The American Association opened the 2026 season last night down in Texas, but everyone else opens up today, so officially Happy Opening Day to everyone!

Today we continue our dive into all 12 teams. Yesterday it was the East Division getting the spotlight, so today we’ll shift westward to, well, the West Division.

Once again, I’m writing much of this earlier in the week, so things will inevitably change as rosters are finalized.

Once again, at the bottom, where I take a stab at guessing where these six teams finish.

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks

2025: 55-45, 3rd place, W 1R vs. Kansas City (2-1), L West Finals vs. Sioux Falls (3-2)

Key Returners: RHP Garrett Alexander (All-Star), INF Peter Brookshaw, RHP Kyle Crigger (All-Star), RHP Jake Dykhoff (Pitcher of the Year), C Juan Fernandez (All-Star), LHP Parker Harm (All-Star), RHP Kolby Kiser, OF Jairus Richards (All-Star), INF Jose Sermo, OF Dillon Thomas (Postseason All-Star)

Key Additions: C Tripp Clark, LHP Liu Fuenmayor, INF Jake Hjelle, INF Matt Kroon, OF Jesus Lujano, LHP Patrick Wicklander

Key Losses: RHP Shane Barringer, OF Brendon Dadson, RHP Alex DuBord, INF Michael Hallquist, LHP Tyler Jandron, C Erik Ostberg (All-Star), OF Lamar Sparks

The Spin: Last year saw Fargo-Moorhead run out the league’s best pitching staff all season and a terrible offense in the first half, but they were able to piecemeal an acceptable unit in the second half and things took off, resulting in 55 wins and a playoff series win. Chris Coste is confident in that group, bringing back 15 returners, including eight pitchers.

Pitcher of the Year Dykhoff (11-4, 1.63 ERA) is back alongside All-Star Crigger (7-5, 3.64 ER, 108.2 IP). Alexander (0.92 ERA, 13 saves, 50 K in 39.0 IP) and Harm (1.61 ERA, 71 K in 50.1 IP) are two more All-Stars back to lock down the late innings. Kiser slides into the third spot in the rotation, while Tyler Jeans also returns looking for a bigger bullpen role. Thomas and Sermo are two veteran thumpers back to anchor the lineup, while F-M just signed All-Star Richards, a deadline acquisition from Gary SouthShore last season, while .300-hitting catcher Fernandez is back for another year. Brookshaw looked like a possible breakout in ’25, but injuries hampered him. Maybe this year is it?

Coming in, Fuenmayor is an accomplished Frontier League arm to join the bullpen and Wicklander was a workhorse starter (albeit with an inflated ERA) in the Atlantic League last year. Clark had a solid year despite bouncing around four AA teams last year and gives the RedHawks a solid second catcher. Lujano comes over in a trade after a .300 season last year, Hjelle returns to F-M, where he debuted in ’24, after a big year in the Pioneer League, while Kroon is an intriguing career .273 hitter in affiliated ball coming to Indy ball for the first time. Going out, the RedHawks lose longtime closer DuBord, solid starter Jandron and late-season rotation piece Barringer. Dadson and Sparks depart the outfield, while Hallquist was traded way in a deal I think F-M will regret. Former All-Star Ostberg was a late pickup last year who elected to go play Banana Ball.

All told, I think the RedHawks still have a very high ceiling on the mound to not need a ton from their offense, though I think the bats are in better shape than when last year started. It’s not a complete team (they really could use another outfielder and maybe another starter), but the RedHawks should be a tough matchup in September for somebody—or perhaps multiple somebodies.

Kansas City Monarchs

2025: 59-41, 2nd place, L 1R vs. Fargo-Moorhead (2-1)

Key Returners: INF Josh Bissonette (All-Star), INF Alvaro Gonzalez, RHP Jeff Hakanson, C Ryan Leitch, LHP Steffon Moore, RHP Cruz Noriega, OF Jhailyn Ortiz

Key Additions: LHP Ryan Anderson, OF Trevor Boone, RHP Dakota Chalmers, RHP Durbin Feltman, RHP Jacob Gomez, LHP Jay Groome, RHP Dakota Hudson, OF Grant Richardson, OF Marcus Smith

Key Losses: INF Brantley Bell (Postseason All-Star), OF Jorge Bonifacio, OF Isiah Gilliam, INF Robbie Glendinning (Postseason All-Star), RHP Jackson Goddard, RHP Blake Goldsberry, RHP Ashton Goudeau, LHP Josh Hendrickson, RHP Hunter McMahon, RHP Leam Mendez, INF John Nogowski, OF Micah Pries

The Spin: The Monarchs managed to hang on to ten players from last year, but the entire rotation is gone. With Grant Gambrell starting the year on the inactive list, zero starts from the 2025 team remain, so there will be some uncertainty as Joe Calfapietra fits this team together.

