Sioux Falls Canaries Jordan Barth Named American Association Rookie of the Year
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 Falls Canaries infielder Jordan Barth as the American Association Rookie of the Year.
Canaries Infielder Jordan Barth Named American Association Rookie of the Year
On Tuesday, This Week in the Association and the Minor League Sports Report named Sioux Falls Canaries infielder Jordan Barth as the 2023 American Association Rookie of the Year. Barth had an impressive season, hitting .298 with 11 homers and 66 RBI in 99 games for the Canaries.
It was an impressive debut for the Canaries shortstop as he left the month of May hitting .313 with two homers and 15 RBI in 18 games. Barth also scored seven runs and posted a .390 on-base percentage.
He followed that up with a strong June, hitting .295 in 26 games. The infielder scored 13 runs and drove in 17, hitting six doubles and recording nine total extra-base hits. He did walk just one time in the month, giving him a .304 on-base percentage. Barth began the month with seven hits in his first three games and had 10 multi-hit games in the month, including four three-hit performances.
In July, Barth had his “worst” month of the season, hitting .278 in 24 games. He still scored 16 runs and drove in 14, recording five doubles and three triples. While not recording his most dominating offensive month for the season, Barth did begin an 18-game hitting streak on July 26 that extended to August 15. The 18-game streak was the third longest in the season, and saw the shortstop hit .338 with 19 runs scored and a .410 on-base percentage during the run.
In August, the Canaries had their best month of the season, going 18-9, and Barth was a big part of that, hitting .298 in 27 games. He scored 20 runs and added 19 RBI, recording six doubles and four home runs. The Canaries infielder had hits and all but four games during the month and had nine multi-hit games, including four straight contests where he recorded two hits (August 23-26).
In the final four games of the season, Barth helped the team finish 3-1, hitting .385 with a .429 on-base percentage.
Barth finished the season with 59 runs scored, 19 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, and 66 RBI. He stole 16 bases, thrown out just twice, and struck out only 47 times in 440 plate appearances. This was an incredibly impressive season, especially considering that Barth played short and did so exceptionally well, committing just seven errors in 98 games, posting a .982 Fielding percentage. Only Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks shortstop Sam Dexter was better (.987).
Jordan Barth turned pro after graduating from Augustana College where he appeared in 222 games, posting a .379 batting average with 42 homers and 219 RBI. He scored 217 runs in his college career, adding 73 doubles and an impressive .416 on-base percentage. In 2022 he played for Billings (Pioneer League), appearing in 77 games where he hit .288 with 39 runs scored and 31 RBI.
We Should Mention
Barth was selected ahead of Winnipeg Goldeyes infielder Dayson Croes and Lincoln Saltdogs catcher Luke Roskam. Croes finished fourth in the American Association in hitting (.351), adding 61 runs scored and 67 RBI. Croes was a true rookie, graduating from Quincy where he played for three seasons. He appeared in 119 games in college, hitting .388 with 110 runs scored, 20 homers, and 120 RBI. He also posted an impressive .453 on-base percentage and had a 1.070 OPS. Croes had the longest hitting streak in the American Association this season, reaching 25 games.
Third in the balloting was Lincoln Saltdogs catcher Luke Roskam. Roskam was in his second season with the Saltdogs, and hit .294 with 47 runs scored, 14 home runs, and 62 RBI in 84 games. The catcher posted an impressive .405 on-base percentage, and had the fourth longest hitting streak of the season, 17 games.
By Robert Pannier