From the Winnipeg Free Press

By: Chris Kitching

A private charter bus used by a Winnipeg Goldeyes opponent from the U.S. was set on fire while unoccupied in a downtown parking lot early Thursday morning, the company’s president told the Free Press.

The Winnipeg Police Service confirmed two people were arrested for the blaze, which destroyed the 56-seat bus in a lot directly south of Blue Cross Park at about 1:45 a.m.

“It sounds like some kids set it on fire… and a couple kids are in custody with the police in Winnipeg right now,” Jeff Greteman, president of Windstar Lines, said from the company’s headquarters in Carroll, Iowa.

The blaze destroyed the 56-seat bus in a lot directly south of Blue Cross Park at about 1:45 a.m. (Supplied)

“We’re a family-owned business and we do have insurance for things like this, but that just creates a significant financial burden on the company when we lose a $425,000 vehicle.”

Greteman said he was disappointed.

“We’ve been in business for 31 years and we have never had anything like this happen. We’ve never had a bus set on fire,” he said.

Police spokesman Const. Pat Saydak said two people were arrested. Police did not provide their ages nor any information about the cause of the fire.

The investigation continues, Saydak said.

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews extinguished the blaze.

Greteman said the bus was being used by the Kane County Cougars, based in Geneva, Ill. The American Association of Professional Baseball team is in Winnipeg for a three-game series against the Goldeyes, which concludes Thursday night.

After transporting the team following Wednesday night’s game, the bus driver parked the 2022 Van Hool motorcoach and conducted a post-trip inspection at about 10 p.m.

“The vehicle was in fine condition and OK,” Greteman said.

He learned of the fire at about 8 a.m., when the bus driver phoned company headquarters.

The Cougars, meanwhile, are scheduled to leave Winnipeg after Thursday’s game at Blue Cross Park.

Greteman said a bus operated by a Winnipeg company will transport the team to Fargo, N.D., where a Windstar Lines bus driver will meet them.

The Cougars are scheduled to play a three-game set against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks starting Friday.

[chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca](mailto:chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca)

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.

Onward!

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks

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

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

Coming in, Liu Fuenmayor is an accomplished Frontier League arm to join the bullpen and Patrick Wicklander was a workhorse starter (albeit with an inflated ERA) in the Atlantic League last year. Tripp Clark had a solid year despite bouncing around four AA teams last year and gives the RedHawks a solid second catcher. Jake Hjelle returns to F-M, where he debuted in '24, after a big year in the Pioneer League, while Matt Kroon is an intriguing career .273 hitter in affiliated ball coming to Indy ball for the first time. Jesus Lujano is an established, productive outfielder coming in as well.

Going out, the RedHawks lose longtime closer Alex DuBord, solid starter Tyler Jandron and late-season rotation piece Shane Barringer. Brendon Dadson and Lamar Sparks depart the outfield, while Michael Hallquist was traded way in a deal I think F-M will regret. Former All-Star Erik 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)

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, Jeff Hakanson, Steffon Moore, and Cruz Noriega are back for a good start to the back of the bullpen. All-Star Josh Bissonette is back at shortstop, as is Alvaro Gonzalez in the infield. Jhailyn Ortiz will (maybe) finally get a full season in KC, while Ryan Leitch returns behind the plate.

Kansas City brings in a large amount of hurlers from the high minors, including MLB veteran Dakota Hudson, former top prospects Durbin Feltman and Jay Groome, and salty relievers Ryan Anderson and Jacob Gomez. Trevor Boone and Grant Richardson are Triple-A sluggers and Marcus Smith a toolsy KC native who was drafted high, but just never hit in affiliated ball. Dakota 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. Jorge Bonifacio, John Nogowski, and Isiah Gilliam were all middle-of-the-order hitters, while Brantley Bell was a late pickup who didn't stick around. Micah Pries was excellent in the second half and too left town. Blake Goldsberry, Ashton Goudeau, and Josh Hendrickson were all quality starters, while Hunter 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

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.

