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 continues his look back at the 2022 American Association season with Team 6 in the review, the Cleburne Railroaders.

The Cleburne Railroaders Season in Review

Charles Dickens may have written a Tale of Two Cities, but the Cleburne Railroaders lived out the Tale of Two Seasons in 2022. This team started out 15-33, but went 35-17 down the stretch to earn their second straight playoff appearance and win their first playoff series in franchise history.

Tale of the Tape

(League ranking listed in parenthesis.)

Record: 50-50 (7)
Home Record: 23-27 (9)
Away Record: 27-23 (4)

Batting:
Average:  .275 (5)
Homeruns: 117 (3)
Runs Scored: 592 (2)
On–Base Percentage: .365 (4)
Slugging Percentage:  .451 (3)
Stolen Bases: 178 (1)

Pitching:
ERA: 5.30 (8)
Strikeouts: 851 (6)
Saves: 22 (T-7)
WHIP: 1.53 (8)
Shutouts: 3 (T-9)
CG: 1 (T-7)

Fielding:
Fielding Percentage: .975 (11)
Errors: 88 (11)

A Recap of the 2022 Cleburne Railroaders Season

The Cleburne Railroaders looked like they were dead in the water when the All-Star break came. The club started out the season winning two of their first four games, then lost eight straight and 13 of their next 14 to plummet to the bottom of the East Division. The opening game of the season seemed to be an indicator of the bad things to come, as the team lost to Kane County 20-6 and had a 17-7 loss to Chicago 11 days later.

Not surprising, the pitching staff struggled in the first month, posting a 5.24 ERA, but it was nothing in comparison to the abysmal performance by the lineup, who hit eight homers and had a .234 batting average through the first 15 games. Cesar Trejo led the club with two homers and 10 RBI and Zach Nehrir also drove in 10. The team scored 63 runs through the first 15 games, but that was not nearly enough when the pitching staff had yielded 43 more runs.

In June, the Railroaders went 11-17, starting the month with losses in six of their first seven contests. In fact, they were 3-12 through the first 15 games of the month, giving them a 6-24 record 30 games into the season. The club then put together a four-game winning streak, sweeping Sioux City before returning home to take the first game against Winnipeg, but then dropped five of their next six games before taking the final three games against the Monarchs in Kansas City. That started another four-game winning streak close out the month.

Nehrir led the team in RBI in the first month of the season, but his overall production at the plate was below the standards American Association fans have come to expect. That changed in June, as the outfielder hit .378 with 20 runs scored and 18 runs driven in and 25 games. Chase Simpson swung the bat well as well, hitting eight homers and driving in 27 while posting a .327 batting average, and Kacy Clemens joined the team to become one of the most feared hitters in the league, hitting .351 in 10 games with two homers in seven runs driven in.

Closer Nick Gardewine combined with Hunter Cervenka to become the most dynamic 1-2 combination out of the bullpen in the league. The two made 19 appearances in the month, allowing one earned run in 20.0 innings pitched combine. They allowed nine total hits and 10 walks while striking out 30 and combined with Danny Zardon (1.35 ERA, 8 appearances, 11 K, 6.2 IP) to form one of the best bullpen trios in the league.

Kody Bullard and Kevin Hilton began to turn things around slightly as the month was going along. Hilton made five starts, going 3-0 with a 4.36 ERA and Bullard was 3-2 with a 5.11 ERA. The rest of the staff struggled, however, and the bullpen could simply not cover for the struggles of the starting staff.

July got off to a rocky start, as the team opened the month with a victory over Sioux Falls, but then dropped the next four games. Cleburne was 15-33 at that point, and it was beginning to look like they would be playing out the season as the league approached the All-Star break. However, a funny thing happened along the way. The team took the last game of a three-game set against Kansas City, then went on to Lake Country where they swept the DockHounds in three games. The Railroaders then returned home to take four from Lincoln, giving them an eight-game winning streak. Cleburne took two of three from the Gary SouthShore RailCats, making them 10-1 from July 6-21. The month did not end as solidly, however, as they were swept in Chicago, then split a six-game set against the RailCats at home.

