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 how the signing of José Sermo by the Cleburne Railroaders turns this team entering the 2023 season as the best offense in the American Association.

Built for Speed, Power, Precision

In Japan, the L0 Series train has been designed to become the fastest and most powerful terrain on the planet. The train reached a maximum speed of 375 mph on the Yamanashi Test Track, an incredibly impressive feat considering that this is a seven-car train. Its power, design, and engineering has turned this into the standard upon which all other trains will now be judged.

The same can be said for another type of railroad, that being the Cleburne Railroaders. The team officially announced on Wednesday the signing of former American Association MVP José Sermo in a move that has turned the lineup into the standard upon which all other American Association teams will be judged.

A Former MVP Now Batting

Sermo has established himself as one of the best American Association players of all time. He first joined the league in 2015 after being released by the Milwaukee Brewers organization and was an instant hit for the Gary SouthShore RailCats, playing two seasons (2015-16) before his contract was purchased by the Boston Red Sox.

Two years later he rejoined the league, starting with the Winnipeg Goldeyes but the situation did not work out for Sermo and he was signed by the Sioux City Explorers. That proved to be one of the biggest moves in club history, as Sermo hit .317 with 22 homers and 81 RBI in 87 games, earning the MVP trophy that year.

He remained in Sioux City in 2019, hitting .260 with 13 homers and 77 RBI, but the club sat out the 2020 season. Sermo played for Milwaukee that year, hitting .197 in 39 games, but helped the team win the American Association title. In 2021, Sermo returned to the Explorers where he hit .298 with 29 homers and 86 RBI in 91 games.

This last season, he played in just 31 games for Long Island (Atlantic League), hitting .252.

In his seven-year career in independent baseball, Sermo has delivered some impressive numbers, hitting .274 with 80 home runs and 330 RBI in 453 games. He can play either corner infield position, as well a second base, and both corner outfield positions. That gives Cleburne Manager Logan Watkins flexibility in where he can play Sermo while also penciling him into the No. 4 spot in the batting order each night.

But It Gets Better…

While that is an impressive signing by Watkins, it is the overall building of this lineup that should make this team a nightmare for opponents. The Cleburne Manager has only 10 position players signed at this point, and will likely add at least two more before the season gets underway. That means this lineup could get better, but it is already looking quite potent.

The infield is going to feature Edwin Arroyo returning at second base. Arroyo began his professional career in the Chicago Dogs organization, where he played for three seasons. In 2021 he joined the Atlantic League, playing for High Point, before returning to the American Association in 2022. Arroyo appeared in 87 games for the Railroaders last season, hitting .316 with 64 runs scored, five homers, and 41 RBI. He posted an impressive .434 on-base percentage, and will slide into the top spot in the batting order.

Joining Arroyo in the infield will be two newcomers – third baseman Brian Klein and shortstop Engelb Vielma. Velma played for the Baltimore Orioles in 2018 and has an impressive minor league resume, hitting .252 in 595 career games, reaching AAA in 2017-2019. The shortstop has spent the last three years playing outside the United States, but returns after hitting .382 in the Venezuelan Winter League this past winter.

Klein was released by the Atlanta Braves organization after playing just two seasons in the minors. He signed with Windy City (Frontier League) at the end of last season where he appeared in 17 games, hitting .324 with six homers and 17 RBI. That just leaves Watkins looking for a first and, with the role he is on, that should not be too hard.

Zach Nehrir and Hill Alexander return to the Cleburne outfield and will be joined by Mark Karaviotis and Alex Jackson.

Nehrir is one of the best players in American Association history, first joining the Wichita Wingnuts in 2018 where he hit .312 in 97 games. In 2019, he signed with Cleburne, hitting .285 in 97 contests with 12 homers, 50 extra-base hits, 71 runs scored, and 60 RBI. With Cleburne sitting out the 2020 season, Nehrir signed with the Milwaukee Milkmen, hitting only .196 in 59 games, but had a spectacular playoff run, earning the postseason MVP award. In 2021, he returned to the Railroaders, hitting .334 in 85 games and had arguably his best season of all last year, hitting .314 with 17 home runs, 35 stolen bases, 72 RBI, and 81 runs scored in 95 games.

Alexander joined the Railroaders last season after being released by the Tampa Bay Rays organization. The outfielder had reached AA-Montgomery where he was hitting .200 in 26 games and hit .266 and 165 career minor league contests. However, when he got to Cleburne Alexander became a pivotal part of the lineup, hitting .311 with 13 home runs and 48 RBI in 63 games. He also stole 13 bases, scored 51 runs, and posted a .394 on-base percentage. Alexander could very well bat behind Arroyo at the top of the order.

Karaviotis had spent four seasons in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, reaching AA-Jackson in 2019. After the minor league season was shut down in 2020, the outfielder signed with the Kane County Cougars, hitting .327 in 59 games. Karaviotis hit nine home runs, scored 34 runs, and drove in 31 while posting an impressive .404 on-base percentage.

The odd man out in this lineup may be Jackson. He played in the Pecos League in 2021, hitting .412 in 41 games, then joined Northern Colorado (Pioneer League) last season, where he hit .278 with 12 homeruns in 87 contests. Jackson can also play short, adding some additional flexibility to this team which should keep the club rested and refreshed.

The catcher will be Yojhan Quevedo, who has spent the last few seasons playing overseas. He hit .317 in the Venezuelan Winter League this past winter. Quevedo did spend the first eight seasons of his professional baseball career playing in the minors, seven of those with the Seattle Mariners. He hit .270 and 376 career games and is a .301 hitter in seven foreign seasons.

We Dare You to Pitch to Us

Over the last two seasons, American Association fans have had a front row seat for some of the best offensive production the league has ever seen. The Kansas City Monarchs have broken the American Association record for home runs in each of the last two seasons, and the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks had the best lineup 1-9 last year. This is a league that has had impressive teams offensively over the last few years, but it may be this season that Cleburne puts together the best of all.

By Robert Pannier