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 the moves that Lake Country DockHounds Manager Jim Bennett is making despite coaching in Australia, nearly 18,000 miles away.

Jim Bennett Keeping on Top of Things

I get that this is the digital age. People can keep up on events going on thousands of miles away, communicate with anyone, even someone on the International Space Station, and can have “face-to-face” conversations over the Internet. So, when a manager is able to continue to sign players and make transactions, it does not seem like a big event in this age.

However, one has to tip his or her hat to the job that Lake Country DockHounds Manager Jim Bennett is doing, signing six players in the last month, all while helping to coach in the Australian Baseball League. That puts the Skipper nearly 18,000 miles away from his home ballpark, but he is feverishly working on improving a disappointing bullpen as the club looks to compete in the East Division of the American Association in 2023.

A December to Remember

in December, Lake Country signed four players, three after Bennett headed for Brisbane. (It should be noted that Bennett has done a great job coaching for the Brisbane Bandits, who hold the top record in the Northeast Division at 28-8.)

The first move was the signing of catcher Jaxx Groshans on December 12. The DockHounds were led by Wilfredo Gimenez behind the plate in 2022, and he had a solid season, hitting .234 with eight homers and 42 RBI in 79 games. The DockHounds exercised their option on Gimenez in the off-season, but his return is not guaranteed, so the club looked to secure a top talent behind the plate.

Groshans comes with a solid resume. He was drafted in the fifth round by the Boston Red Sox in 2019 out of the University of Kansas, and reached High-A Greenville last season. After hitting a combined .281 in 74 games in two levels in 2021, Groshans struggled last season at Greenville, hitting .164 in 53 games. He has the tools and being selected in the fifth round tells you that he has the talent as well. A chance with Bennett and his staff could be just what the doctor ordered to earn a return to affiliate ball.

On December 19, the team made a trio of signings, adding right-handers Nick Herold and Alex McRae as well as outfielder Jake Snider. The return of McRae is a huge deal. The right-hander spent parts of four seasons in the Majors with the Pirates and White Sox, appearing in 17 career games. That was as recent as 2021. Last season he joined Lake Country after his release, leading the staff with a 5-4 record and a 4.01 ERA in 14 starts. He will likely anchor this rotation and give the DockHounds a great 1-2 punch with right-hander Angel Ventura.

Herold was outstanding in 2022, appearing in nine games, five of which were starts. He posted an impressive 2.22 ERA, the best of any pitcher on the staff who had more than one appearance. In fact, the next closest ERA to his was McRae’s. Herold struck out 47 in 32.1 innings, allowing just 18 hits but did walk 21. The numbers were all the more impressive considering that was his first season of professional baseball after graduating from Winona State.

Dykstra also played for the DockHounds last season, posting a disappointing .186 batting average in 32 games. However, he did score 20 runs and drove in 16 others, adding 17 walks to give him a .344 on-base percentage. Dykstra was also in his first professional season after graduating from Azusa Pacific.

New Signings for the New Year

With Brisbane rolling, heading toward the playoffs, Bennett has still found time to stay active in the market. He has added two players since the first of the year, signing right-handed pitchers Keisy Portorreal and Conor Fisk.

One of the areas where Bennett has been quite shrewd is in his acquiring players from the Pecos League. Last year he found a series of gems who had played for the Houston Apollos in 2021, and found another in Portorreal this off-season. The right-hander pitched for the Apollos when they were in the American Association in 2021, going 1-4 with three saves and a 4.23 ERA in 22 appearances. Last season he dominated at Garden City, making nine starts where he was 6-0 with a 2.59 ERA. The right-hander put up eye-popping numbers, allowing just 45 hits and nine walks in 59.0 innings while striking out 75. The American Association will have superior talent in comparison to the Pecos League, but do not be surprised to see him put up an eight- or nine-win season.

Fisk is a huge addition to the staff. The right-hander reached AAA-Albuquerque in 2021 before an injury kept him out for much of that season and all of last year. Fisk was selected in the 24th around of the 2014 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays, and posted a 38-33 record in seven minor league seasons. He has worked out of the bullpen, but will likely join McRae and Ventura in the rotation.

If Portorreal is able to step in and give the team six solid innings on a regular basis, the top four spots in this rotation may already be set. Let Bennett find one more quality arm for his rotation and Lake Country may have the top rotation the division. That serves notice to the other five teams that they better be prepared because this team will not be facing any prolonged losing streaks this time around.

American Association Transactions

January 18, 2023

Cleburne: Signed RHP Travis Perry
Chicago: Signed INF Matt Bottcher and RHP Ryan O’Reilly
Kansas City: Signed RHP Alex Valdez
Lake Country: Signed RHP Conor Fisk
Milwaukee: Claimed OF Michael Crouse off waivers from Winnipeg
Sioux Falls: Released LHP Cesilio Pimentel
Winnipeg: Released C Deon Stafford Jr. and RHP Paul Schwendel

January 17, 2023

Cleburne: Signed RHP Kevin Hilton
Lincoln: Signed RHP Zach St. Pierre
Sioux City: Signed RHP Luis Pena

January 16, 2023

Cleburne: Released RHP Landon Holifield
Lincoln: Signed LHP John Bezdicek

January 13, 2023

Lake Country: Signed RHP Keisy Portorreal

By Robert Pannier