However, Cleburne was 14-11 in July, and the season was suddenly on life support. The pitching staff continued to struggle, posting a 6.16 ERA, the second straight month that the ERA had risen. However, the offense was spectacular, leading the American Association for the month in homers (45) and batting average (.311). Edwin Arroyo was incredible at the top of the batting order, hitting .421 with 28 runs scored in 24 games. He also homered three times and drove in 18. After hitting eight homers in June, Simpson followed that up with 10 more in July, driving in 31, and Clemens hit .373 with 18 runs scored and 30 runs driven in and 25 games. Three players on the team (including Nehrir) drove in at least 30 in the month and six players scored better than 20 runs.

Cervenka was brilliant out of the bullpen, going 5-0 in 12 appearances before his contract was purchased. Brandan Bell and Zardon combined to make 23 appearances, giving up just eight earned runs in 25.2 innings combined. Bullard began to step up his game as well, making five starts and posting a 3.81 ERA.

The club dropped the first two games of August, then went on a four-game winning streak before losing the first three games at home to Kane County. It was time for another dramatic turning point for this club, and that came on August 12 when the Railroaders clubbed the Cougars 11-3. Cleburne then rattled off victories in 11 of their next 14 contests, including winning three of four in Chicago, two of three in Kansas City, and sweeping the RailCats in Gary.

August began to close down with the team traveling to Lincoln to take on the Saltdogs for three games, a series where Lincoln took two of the three contests. Cleburne then returned home on August 30 to begin a seven game set against the DockHounds to finish off the year. The club swept the series, winning a pair of one run games to end the season and won four of the seven games by three runs or fewer.

Cleburne went 17-10 in August and 5-0 in September, closing the season 22-10 over their final 32 games. The pitching staff caught fire, posting a 4.31 ERA in August, second best in the American Association, and had the best ERA in September (3.07).

The depth of the team is what carried the club and proved to be a huge reason why this team rallied. Hill Alexander hit .327 in August. Nick Shumpert hit .318 as did Chuck Taylor. Gardewine had eight saves in August while posting a 1.64 ERA. However, the biggest turnaround of the month was clearly Hilton. After going 2-2 with 11.22 ERA in five July starts, the right-hander was absolutely dominating in August, going 4-0 with a 1.93 ERA and gave up three runs in seven innings in his one September start.

The close to the season gave Cleburne their second trip to the playoffs, and this was to be a momentous one. The team opened at home against the Cougars, winning a 3-1 victory behind five outstanding innings by Bullard, who allowed just one run on two hits. The game was tied at one until the bottom of the sixth when Nehrir singled home Arroyo and he later scored on a base hit by Simpson. The bullpen tossed four shutout innings, led by Kevin McCarthy who tossed two scoreless frames to earn the victory.

The clubs then traveled to Geneva, where Kane County jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second, then held on for a 6-4 victory. With the series tied at one, that set up a deciding Game 3 and the Railroaders were not to be denied, scoring four runs in the first and adding one more in the second on their way to a 7-3 victory. Four different players drove in runs in the first inning and Josh Lucas earned the victory, allowing two runs on six hits in five innings of work.

Cleburne had won the first playoff series in franchise history and returned home looking to replicate what they had done to Kane County against the Milwaukee Milkmen. However, A.J. Schugel had other ideas, tossing six shutout innings to help lead the Milkmen to a 5-2 victory over the Railroaders. Milwaukee scored single runs in the second and fourth and added three more in the eighth, then held on for the win.

The teams then moved to Franklin where they were stymied by Ryan Zimmerman, who shut down the Railroaders for 5.2 innings, striking out 12. Hilton tossed a great game, allowing two earned runs in 7.1 innings, but Cleburne was only able to produce one run in the ninth in the 2-1 loss.

What Went Right

Despite falling in the East Division Championship series, it was a truly successful and spectacular season for the Railroaders. While the club showed an unbelievable amount of resilience and fight, the reason they were able to make the playoffs must be attributed to the spectacular performance by Manager Logan Watkins. It would have been very easy for the Skipper to have thrown in the towel early on and start shipping guys away looking toward 2023. However, Watkins built this club to score runs and wait for the pitching staff to deliver in the second half, and that became a key to their success.

