The first (half) month of the American Association season has come and gone, with 2 1/2 weeks of play in the books. Some surprises have sprung up and other less surprising developments have unfolded, but nonetheless there’s plenty to unpack.

First and foremost, pour one out for Pointstreak, the at-times-cantankerous stats hosting platform that the AA used from 2010-25. With the calendar turning to June, Pointstreak was shut down, with many stats and other information from those years being lost to history. Rest easy, sweet prince.

Anyways…we’ll take a look at a storyline impacting each of the 12 teams in the early going:

Chicago Dogs: Jaxx Groshans picks up where he left off

May has been a little uneven for the Dogs, sitting at 7-8 and reeling a bit after three pitchers, included ace Eric Lin, were picked up by MLB organizations since Opening Day. Neither side of the ball has been particularly impressive, with the club in the bottom half of the league in both runs scored and ERA.

However, catcher Jaxx Groshans has been a huge pickup as he looks just like his 2024 form, when he was a Postseason All-Star for Cleburne. Fresh off a two-homer day on the final day of May, Groshans is slashing .316/.400/.632 with six homers and 16 RBI, both firmly in the top-10 in the league.

Groshans was signed by the Los Angeles Angels in the winter of ’24-25, but was released midseason and landed back in Cleburne late last year, hitting just .161 with no homers and two RBI in 18 games. That was enough for the Railroaders to give up on him, much to Chicago’s benefit.

Cleburne Railroaders: Can’t outhit their pitching

After an immensely disappointing 57-loss season in 2025, Pete Incaviglia completely overhauled the Cleburne Railroaders, bringing back just three players from last season. The new cast of characters hasn’t paid off yet, with a 6-10 record that has them last in the East.

As is usual, the Railroaders are being dragged down by a poor pitching staff that has improved somewhat since a very rough opening series against Fargo-Moorhead, but still sits at a 5.94 ERA, second-worst in the league. The offense hasn’t been bad, ranking fourth in the league in runs, but while tying for the second-fewest homers and posting a team OPS (.739) that ranks eighth.

When Cleburne is at their best, they employ a passable pitching staff and an excellent offense. So far, neither of those boxes are being checked.

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks: Can’t outhit their pitching, but more extreme

Maybe the biggest surprise of the season so far is the complete state of disarray of the Fargo-Moorhead pitching staff. Last year, the RedHawks led the American Association with a 3.65 team ERA. Right now? Dead last, by far, with a 6.89 mark, plus 126 runs allowed, also last by a healthy margin.

Attrition didn’t help. Three-time All-Star Tyler Grauer retired in spring training, while All-Star closer Garrett Alexander left for Mexico right after Opening Day and reigning AA Pitcher of the Year Jake Dykhoff made one start, then was picked up by the Baltimore Orioles. Still, outside of Dykhoff (no earned runs in 6.0 innings), only two players have thrown 5.0 innings with an ERA below 5, with notable massive steps back for Opening day starter Kyle Crigger (6.43 in 21.0 IP) and lefty reliever Parker Harm (9.64 in 9.1 IP), plus two rough outings for Kolby Kiser after he returned from the inactive list.

It’s too bad, as well, because the RedHawks have hit the cover off the ball, tying for the league lead in runs (114) and posting a .296/.374/.489 slash line as a team. Led by Jose Sermo’s league-high eight homers and 22 RBI, this group has already scored double-digit runs six times this year. Really, this is a similar formula to what Cleburne trotted out last year, which did not work for them. So far, same story here: F-M is in fifth in the West with a 7-9 record.

Gary SouthShore RailCats: Elvis Peralta reaches another level

Last year was a league-worst 38-62 campaign for the Gary SouthShore RailCats, but Elvis Peralta emerged as a legitimate star in his first season in Northwest Indiana, finishing fourth in the AA in batting average (.314) and second in hits (122), while stealing 31 bases. All told, he posted a very solid .314/.390/.416 slash line.