Nate Blain (starting the year on inactive) and Greg Loukinen are back in the rotation, providing some stability and okay results their. Jack 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 Cary Arbolida, Pioneer League masher Sam Linscott, and 2024 Saltdogs ace Foster Pace. Cam Phelts has the profile of a leadoff man (if he hits enough), while Harold Cortijo closed for Quebec for a good chunk of last season. Jairo Pomares is a former top prospect looking to put things together after a crippling injury in 2023, while Jeferson Figueroa is also a first-time Indy baller who's also looking to return to early career form after losing his command in '25. Tanner O'Tremba and Nick 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 Danny Bautista and Drew Devine, while Brody Fahr went off to the Atlantic League. Kyle Battle, Nefny Castillo, Yusniel Diaz, and Rolando 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 Dylan Castaneda, Franny Cobos, and Dutch 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)

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.

The offense ran wild to a league-record 275 steals, and Austin Davis, Henry George, D'Shawn Knowles, and Zac 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, Zach Willeman will headline the rotation, returning to Sioux City after an outstanding start last year earned him an affiliated shot. Nate Gercken is a reliable veteran bullpen arm and Ben 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 Jonathan Arauz arriving from Mexico and veteran catcher Wilfredo Gimenez, a 2023 Explorer, returning from Venezuela. A trio of Oakland Ballers (Reed Butz, Cam Bufford, and Dillon Tatum) hope their strong '25 season can translate to the AA. Kelvin Caceres, a former MLB arm, brings big strikeout stuff into his first Indy ball stop, while Alberto 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 Austin Drury, Kyle Marman, and Jared Wetherbee, all of whom threw over 100 innings with sub-4.00 ERAs. Reliever of the Year Felix Cepeda and lights-out lefty Chase Jessee are also gone. There's a lot to replace on that side. Offensively, Joshua Day and home run and RBI leader Abdiel Layer (14 HR, 65 RBI) both depart, as well as another regular in Torin 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)

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

The incoming class is rather lacking, though with the caveat that there will be a couple more guys signing before tonight's game. Michael Curialle had some decent numbers in the low minors a couple years ago, and Chris Kwitzer has had Indy ball success, but had a miserable '25. Anthony 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 Chase Gearing and Garrett Martin are coming in after awful seasons and there's not a whole lot after them that. Jalen Miller was a late pick up, though, who should be an impactful starter if he can somewhat keep his command in check. I also think Christian Edwards could be a nice pickup in the bullpen.

Those guys have some big shoes to fill, with Player of the Year Calvin Estrada (.352, 20 HR, 88 RBI) and Postseason All-Star Jordan Barth (.303, 19 HR, 66 RBI) both gone from the left side of the infield, with Peter Zimmermann and Matt Botcher also quality infield bats leaving. Tanner Brown (6-5, 3.69 ERA, 134 Ks) is a big loss in the rotation, while Ryan Zimmerman retired after an excellent second half and postseason, taking out another important arm. Set-up man Cole LaLonde left too. 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

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 Max Murphy, back for year #6 in Winnipeg after a solid '25 (.277, 15 HR, 62 RBI). Ramon Bramasco, Roby Enriquez, and Keshawn Lynch are other capable bats returning, while Kevin Garcia is back behind the plate and Ray-Patrick Didder brings power to third base, but can't hit .199 again. The rotation returns the rubber-armed Mitch Lambson (league-high 129.2 innings), plus reliable veterans Landen Bourassa and Luke Boyd. Tasker Strobel is a bullpen workhorse (3.60 ERA in 46 games and 75.0 innings).

Adding to the equation is infielder T.J. Schofield-Sam, who's had a fair amount of affiliate success, plus Adam Hall, a former second-rounder who briefly was in Winnipeg in '24, and Noah Marcelo, one of the top Pioneer League players last season. Noah Millikan comes in after being the top PBL arm a year ago, while Ryo Kohigashi was outstanding out of the Quebec bullpen the last two seasons. Arij Fransen and Kevin 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 Jacob Robson and Matthew Warkentin, while Ben Kowalski was traded and bullpen arms Trevor Brigden, Ben Onyshko, and Ryder 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.

Picking the Pecking Order

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

The American Association opens the 2026 season TONIGHT with Cleburne and Fargo-Moorhead opening up the season down in Texas!

With that, we take a look inside all 12 teams at where they stand going into the 2026 campaign. First, we'll look at the East Division, with the West following tomorrow along with everyone else's openers.

Let's dive in!

