2018

For the second year in a row, expansion was a major topic in the American Association, as the Chicagoland island that Gary SouthShore had been on since leaving the Northern League seven years prior finally gained another member: the Chicago Dogs, who began play at brand-new Impact Field in suburban Rosemont, Illinois, literally right next to O’Hare International Airport.

The timing of the Dogs’ arrival proved to be fortuitous, as the team was officially awarded three days before the start of the 2017 season, which featured the traveling Salina Stockade serving as a punching bag for 100 road games. With the Dogs in the yard, the Stockade could fortunately die a quiet death without any further disruption to the league lineup being necessary. Before the season began, the Wichita Wingnuts also announced 2018 would be their final season at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, which would be demolished. The club did not officially confirm the team’s dissolution until after the season, but many believed this year would be the end as it was unfolding.

With the league at 12 teams for a third year in a row, the Central Division was ditched and the AA went to two divisions from the three-division look that had been rolled out since 2011. The playoffs would now consist of the top two finishers in both the North and South.

On the field, the North saw a tight race that was a three-horse race for much of the summer, but ended up with Gary and St. Paul in a dead heat at the top, with the RailCats earning the division crown on the tiebreaker. The South, meawhile, sported the three top teams in the league, highlighted by Sioux City’s outstanding 71-29 season, the fourth (and most recent) 70-win season in league history. Kansas City finished with a franchise-record 62 wins, edging out Wichita, who had a record good enough to win the North, but instead finished their final season out of the playoff picture for the first time since 2010 and just the third time in their 11-year history.

In the postseason, St. Paul bounced Gary in four games, while Kansas City, in their first playoff appearance in eight years, upset Sioux City in a back-and-forth five-game tilt. The T-Bones then subdued the Saints i four games to earn their first American Association crown, ten years after their only previous league title in the Northern League in 2008.

Final Standings (Click on team name for full schedule)

North Division

Team	W	L	Win Pct.	GB	Runs Scored	Runs Allowed	Attend.
Gary SouthShore RailCats-y	59	41	.590	—	460	399	167,152
St. Paul Saints-x	59	41	.590	—	550	452	408,921
Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks	51	49	.510	8.0	493	464	166,717
Chicago Dogs	45	54	.455	13.5	428	429	138,855
Winnipeg Goldeyes	57	43	.570	7.0	468	529	219,370
Sioux Falls Canaries	40	59	.404	23.5	455	554	124,177

South Division

Team	W	L	Win Pct.	GB	Runs Scored	Runs Allowed	Attend.
Sioux City Explorers-y	71	29	.710	—	629	378	63,498
Kansas City T-Bones-x	62	37	.626	8.5	563	455	189,981
Wichita Wingnuts	61	39	.610	10.0	509	453	108,627
Lincoln Saltdogs	51	48	.515	19.5	531	481	160,124
Cleburne Railroaders	33	66	.333	37.5	436	552	64,226
Texas AirHogs	25	75	.250	46.0	307	665	80,196

Playoffs

North Division Series — ST. PAUL WINS 3-1

Date	Score	W	L	SV	Attend.
9/5/18	Gary SouthShore 0 at St. Paul 4	C. Nunn	K. Steele	–	2,155
9/6/18	Gary SouthShore 2 at St. Paul 8	E. Medina	L. Liguori	–	2,334
9/7/18	St. Paul 4 at Gary SouthShore 7	J. McKenzie	J. Matthys	–	738
9/8/18	St. Paul 1 at Gary SouthShore 0	T. Foss	J. DeLeon	Z. Jones	409

South Division Series — KANSAS CITY WINS 3-2

Date	Score	W	L	SV	Attend.
9/4/18	Sioux City 4 at Kansas City 1	J. Dykstra	T. Collier	E. Karch	501
9/5/18	Sioux City 2 at Kansas City 4	B. Astin	J. Garcia	C. Winiarski	429
9/7/18	Kansas City 5 at Sioux City 2	P. Tago	T. Collier	–	1,084
9/8/18	Kansas City 0 at Sioux City 5	I. McKinney	J. Mortensen	–	770
9/9/18	Kansas City 4 at Sioux City 2	T. Collier	J. Dykstra	C. Winiarski	714

American Association Finals — KANSAS CITY WINS 3-1

Date	Score	W	L	SV	Attend.
9/11/18	Kansas City 11 at St. Paul 4	B. Astin	C. Nunn	–	3,380
9/12/18	Kansas City 0 at St. Paul 6	E. Medina	H. Adkins	–	3,949
9/14/18	St. Paul 3 at Kansas City 7	T. Collier	B. Wheeler	–	2,055
9/15/18	St. Paul 3 at Kansas City 5	M. Crescentini	M. Devine	C. Winiarski	2,269

Finals MVP: Noah Perio Jr. (Kansas City) — .333/.368/.833, 6 H, 3 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI

Award Winners

Player of the Year	Jose Sermo (Sioux City/ Winnipeg) 91 G, .310/.407/.611, 23 2B, 22 HR, 81 RBI, 24 SB
Pitcher of the Year	Travis Banwart (Wichita) 8-4, 2.24 ERA, 20 G, 124.1 IP, 109 K, 1.182 WHIP
Rookie of the Year	Justin Vernia (Sioux City) 12-2, 3.32 ERA, 20 G, 119.1 IP, 91 K, 1.207 WHIP
Defensive Player of the Year	Justin O’Connor (St. Paul) 78 G, .991 Fld%, 36% caught stealing at C
Manager of the Year	Joe Calfapietra (Kansas City) 62-37 record, Miles Wolff Cup champions

Postseason All-Stars

Catcher	Justin O’Connor (St. Paul) .250/.292/.459, 73 H, 17 HR, 41 RBI, defensive POTY
First Base	Brady Shoemaker (St. Paul) 92 G, .309/.406/.486, 107 H, 58 R, 19 2B, 14 HR, 69 RBI
Second Base	Logan Watkins (Wichita) 100 G, .338/.403/.469, 142 H, 24 2B, 11 3B, 3 HR, 51 RBI, 26 SB
Third Base	Jose Sermo (Sioux City/ Winnipeg) 91 G, .310/.407/.611, 102 H, 76 R, 23 2B, 22 HR, 81 RBI, 24 SB
Shortstop	Nate Samson (Sioux City) 100 G, .340/.379/.405, 141 H, 79 R, 15 2B, 4 HR, 73 RBI, 22 SB
Outfield	Todd Cunningham (Kansas City) 83 G, .333/.437/.484, 106 H, 71 R, 26 2B, 4 HR, 47 RBI, 17 SB
Outfield	Michael Lang (Sioux City) 100 G, .304/.369/.435, 126 H, 82 R, 13 2B, 7 3B, 9 HR, 45 RBI
Outfield	Dillon Thomas (Texas) 80 G, .333/.420/.601, 97 H, 56 R, 37 2B, 13 HR, 54 RBI, 14 SB
Designated Hitter	Curt Smith (Lincoln) 92 G, .315/.367/.548, 115 H, 53 R, 21 2B, 5 3B, 18 HR, 74 RBI
Starting Pitcher	Travis Banwart (Wichita) 8-4, 2.24 ERA, 20 G, 124.1 IP, 109 K, 1.182 WHIP
Relief Pitcher	Daniel Tillman (Wichita) 1-4, 2.27 ERA, 40 G, 27 SV, 39.2 IP, 54 K, 1.109 WHIP