With Father’s Day in the rear-view, we are now about 1/3 of the way through the American Association season. Obviously, a lot can happen, but we’re also far enough along that we can start to see some teams being sorted out and players accruing large enough sample sizes to judge them a little more accurately.

Today, we’ll take a look at five returning players (in alphabetical order) who were generally unspectacular in 2025, but this year have taken a big stride forward to become a key piece on their team.

Claudio Finol, Kane County Cougars

Finol is the one player on this list who’s been a star before, slashing .309/.386/.451 with 22 doubles, 11 homers, and 56 RBI in 2024, being named a Postseason All-Star at third base. Last year, though, his numbers crashed across the board: a .240/.314/.349 line with just four home runs in 92 games. His .663 OPS ranked 56th out of 60 hitters with at least 350 plate appearances. It was a bad season.

This season, however, Finol has found his ’24 form, slashing .314/.367/.524 with 13 doubles, three homer, and 30 RBI in 30 games, tied for sixth in the league in RBI. On a team needing to replace the production of Trendon Craig and Marcus Chiu, his resurgence has been critical in helping keep the Cougars offense afloat, especially with veterans Sam Dexter and Todd Lott off to slow starts.

Michael Hallquist, Milwaukee Milkmen

I’ve written enough words about Hallquist this year and I’m not surprised at his breakout, but he’s been so good that he has to be on this list.

Hallquist was a perfectly fine player his first two pro seasons in Fargo-Moorhead: a .775 OPS in about 1/3 of a season in 2024 and .800 OPS in 61 games last year while playing good defense at shortstop.

This year with Milwaukee, though, he’s slashed .336/.421/.618 for a 1.039 OPS that is fifth in the American Association. He’s popped eight homers (more than his first two years combined), nearly equaled last year’s total with 22 RBI, and added 13 doubles, also just one off his ’25 tally. He’s driven an offense on a Milkmen squad off to a 21-12 start; the league’s second-best record.

A lot of these leaps will be players going from liabilities to assets. Hallquist is a player who made the jump from solid player to Postseason All-Star-caliber.

Ryan Hernandez, Lake Country DockHounds

Is it a cop-out to say the player set to obliterate multiple records is “most improved?” Yes, but similar to Finol, Hernandez is a player who had a great ’24, took a big step back, and has now rebounded in a massive way.

After hitting .295 with 29 homers and 92 RBI to earn Rookie of the Year and Postseason All-Star honors in ’24, Hernandez backslid considerably: hitting .249 with 18 homers and 50 RBI in just one fewer game than 2024, with an OPS 140 points lower (.952 to .812).

This year, he’s slashing .371/.471/.802 for a ridiculous 1.273 OPS. He leads the league in slugging and OPS, as well as his 14 homers and 43 RBI, which are already approaching last year’s numbers in a third of the games. Lake Country would’ve been thrilled if he approached his 2024 form again. Instead, he’s well on his way to one of the greatest individual seasons in league history.

Peniel Otaño, Sioux City Explorers

In a year where pitching has been a problem league-wide, Otaño has pulled a total 180 from last year, when the AA had their best pitching year since 2019, but Otaño was one of the league’s worst starters. The right-hander logged an unsightly 6.72 ERA in 81.2 innings, tied for the third-worst among all qualified hurlers. While the X’s had excellent starting pitching last year, Otaño was very clearly the weak link.

This year, Sioux City’s three workhorses from 2025 (Austin Drury, Kyle Marman, and Jared Wetherbee) are all gone, but Otaño has stepped up in a massive way. The 25-year-old leads the league with a 1.83 ERA and is third with 44.1 innings. He doesn’t strike out many (6.3 K/9), but he’s allowed just one home run and after walking 6.2 BB/9 last season, he’s practically sliced that rate in half. Otaño has arguably taken the biggest step forward of anyone: going from one of the league’s worst starters to arguably its best so far.

Davis Welch, Milwaukee Milkmen

While teammate Michael Hallquist’s acquisition and breakout are a big key behind Milwaukee’s excellent start, it’s the pitching staff driving the bus, leading the league with a 3.85 ERA after finishing 10th in ERA a season ago. Welch was certainly an offender, logging a 5.36 ERA in 94.0 innings while allowing 10.4 H/9, posting only 4.9 K/9, and lugging a bloated 1.59 WHIP.

This year, though, Welch is 5-0 with a 1.95 ERA in 37.0 innings, ranking second in the league in ERA and is one of just three pitchers with five wins. His strikeout rate is still modest (6.6 K/9), but he’s cut his H/9 all the way down to 5.6, second-best in the league, and his WHIP is third at 0.95. He’s lowered his walk rate by a full batter per nine and allowed just one home run this season as he’s headlined the Milkmen rotation.

Honorable Mentions

There are plenty of other players who have had more success in other go-around the AA. These include, in alphabetical order:

C Scott Combs, Sioux Falls — .241/.276/.311, .588 OPS in 64 games in 2025; .275/.318/.438, .755 OPS in ’26

RHP Aaron Mishoulam, Cleburne — 6.70 ERA, 1.74 WHIP in 44.1 IP in 2025; 3.81 ERA, 1.31 WHIP in 28.1 IP in ’26

C Jacob Morrow, Lincoln — .170/.313/.198, .511 OPS in 37 games in 2025; .409/.542/.568, 1.111 OPS in 15 games in ’26

RHP Westin Muir, Kane County — 6.72 ERA in 81.2 IP in 2025; 3.90 ERA in 30.0 IP in ’26

OF Tanner O’Tremba — .215/.320/.329, .650 OPS, 6 HR in 60 games in 2025; .253/.362/.456, .817 OPS, 4 HR in 22 games in ’26

LHP David Shaw, Lincoln — 7.07 ERA, 1.64 WHIP in 14.0 IP in 2025; 2.87 ER, 1.21 WHIP in 15.2 IP in ’26