2023 American Association First Half Recap: Sioux Falls Canaries

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 2023 American Association season for the Sioux Falls Canaries including who is their MVP and top pitcher and discusses the prognosis heading forward.
The Sioux Falls Canaries Tale of the Tape
(Ranking in American Association listed in parenthesis)
Overall Record: 27-33 (5th in West, 9th Overall)
Home Record: 18-12 (3)
Away Record: 9-21 (11)
Last 10: 6-4
Batting:
Average: .261 (8)
Homeruns: 62 (8)
Runs Scored: 318 (6)
Slugging %: .417 (7)
On-Base %: .354 (8)
Stolen Bases: 106 (2)
Pitching:
ERA: 6.32 (12)
Saves: 15 (T-2)
Walks: 314 (12)
Strikeouts: 367 (12)
Opponent Average: .273 (9)
Fielding:
Fielding %: .981 (3)
Errors: 41 (4)
First Half Recap
It seems like it is becoming a broken record for this team. The Sioux Falls Canaries are where they are in the standings because they are not getting consistent pitching. The club is last in ERA, ninth in opponent batting average, and 12th in walks allowed. Those are the kinds of numbers that are going to hurt a team, but the Canaries are not out of the race by any stretch of the imagination.
Sioux Falls got off to a tough start, going 7-11 in the first month and the club went 11-16 in June. An 8.08 ERA in May was followed by a 5.76 ERA in June, a significant improvement over the previous month. That has continued into July, where the team is 9-6 behind the pitching staff posting a 5.17 ERA, seventh best overall.
Before dropping the final two games before the All-Star break, the team had been on a stretch where they had earned victories in seven of nine contests and find themselves just 3.5 games behind the Lincoln Saltdogs for the final playoff spot in the West Division.
One big change for this team has been how Manager Mike Meyer has changed his focus for the offense. Instead of being a team looking to out slug opponents, Meyer has his team second in stolen bases. They are finding ways to manufacture runs and not depending upon the long ball, something that should help them improve on their 9-21 road record.
This team has been very good at home, posting the third best home record, which is a very interesting result. One would think that being a more power driven team would make the team better at the Bird Cage, but the push to run and steal bases has made them more successful in their own park, and will likely benefit them on the road. They have stolen 67 bases at home.
What Went Right?
The bullpen has been very good for this team. Brady Stover (3.05), Jose Cruz (3.20), Matt Gill (3.55), and Charlie Hasty (3.80) all have ERAs under four, and have done a great job of preserving leads. Mitchell Walters has been very good in the rotation, going 4-3 with a 4.29 ERA.
Darnell Sweeney has fit perfectly into this lineup and is an MVP candidate. Jordan Barth has been great at the shortstop position and at the plate. The rookie is leading the team in hitting (.303) and is second in RBI (42). Mike Hart is having a career year.
What Went Wrong?
It would be easy to say the pitching, but it is where the struggles have occurred that has been the biggest issue. Ty Culbreth was supposed to be the ace, but is 4-5 with a 7.28 ERA. Neil Lang (5.95) has been inconsistent.
The lack of offense has also been a bit of a concern. Sioux Falls is eighth in batting average, on-base percentage, and home runs, and they are sixth in runs scored. For a team looking to run to score runs, the on-base percentage must improvement.
Top Pitcher: Charlie Hasty
Charlie Hasty in one of the most exciting stories in the league. He had an undefined role early on, but has become arguably the best closer in the league. Hasty leads the American Association in saves (13). He has allowed just three total runs in his last 12 innings, earning nine saves in that span.
Hasty is the kind of closer that shuts the door, and it was stunning that he did not make the All-Star team. The right-hander has struck out 26 in 23.2 innings.
Top Hitter: Darnell Sweeney
Darnell Sweeney has long established himself as one of the best players in the American Association. He has been great for the Kansas City Monarchs over the last two years, and has fit in perfectly with the Canaries. Sweeney is hitting .278 at the break, leading the team with 13 home runs and has 28 extra base hits in all.
His numbers are impressive across the board, scoring a team leading 55 runs, tied for first in the league. Sweeney has driven in 34, stolen 12 bases, and has an impressive .910 OPS.
Where Will Sioux Falls Canaries Be on September 4?
The Canaries got off to a tough start, but they are still right in the pennant chase, just 3.5 games behind Lincoln for the final spot in the West. This team needs a couple of things to happen to grab the final spot. First, they need to get better performances out of Culbreth and Lang. The top two in the rotation need to be co-aces.
Secondly, they need the Saltdogs closer duo to continue to struggle. Lincoln should be battling for the top spot in the division, but the ninth inning has been a nightmare. If that continues, Sioux Falls will be in a position to get into the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
By Robert Pannier
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