While the rotation will be all new, Hakanson, Moore, and Noriega are back for a good start to the back of the bullpen. All-Star Bissonette is back at shortstop, as is Gonzalez in the infield. Ortiz will (maybe) finally get a full season in KC, while Leitch returns behind the plate.

Kansas City brings in a large amount of hurlers from the high minors, including MLB veteran Hudson, former top prospects Feltman and Groome, and salty relievers Anderson and Gomez. Boone and Richardson are Triple-A sluggers and Smith a toolsy KC native who was drafted high, but just never hit in affiliated ball. Chalmers was one of Cleburne’s top hurlers last year and generates a lot of swings and misses, making him a nice rotation piece.

The departure list is a long one. Bonifacio, Nogowski, and Gilliam were all middle-of-the-order hitters, while Bell was a late pickup who didn’t stick around. Pries was excellent in the second half and too left town. Goldsberry, Goudeau, and Hendrickson were all quality starters, while McMahon held plenty of late leads. That doesn’t even include Julian Garcia, who was signed to affiliated ball in late August last year.

I liked a lot of the pieces the Monarchs brought in to at first slot them atop the division. But there is so much to replace that proclaiming them preseason favorites may be a little premature. I don’t see any reason to write them out of the playoffs (or even have to sweat too much to make it), but I could easily see some growing pains as they try to figure out where everyone fits.

Lincoln Saltdogs

2025: 42-58, 5th place

Key Returners: RHP Nate Blain, INF Jack Dragum, LHP Greg Loukinen

Key Additions: Manager James Frisbie, INF Cary Arbolida, RHP Harold Cortijo, RHP Jeferson Figueroa, OF Sam Linscott, OF Tanner, O’Tremba, RHP Foster Pace, OF Cam Phelts, OF Jairo Pomares, INF Nick Shumpert

Key Losses: Manager Brett Jodie, OF Kyle Battle, OF Danny Bautista Jr. (All-Star), RHP Dylan Castaneda, OF Neyfy Castillo, RHP Franny Cobos, INF Drew Devine (All-Star), INF Yusniel Diaz, INF Rolando Espinosa, INF Brody Fahr, RHP Dutch Landis, INF Mikey Kane

The Spin: Lincoln was terrible the last two years and understandably changed managers, with James Frisbie now in charge. Only five returners are in the fold, which on the pitching side makes sense (last in ERA), but the offense actually wasn’t bad, scoring the fourth-most runs in the AA, so both sides are being torn down and rebuilt when only one really needed to be.

Blain (starting the year on the IL) and Loukinen are back in the rotation, providing some stability and okay results their. Dragum is the only hitter back after hitting .301 last year, but in just 33 games. Otherwise, a pair of nondescript relievers are all coming back to Lincoln.

A few nice pieces are coming in, headlined by Atlantic League slugger Arbolida, Pioneer League masher Linscott, and 2024 Saltdogs ace Pace. Phelts has the profile of a leadoff man (if he hits enough), while Cortijo closed for Quebec for a good chunk of last season. Pomares is a former top prospect looking to put things together after a crippling injury in 2023, while Figueroa is also a first-time Indy baller who’s also looking to return to early career form after losing his command in ’25. O’Tremba and Shumpert both are familiar with the AA and looking to shrug off tough 2025 seasons with other clubs.

On the other side, a lot moves out, led by All-Stars Bautista and Devine, while Fahr went off to the Atlantic League. Battle, Castillo, Diaz, and Espinosa all contributed in varying ways, while Kane was a nice late-season add. All are gone. Pitching-wise, most of the losses are true deadweight (the staff had a 5.48 ERA last year), but Castaneda, Cobos, and Landis were legitimately helpful arms who left town.

With large-scale overhauls, so often it’s hard to guess how things will shake out. In this case, I’m not impressed. There’s some good pieces, there’s some guys who can be good pieces…and then there’s several guys who I look at their track record and wonder why they got signed. Last year the Saltdogs managed to score enough runs to just escape the cellar. I don’t think they get that lucky this year.

Sioux City Explorers

2025: 64-36, 1st place, L 1R vs. Sioux Falls (2-1)

Key Returners: OF Austin Davis, LHP Ben DeTaeye, OF Henry George (Postseason All-Star), RHP Nate Gercken, OF D’Shawn Knowles, OF Zac Vooletich (All-Star), RHP Zach Willeman

Key Additions: INF Jonathan Arauz, INF Cam Bufford, LHP Reed Butz, RHP Kelvin Cacares, C Wilfredo Gimenez, INF Alberto Osuna, C Dillon Tatum

Key Losses: RHP Felix Cepeda (Reliever of the Year), INF Joshua Day, LHP Austin Drury, LHP Chase Jessee (All-Star), INF Abdiel Layer, RHP Kyle Marman, INF Torin Montgomery, LHP Jared Wetherbee

The Spin: Last winter, Sioux City didn’t do a whole lot that raised eyebrows, then they came out of nowhere to romp to the league’s best record and improve by 15 games. I completely misread that team to put it lightly. The X’s bring back 11 men from last year’s squad, while once again mining the Pioneer League for several imports as they did last year.

