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, Rob Pannier takes a look back at the first half of the 2022 American Association season for the Kane County Cougars including who is their MVP and top pitcher, and discusses the prognosis heading forward.

A Look at the First Half for the Kane County Cougars

(Ranking in American Association listed in parenthesis)

Overall Record: 28-25 (2^nd in East, 5^th Overall)
Home Record: 14-10 (5th)
Away Record: 14-15 (5th)
Last 10: 6-4

Batting:
Average: .289 (2)
Homeruns: 52 (9)
Runs Scored: 299 (5)
Slugging %: .446 (3)
On-Base %: .364 (5)
Stolen Bases: 23 (11)

Pitching:
ERA: 4.44 (3)
Saves: 11 (T-5)
Walks: 197 (5)
Strikeouts: 361 (12)
Opponent Average: .257 (3)

Fielding:
Fielding %: .987 (1)
Errors: 25 (1)

First Half Recap

The Kane County Cougars came out of May playing extremely well, going 11-5 while hitting .317 with 13 homers in 16 games. The problem was that the pitching staff with struggling, posting a 5.22 ERA during the month. The pitching staff started to come together in June, but the club struggled, going 11-16 as the offensive production dropped.

That had the club looking like they may be fighting just to make the playoffs, especially after starting out June 2-9. However, since June 14, this has been a different Cougars club. Kane County is 15-9 in their last 24 games, and won at least one game in each of the three series in Fargo-Moorhead, Milwaukee, and Chicago. This team is here to stay, as manager George Tsamis has built a starting pitching staff that may be the best in the American Association.

What Went Right?

What went right with Kane County starts with Tsamis. The Cougars Manager and pitching coach Freddy Flores have done an amazing job with several of the guys on the staff. It starts with closer Logan Nissen, who was a serviceable starter for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks over the last couple of years, but has turned into one of the dominant closers in the American Association, recording seven saves and a 2.46 ERA. The combination of José Fuentes, Jack Fox, Ryan Tapani, and Vance Worley is the best starting four in this league.

Jimmy Kerrigan is having an MVP season. With 18 homers and 50 runs driven in in 53 games, it is surprising that he is even still in the American Association at this point.

What Went Wrong?

The fortunate thing for Kane County is what went wrong occurred a month ago. The starting of June was a very tough stretch for this club, as they were quite inconsistent. However, they have righted the ship and have figured out the roles for players on this team so that there really is not a glaring need for Kane County.

Top Pitcher: José Fuentes, RHP

Fuentes is arguably be the top pitcher in the American Association. With a 3-1 record and a 2.32 ERA in 13 appearances, 10 of which are starts, he has been absolutely spectacular. The walks are a concern, allowing 23 in 66.0 innings pitched, but he knows how to use his stuff to get outs when he needs them.

Top Hitter: Jimmy Kerrigan, OF

Kerrigan could stake claim to the American Association MVP at this point. While there are some who have bigger numbers than him, he has the least protection of any of the others in the MVP mix. Yet, he is putting up huge numbers at this point, hitting .333 with 44 runs scored, 16 doubles, 18 homers, and 50 RBI in his first 53 games. The 1.081 OPS is also quite impressive.

Where Will Kane County Cougars Be on September 5?

The Chicago Dogs are slightly better than Kane County at this point. No disrespect to the Cougars, but those Dogs are really good. The problem is going to be that no team with its current roster can match up to the starting staff for the Cougars. Come playoff time this is not a club that no one is going to want to face. They could easily shut down an opposing lineup for a couple of nights. They make the playoffs for sure, and do not be surprised if they get all the way to the championship series.

By Robert Pannier