscha earned the honors after the first week of the season.

Pitcher of the Week: Mike Devine, St. Paul Saints

For the third time this season, the Minor League Sports Report and This Week in the Association selected St. Paul Saints starter Mike Devine as Pitcher of the Week. The right-hander was 1-1 with a 1.15 ERA in two starts, striking out 26 batters in 15.2 innings pitched.

Devine was divine in both his starts. On September 1, an error allowed the only run to score against the right-hander as he went 8.1 innings, allowing four hits and walking one. He struck out 13 in that game, throwing 138 pitches, 97 for strikes.

Devine struck out the side in the first. In the second, a made to order double-play ball was dropped for an error, as both runners were safe. A single by Christian Correa brought home the only run of the game. Devine gave up a two-out double in the third, then retired 20 in a row before departing.

On Sunday, he delivered again, allowing two runs in 7.1 innings in a 7-3 victory over the Winnipeg Goldeyes. Devine allowed five hits and a walk, striking out 13 for the second straight game. The right-hander retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced, striking out the side in the second and third innings. He had a shutout into the seventh before Winnipeg finally scored.

For the week, Devine went 15.2 innings, allowing nine hits and two walks. His 26 strikeouts give him a combined total of 40 in his last four starts and he has walked just four batters in his last seven starts combined, a span of 51.2 innings.

Devine was named Pitcher of the Week in Weeks 2 and 7.

2020 Players of the Week

Week 1 – Damek Tomscha, Sioux Falls Canaries
Week 2 – Chesny Young, St. Paul Saints
Week 3 – Victor Roache, Chicago Dogs
Week 4 – Michael Crouse, Chicago Dogs
Week 5 – Logan Trowbridge, Milwaukee Milkmen
Week 6 – Wes Darvill, Winnipeg Goldeyes
Week 7 – Adam Walker II, Milwaukee Milkmen
Week 8 – Adam Walker II, Milwaukee Milkmen

2020 Pitchers of the Week

Week 1 – Mitch Lambson, Winnipeg Goldeyes
Week 2 – Mike Devine, St. Paul Saints
Week 3 – Frank Duncan, Winnipeg Goldeyes
Week 4 – Matt Tomshaw, Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
Week 5 – Ryan Kussmaul, Milwaukee Milkmen
Week 6 – Tyler Herron, Sioux Falls Canaries
Week 7 – Mike Devine, St. Paul Saints
Week 8 – Matt Tomshaw, Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks

The Pitcher and Player of the Week are chosen by the staff of the Minor League Sports Report and This Week in the Association. The winners will be named each Monday during the 2020 American Association season.

By Robert Pannier