The offense ran wild to a league-record 275 steals, and Davis, George, Knowles, and Vooletich are back to raise hell on the basepaths again after all of them stole at last 40 bases last year (and all but Davis hit at least .286). On the mound, Willeman will headline the rotation, returning to Sioux City after an outstanding start last year earned him an affiliated shot. Gercken is a reliable veteran bullpen arm and DeTaeye was lights-out in his first pro taste in relief a year ago.

The newcomers come from far and wide, with former big leaguer Arauz arriving from Mexico and veteran catcher Gimenez, a 2023 Explorer, returning from Venezuela. A trio of Oakland Ballers (Butz, Bufford, and Tatum) hope their strong ’25 season can translate to the AA. Caceres, a former MLB arm, brings big strikeout stuff into his first Indy ball stop, while Osuna gets his first full season after holding his own in the Atlantic League right out of college. A host of other Pioneer League, college, and international imports also came to camp and I just don’t know what to make of most of them.

Steve Montgomery is hoping to make a decent pitching staff out of that group, because the rotation suffered heavy losses, losing Drury, Marman, and Wetherbee, all of whom threw over 100 innings with sub-4.00 ERAs. Reliever of the Year Cepeda and lights-out lefty Jessee are also gone. There’s a lot to replace on that side. Offensively, Day and home run and RBI leader Layer (14 HR, 65 RBI) both depart, as well as another regular in Montgomery.

As I said, I totally misread the X’s last year. This year, I know this: they will continue to be a headache on the basepaths…and the pitching staff will take a step back. I’m rather confident they’ll be over .500 and a playoff team, but I seriously doubt the X’s are comfortably winning the division again. Of course, with Mongo in charge, you just never know what will happen.

Sioux Falls Canaries

2025: 58-42, 3rd place, W 1R vs. Sioux City (2-1), W West Finals vs. Fargo-Moorhead (3-2), L Miles Wolff Cup Finals vs. Kane County (3-2)

Key Returners: INF Trevor Achenbach, C Scott Combs, LHP Thomas Dorminy (All-Star), INF Mike Hart, RHP Charlie Hasty, OF Jabari Henry, RHP Will Levine, OF Josh Rehwaldt, RHP Ryan Richardson, OF Joe Vos

Key Additions: INF Michael Curialle, RHP Christian Edwards, RHP Chase Gearing, OF Anthony Hall, RHP Dylan Kirkeby, INF Chris Kwitzer, RHP Jalen Miller

Key Losses: INF Jordan Barth (Postseason All-Star), INF Matt Botcher, LHP Tanner Brown, INF Calvin Estrada (Player of the Year), RHP Brendan Knoll, RHP Cole LaLonde (All-Star), RHP Ryan Zimmerman, INF Peter Zimmermann

The Spin: After their great leap forward in 2023 and another playoff spot the following season, Sioux Falls put it all together, posting their best season since 2010 and reaching the Miles Wolff Cup Finals for the first time since that same year, coming up a painful three outs short of their franchise’s second title. In the midst of one of the club’s most successful periods, the Canaries are in a state of transition, with a lot of important faces to replace. That said, Mike Meyer brings back 11 players, pretty much all of whom were key contributors, so the cupboard isn’t totally bare.

Last year, the Birds scored the most runs in the league, and All-Star Rehwaldt (.315, 16 HR, 61 RBI), Hart, and AA home run king Jabari Henry (22 HR, 61 RBI) are all back. Achenbach is an established slugger looking to bounce back from an awful 2025, while Combs looks to keep growing and Vos will start his first full pro season. Dorminy is back after a tremendous year (11-1, 2.90, 121.0 innings) to head the rotation, while trusty closer Hasty (3.25 ERA, 13 saves), Levine, and Richardson anchor the back of the bullpen.

The incoming class is rather lacking, though with the caveat that there might be a couple more guys signing before tonight’s game. Curialle had some decent numbers in the low minors a couple years ago, and Kwitzer has had Indy ball success, but had a miserable ’25. Hall has shown pop in affiliated ball and could very well be a nice bat in the outfield. The rotation straight-up frightens me. Guys like Gearing and Garrett Martin are coming in after awful seasons and seemed like they were going to major rotation pieces. However, Miller and Kirkeby signed yesterday. Kirkeby was up and down in the Frontier League as a first-year pro last year, while Miller has fought his command for his entire decade-long career, but when he’s dialed in, he’s a very good hurler. That’s a major pickup. I do think Edwards could be a nice pickup in the bullpen.

