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 City Explorers infielder John Nogowski as the American Association Player of the Month for the month of July.

Explorers 1B John Nogowski Named July Player of the Month

On Friday, This Week in the Association and the Minor League Sports Report named Sioux City Explorers infielder John Nogowski as the American Association Player of the Month for the month of July. Nogowski had a spectacular month, hitting .448 with 17 RBI in 25 games.

The month got off on the right foot with Sioux City playing the final contest of a three-game set with the Milwaukee Milkmen. Nogowski went 2-4 with a run and two RBI in the victory. Both hits were doubles.

Next, the team welcomed the Winnipeg Goldeyes and Nogowski had an incredible series against the best pitching staff in the league, going a combined 5-11 with two RBI, two doubles, a homer, and two RBI in the three-games.

The Explorers welcomed Milwaukee next and Nogowski remained red-hot, going 8-11 in the series with seven runs scored, three doubles, five RBI. He opened the series by going 2-3 with three runs scored and drove in three. He also walked twice in that contest. In the second game, the first baseman went 2-4 with an RBI double and a run scored. Nogowski closed out the series in style, going 4-4, including two doubles. He scored three times in the game, drove in three, and walked twice.

Next, the team travelled for Fargo-Moorhead four games and Nogowski continued to role, going 7-14 with two runs scored and two RBI. He went 2-5 in the opener, then followed with back-to-back 2-4 performances. That capped off eight straight games with at least two hits. The first baseman closed the series by going 1-1 with a run scored and three walks.

The Explorers traveled to take on the Lake County DockHounds and Nogowski appeared in each of the first two games, going a combined 1-5 with three walks. He opened the series by going hitless in four at-bats. That snapped his 12-game hitting streak. Nogowski had a hit, a run scored, and three walks in the second game.

The team travelled home to welcome the Winnipeg Goldeyes next and Nogowski had a tough series, going 0-4 in the first and third contests. He did go 2-5 with a two-run homer in the second game of the series.

Next, the Sioux Falls Canaries came to town and Nogowski didn’t see many pitches to hit, walking five times in the three-game set while going 3-5 with two RBI. He went 1-1 with three walks in the opener of the double-header on July 20, then walked twice and was hit by a pitch in the night cap.

Sioux City traveled to Cleburne next for four-games against the Railroaders. Nogowski had a huge series, going 8-16 with three runs scored, two homers, and three Rbi. He hit a two-run homer as part of a 2-5 performance in the opener, then hit a solo home run in the second game. Nogowski went 1-2 with a run and two walks in Game 3 of the series and closed with a 4-5 performance, driving in a run.

Sioux City closed out July with a three-game set against Lincoln. Nogowski was hitless in the first game, but went 3-4 with a run scored in Game 2 on July 31.

In July, Nogowski hit .448 in 25 games. He scored 19 runs and drove in 17 while hitting nine doubles and four home runs. The first baseman posted an impressive .566 on-base percentage and a 1.256 OPS.

John Nogowski was selected in the 34^th round of the 2014 draft by the Oakland Athletics. He spent three years in the A’s organization before being released in 2016. That season he signed with the Explorers, but did not stay long after hitting .402 in 34 games. The first baseman joined the St. Louis Cardinals and rose the ranks, reaching the Majors in 2020. He played for both the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cardinals in 2021. In two MLB seasons, Nogowski hit .233 in 53 games. He spent eight seasons in the minors, hitting .274 with 359 RBI in 693 games.

Nogowski returned to the Explorers in 2023, hitting .317 in 34 games. This season he has been rolling, hitting .344 with 45 runs scored and 46 RBI in 69 games.

2024 American Association Players of the Month

May – Jonah Davis, Kane County Cougars
June – Jacob Teter, Chicago Dogs

By Robert Pannier