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, This Week in the Association and the Minor League Sports Report name Sioux Falls Canaries first baseman Mike Hart as the American Association Player of the Month for the month of August.

Canaries 1B Mike Hart Named August Player of the Month

On Friday, This Week in the Association and the Minor League Sports Report named Gary Sioux Falls Canaries first baseman Mike Hart as the American Association Player of the Month for the month of August. Hart had an impressive month, hitting .319 with 11 homers and 24 RBI.

August did not get off to a great start for the Sioux Falls Canaries infielder, as he went 0-8 and a three-game series against the Gary SouthShore RailCats. Hart did walk once in the series and was hit by a pitch twice.

Things turned quickly when the team traveled to the Fargo-Moorhead to take on the RedHawks. Hart went 7-11 in the series, scoring three runs and recording three doubles, two home runs, and four RBI. The infielder began the series with a 3-4 performance, delivering a double, then went 2-3, with two runs scored, a double and homer, and three RBI. He closed the series going 2-4, hitting his second home run of the month.

The Canaries returned home for a three-game set against the Kane County Cougars, and Hart opened the series by homering in his third straight game as part of a two-hit, two run performance. After going 0-4 in the second game of the series, the slugger hit his fourth home run of the month to close out the series. He was 3-11 overall with three runs scored and two RBI.

Milwaukee then came to town and heart when a combined 4-9 with two runs scored, two doubles, and two RBI. He opened the series with a perfect 2-2 performance, scoring two runs, drawing a walk, and was hit by a pitch. He had a single hit in each of the final two games of the series, including driving in two in the second game.

Sioux Falls traveled to Kansas City in the middle of the month, and Hart went 2-4 in each of the first two games. In the first game, Hart hit his fifth home run of the month, a two-run shot. He finished the series 4-12.

The Canaries returned home to take on the Sioux City Explorers, and Hart helped the team take two of those three games, going 5-9 in the series with three runs scored, three home runs, and five RBI. The closing contest of the series saw the infielder homer twice, driving in four.

Next was a four-game series in Winnipeg where Hart struggled, finishing the series without a hit in 13 at bats. He made up for that when Lincoln came to town, going 4-11 in the series. Hart scored one run in each of the three games and homered in each of the first two contests, driving in four in the opener and three in the second game.

Winnipeg came to town to close out August, and Hart was 2-7 through the first two games. That included hitting his 11th home run of the month in the opener, scoring twice and driving in two.

In August, Hart hit.319 (29-91), scored 19 runs, drove in 24, and had 17 extra-base hits. He also walked 11 times and was hit by a pitch eight times, giving him an impressive .436 on-base percentage. He posted a 1.184 OPS.

Hart began his professional career with the Lincoln Saltdogs in 2018, moving to the Sioux Falls Canaries that year. He remained in Sioux Falls through 2021, then signed with the Schaumburg Boomers (Frontier League) in 2022 where he had a career-high 19 homers. This season, Hart has already broken that record, hitting a career-high 21 homers while batting .309 with 53 runs scored and 57 RBI. In seven professional seasons, the Canaries All-Star is hitting .296 with 24 homers and 66 RBI in 82 games. His 24 home runs and 66 RBI are single-season highs.

2023 American Association Players of the Month

May – Josh Altmann, Chicago Dogs
June – Jesus Marriaga, Gary SouthShore RailCats
August – Bryan Torres, Milwaukee Milkmen