Those guys have some big shoes to fill, with Player of the Year Estrada (.352, 20 HR, 88 RBI) and Postseason All-Star Barth (.303, 19 HR, 66 RBI) both gone from the left side of the infield, with Zimmermann and Botcher also quality infield bats leaving. Brown (6-5, 3.69 ERA, 134 Ks) is a big loss in the rotation, while Zimmerman retired after an excellent second half and postseason, taking out another important arm. Set-up man LaLonde left, along with swingman Knoll. The pitching losses are less in quantity as the staff was fairly shallow last year, but the quality to replace is still an issue.

Mike Meyer has done an excellent job in turning a truly desolate franchise into a multi-year winner, though unfortunately the pitching staff looks so bad that I don’t think the Birds will be able to hit their way out of this conundrum quite as easily. Unless Meyer can uncover some gems (or some underachievers figure it out), I’m hard-pressed to see any situation where Sioux Falls doesn’t take a step back. Out of last year’s West playoff teams, they’re the one I think is mostly likely to miss the dance this season.

Winnipeg Goldeyes

2025: 41-58, 6th place

Key Returners: RHP Landen Bourassa, RHP Luke Boyd, INF Ramon Bramasco, INF Ray-Patrick Didder, OF Roby Enriquez, C Kevin Garcia, LHP Mitch Lambson (All-Star), INF Keshawn Lynch, OF Max Murphy (All-Star), LHP Tasker Strobel (All-Star)

Key Additions: RHP Arij Fransen, OF Adam Hall, LHP Ryo Kohigashi, OF Noah Marcelo, RHP Noah Millikan, INF T.J. Schofield-Sam, LHP Kevin Vaupel

Key Losses: RHP Trevor Brigden, RHP Ben Kowalski, LHP Ben Onyshko, OF Jacob Robson, INF Matthew Warkentin (All-Star), RHP Ryder Yakel (All-Star)

The Spin: After a run to the Miles Wolff Cup Finals in 2024, the bottom fell out north of the border with a last place finish. The pitching wasn’t all that bad, but the offense was a major issue all year. Winnipeg elected to bring back 13 from last year (including seven pitchers), while notably returning most of last year’s rotation, which is a nice place to start.

The headliner of the returners is future AA Hall of Famer Murphy, back for year #6 in Winnipeg after a solid ’25 (.277, 15 HR, 62 RBI). Bramasco, Enriquez, and Lynch are other capable bats returning, while Garcia is back behind the plate and Didder brings power to third base, but can’t hit .199 again. The rotation returns the rubber-armed Lambson (league-high 129.2 innings), plus reliable veterans Bourassa and Boyd. Strobel is a bullpen workhorse (3.60 ERA in 46 games and 75.0 innings).

Adding to the equation is infielder Schofield-Sam, who’s had a fair amount of affiliate success, plus Hall, a former second-rounder who briefly was in Winnipeg in ’24, and Marcelo, one of the top Pioneer League players last season. Millikan comes in after being the top PBL arm a year ago, while Kohigashi was outstanding out of the Quebec bullpen the last two seasons. Fransen and Vaupel did enough in affiliated ball that I could see both of them being impactful arms.

Going the other way, the offense loses a couple nice pieces in sluggers Robson and Warkentin, while Kowalski was traded and bullpen arms Brigden, Onyshko, and Yakel move on, leaving some holes there.

As terrible as the offense was a year ago, I don’t think the Goldeyes did enough to address it, especially as they try to make something out of the last little bit of Murphy’s career (however long that is). With that said, their pitching staff isn’t bad, and while it might not be pretty, I think it will be enough to pitch them into the postseason, especially factoring in who they’ll have to out-pitch.

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Picking the Pecking Order

1. Fargo-Moorhead
2. Kansas City
3. Sioux City
4. Winnipeg
5. Sioux Falls
6. Lincoln

Spin it: Since the AA moved to the East-West divisional alignment in 2022, the West has been considerably stronger each year, though I think the gap shrinks a bit this year as some of the roster construction with a few of these clubs leaves something to be desired. I think Fargo-Moorhead is the best built both offensively and pitching-wise, hence why I have them at the top. Kansas City has some good pieces and usually seems to figure it out. I think Sioux City’s pitching drags them backwards a bit, while Winnipeg slips in to the fourth spot. Like I said up there, the Canaries just have some big holes that weren’t filled that well, and I just don’t see how Lincoln is anything more than the worst team in the league. That team stinks.

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