This year, though, he’s ripping off a .345/.424/.691 line, good for a ridiculous 1.115 OPS. After hitting just three home runs last year, Peralta already has ripped five round-trippers, while ranking third with 19 RBI. His profile a year ago was the table-setter. This year, he’s the run producer and a major cog to the RailCats surviving a rough first weekend and sitting at a very manageable 7-8, despite an offense that’s struggled around him, scoring the second-fewest runs in the league.

Peralta certainly had an argument that he was snubbed from the Postseason All-Star team last year. If he keeps up anything close to this production, he won’t have that gripe this year.

Kane County Cougars: Pitching and defense win championships

The two-time defending Miles Wolff Cup champions are showing no signs of a championship hangover, boasted a 10-5 record that’s second-best in the league. The pitching staff and the defense behind them have been a big reason why.

The staff has posted a 3.67 team ERA, second-best in the circuit, have walked the fewest batters in the league by a full batter per game, and logged a league-best 1.15 WHIP. Returning ace Konnor Ash and multi-year returner both have sub-2.00 ERAs in three starts each and newcomer Reese Sharp has allowed just three runs in 12.0 innings over two starts. On the other end, Logan Nissen and Jake Gozzo are both just as lethal at the end of games as they were last season.

The defense has also committed just three errors, good for a league-best .994 fielding percentage, further limiting opposing offensive opportunities. Meanwhile, the offense hasn’t been too shabby either, scoring the fifth-most runs in the league despite hitting the fewest homers thus far.

Kansas City Monarchs: Pitching carries the weight

For most of their existence, the Kansas City T-Bones/Monarchs have been an offense-first team (a 300-foot left field wall certainly helps), and title teams in 2021 and ’23 have been no exception, with each scoring over 600 runs and the ’22 squad scoring a league-record 696 runs.

The bats have ceded the stage to the pitching lately, though, none more so than right now. The offense is batting a league-low .214 and have the second-lowest OPS (.697) and runs scored (71). However, the pitching staff has a league-best 2.91 ERA, allowing the fewest runs (48) and homers (5), while allowing the second-fewest hits/9 (7.44).

As a result, despite the anemic offense, the Monarchs have won four straight series and sit at 9-6 in second place in the West. Their pitching staff will get their toughest test yet in Fargo-Moorhead’s wrecking crew coming to town on Tuesday…though F-M’s pitching staff may also offer a chance to get KC’s own bats on track.

Lake Country DockHounds: Have the look of a title contender

From top to bottom, the most impressive team so far has been Lake Country. The DockHounds have won seven straight and sit at a league-best 11-5, tied for the most runs (114) in the league and boasting the top run differential (+39). They’ve gotten it done on the mound, allowing the fewest hits/9 (7.29) in the league and boasting the fourth-best ERA.

The offense, though, is the calling card. In addition for being tied for the lead in runs, the squad has a league-best .387 on-base percentage, 506 slugging and .892 OPS, while leading the circuit in home runs (28) and even stealing the second-most bases, with a stellar 38-for-41 mark. Ryan Hernandez is arguably the MVP front-runner, hitting .353 with 7 homers and 20 RBI, both second-best in the league leading a deep lineup boasting five hitters batting over .290 and three of the league’s six hitters with at least five homers, plus leadoff man Dom Johnson stealing 16 bases in the first 16 games.

Playing in their fifth season, the DockHounds have impressively improved their on-field record in every season, winning 55 games and their first division title last year. Early on, the squad has the look of one who can take yet another step: one of a team who can make noise in the playoffs for the first time.

Lincoln Saltdogs: New management, same struggles

After back-to-back poor seasons and only one winning season in five years, Brett Jodie departed as Saltdogs manager last winter. James Frisbie took over and promptly overhauled most of the roster. While a logical move when inheriting a bad team, the results haven’t been any better, with Lincoln holding the worst record (5-11) and run differential (-40) in the league.