The bullpen for this team was spectacular. Cervenka finished with a 1.27 ERA in 26 appearances, and Gardewine had 15 saves in a 2.72 ERA in 42 appearances. Zardon, Michael Krauza, Austin Fairchild, and McCarthy helped to make this one of the best bullpens in the American Association. While the starting staff struggled for much of the year, this group was one of the primary reasons why the team made the playoffs.

What Went Wrong

The starting staff put things together down the stretch, but they were the reason this team struggled early on. Hilton finished second in the American Association in victories (10-3), but finished with a 5.46 ERA. He is already signed for 2023, and will be looking to reestablish himself as one of the best starters in the league. Bullard also rebounded after a shaky beginning, finishing with a 4.53 ERA and looked great in the playoffs.

Garrett Alexander had a 6.79 ERA and Trevor Simms was at 6.28. In fact, six pitchers who made at least four starts had ERAs well over five. This has to be one of the primary focuses for Watkins in the off-season.

The play of the team at home was also unexpected. Take away the seven-game winning streak they had against Lake Country to close out the year, and this team was 16-27 at home. That is surprising, if not stunning. Having teams come to Cleburne for six-game series should have given the Railroaders a huge advantage, but this club could not figure out a way to turn that into greater success.

Team MVP: Zach Nehrir

One could easily make a case for Simpson as the team MVP, and you will find few who will argue with that. Simpson finished at .302 with 74 runs scored, 24 homers, and 83 RBI. However, Nehrir continues to prove himself to be one of the best all-around players in the league and 2022 was no different.

The outfielder finished with a .314 batting average, scoring 81 runs, hitting 25 doubles, 17 homers, and driving in 72. He also stole 35 bases, finishing third in the league. His 81 runs scored was tops in the American Association and he finished fifth in total bases (205) and third in triples (five).

Nehrir was the model of consistency, failing to record a hit in only 21 of the 95 games he played in, and he never went more than two games without a hit. The Railroaders outfielder had 40 games where he recorded at least two hits, including a stretch where he had six straight games with at least two hits (July 16-22).

Top Pitcher: Nick Gardewine

There are four relievers on this club who could lay claim to this award, but one has to tip his or her cap to the performance of Gardewine. There was very little this coaching staff and team could rely on early on when it related to the pitching staff, but the bullpen was one area, especially the performance of Gardewine. Cervenka was also incredible, but his return to affiliate ball left Gardewine to pick up the slack, and the right-hander was spectacular.

The closer finished with 15 saves, fifth most in the league, and posted a 2.72 ERA in 42 appearances. Gardewine did walk 32, but allowed 25 hits while striking out 59 in 43.0 innings. He was especially dominating down the stretch, allowing runs in only three of his final 17 appearances, a total of four earned runs over his last 16 innings (2.25). Gardewine will not return to the Railroaders in 2023.

What to Expect in 2023

The 2022 season was the first season where Watkins was completely responsible for building his own club. He had taken over as manager in the middle of 2021, so it was also his first full season as the Skipper. He not only proved that he is not only up for the job, but is quickly establishing himself as one of the best managers in the league. That bodes well for the 2023 season, as a team needs a great manager was also an outstanding GM to win the gauntlet that is the American Association title, and Watkins gives Railroaders fans hope that this club is on the verge of being something really special.

There is no doubt that Watkins will find a quality lineup and he has also proven great ability to find arms to shut down opponents from the sixth inning on. However, this team is only going to go as far as their starting staff will take them. Hilton needs to rebound and have an ERA of no more than 4.10. Bullard should be great if he can get off to a faster start for the season, and they will need at least two other starters to match up against the other five teams in this division.

Most will tell you that the West is the best in the American Association, and an argument can be made for that. However, this East is just as brutal, and a team cannot expect to outslug opponents each and every night. Let the Railroaders put together for quality starters and they will be at the top of this division.

By Robert Pannier