The offense has a solid top-four, highlighted by Cary Arbolida (.328, 2 HR, 6 RBI), and Jairo Pomares (.315, 3 HR, 11 RBI), but drops off fast behind them, resulting in the fewest runs scored in the AA. The pitching staff hasn’t been better, with Tyler Stasiowski boasting an insane 18.7 K/9 out of the bullpen and claiming Pitcher of the Week honors, but the staff’s 5.87 ERA and 96 runs allowed both third-worst. They’ve also walked the most batters in the league.

Preseason, I did not think the Saltdogs were going to be good at all. So far, absolutely nothing has changed. That’s not to say James Frisbie is a bad hire or his tenure is already a failure. But year one under the new boss is looking to be no better than the regime before.

Milwaukee Milkmen: Michael Hallquist making leap to stardom

This offseason, the Milwaukee Milkmen acquired shortstop Michael Hallquist in a trade with Fargo-Moorhead. He was a player that I had earmarked as a potential breakout player after slashing .271/.332/.468 with 19 steals as a 23-year-old last year.

Indeed, Hallquist is slashing .354/.449/.631 with six doubles, four home runs, and 11 RBI, ranking fourth with a 1.079 OPS and being one of just four players with double-digit extra-base hits. He’s also 6-for-7 on the basepaths and has played errorless defense at shortstop.

The Milkmen now limp home after a 2-8 road trip that has them at 7-9 overall, but they sure can take solace in knowing that they have a future All-Star on their hands. Safe to say that Fargo-Moorhead probably misses the Fargo native right around now.

Sioux City Explorers: Still running wild

Last year, the Sioux City Explorers ran with reckless abandon, obliterating the American Association record by stealing 275 bases. Four players stole at least 40 bases and all of them returned to the X’s, so keeping the track meet going is not a surprise.

So far, the Explorers have ripped off a league-best 44 bags as they’re on pace for 259 as a team. Sioux City stole seven bases yesterday and have two of the three (Zac Vooletich and Henry George with 11 each) in the AA with double-digit swipes. The speed (and leading the league in walks) has helped the X’s score 93 runs, third-most in the league.

However, Sioux City is only 7-9 so far, with a pitching staff that’s still getting their feet under them (and a 1-3 record in one-run games) being the primary culprit. Nonetheless, the offense blueprint is crystal-clear and getting the job done.

Sioux Falls Canaries: Finding a way to win

After losing a significant number of contributors last winter, the Sioux Falls Canaries seemed prime for a significant step back from last year’s 58-win campaign. Then the group started 8-2, though back-to-back series losses ended the month. Nonetheless, the Birds are 10-6 and atop the West.

With a lot of new faces, the Birds are middle-of-the-pack offensively while the pitching staff is fifth in ERA. The team only boasts a +6 run differential, but Sioux Falls is 5-0 in one-run games, thanks in large part to a back end of the bullpen that still boasts reliable veterans Will Levine and Charlie Hasty to hold late leads.

The offense is still a ways behind last year’s top-scoring squad, while the rotation still has significant question marks. Obviously, winning every one-run game is not sustainable. But nonetheless, the Canaries have survived the early part of the schedule rather well.

Winnipeg Goldeyes: It’s a wild rollercoaster ride

The Winnipeg Goldeyes have been all over the map to start the year, boasting 12-3, 9-2 (twice), and 7-1 wins…but also 14-7, 14-2, 12-5, and 12-2 losses. They’ve swept Milwaukee. They’ve also been swept…by Milwaukee. It’s hard to get a read on this team so far, which is 7-8 and third in the West.

The underlying numbers aren’t encouraging: a -15 run differential, and the fourth-worst ERA and fourth-fewest runs scored in the league. The offense is better than last year as a whole, with Noah Marcelo (.988 OPS, 4 HR, 15 RBI) and a heating-up Max Murphy (.293, 3 HR, 9 RBI) leading the group, but the pitching staff has taken a step back, notably with key veterans Mitch Lambson and Tasker Strobel both off to awful starts and no newcomers meaningfully stepping up yet.

There is room for the Goldeyes to improve with the roster they have, though just simply evening out and posting more consistent results night-to-night would be a good place to start in properly assessing where they are.

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