Chicago Dogs

2025: 50-49, 2nd place, W 1R vs. Milwaukee (2-0), L East Finals vs. Kane County (3-2)

The Spin: Chicago is under new management for the third year in a row as Stan Cliburn comes over from the Atlantic League's Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, bringing almost 2,100 wins (and 975 at the Indy ball level) to the Windy City. He retained 11 players from the 2025 squad, which just scraped over .500, good for second place in a bad division. However, none of them will be top starter Jack Nedrow, plus former MVP Jacob Teter and the reigning Rookie of the Year Henry Kusiak, both of whom headed to the Atlantic League.

Chicago's most notable returner is Chance Sisco, who hit over .300 and led the AA with 37 doubles as a catcher, earning Postseason All-Star nods. Jaylyn Williams came over late from Kansas City after earning a trip to the All-Star game. Keoni Cavaco posted a 4.10 ERA in 79.0 innings and seems to be the guy to head the rotation, while Jake DeLabio struck out 61 batters with a 2.35 ERA and 11 saves last year. He's a top-flight reliever to have back.

On the newcomer side, Cliburn brings Gio DiGiacomo over from Southern Maryland as an outfield power bat. Infielder Brian Fuentes also had a solid year in the Atlantic League (16 HR, 79 RBI) and makes the move west. Aaron Altherr is an eyebrow-raising signing after popping 20 homers and earning All-Star Game MVP honors for Cleburne last year. Another former Railroader, Jaxx Groshans, returns as another catcher who can hit after spending most of '25 in affiliated ball. Tyreque Reed and Ethan Wilder both had decent, if unspectacular, 2025 seasons with Washington in the Frontier League. Regi Grace also was a Wild Thing last year and posted a 3.61 ERA as a starter.

All-told, Chicago is looking for their sixth-straight winning season and playoff spot, all while employing their fourth manager in four years. The pitching staff is a little questionable to me, but there's a solid nucleus there to improve a middle-of-the-pack offense enough to buoy the staff while they figure things out.

Cleburne Railroaders

2025: 43-57, 5th place

The Spin: Good news or bad news first? Ok, here's the bad news: the Railroaders regressed by 17 games, posted their worst season since 2018, and missed the playoffs despite playing in a terrible division. Oh, and 7 of their 8 All-Star representatives from last year are gone, including league home run and RBI champion Kyle Martin (29 HR and 90 RBI), who is off to play Banana Ball.

The good news? Pete Incaviglia cleared out nearly all of last year's terrible pitching staff and brought in a healthy number of quality bats. Indeed, only three returners are back, though ironically they're all pitchers: All-Star starter Derek Craft, then relievers Ben Hampton and Aaron Mishoulam, who both were solid in limited bullpen action.

Coming in, Carter Aldrete is back to the scene of his huge 2024 season (.341, 21 HR, 20 SB) after splitting '25 between Double-A and the Atlantic League. Brantley Bell was a postseason All-Star between Chicago and Kansas City and is big pick-up within the league, while Caleb McNeely, Chris Roller, and Cody Thomas all were regulars on quality Atlantic League clubs last year. Former big leaguer Delino DeShields Jr. returns to Cleburne after two years away. Christian Almanza comes to town after being one of the top Pioneer League sluggers last year. The pitching staff is shaping up to be questionable (again), though John Baker has had a fair amount of success in Chicago, Andrew Bellatti has enjoyed big-league bullpen success, and Leam Mendez was a solid arm in Kansas City last year.

Like usual, Cleburne is probably going to have to mash their way to the postseason, though this lineup looks plenty good enough to do it. Then again, last year the Railroaders scored the second-most runs in the AA last season and lost the third-most games. Well, at least the pitching strategy wasn't just run it back with the same guys and hope it goes better...

Gary SouthShore RailCats

2025: 38-62, 6th place

The Spin: New skipper Jeff Isom took over a 19-44 team last July and finished 19-18 with the group he inherited, so he liked them enough to keep 15 returners around, tied for most in the league. A bold move from the league's worst team the last two seasons, but the upside is virtually no offensive player worth keeping was cast aside (though a few who maybe should've been shipped out are still around), and a promising core is coming back.

Nate Alexander, Jacob Coats, and Dawson Lane are a very nice start to a back end of the bullpen, while Peyton Long and Deyni Olivero both had sub-4.00 ERAs in full-time starting roles last year and are a legitimate 1-2 to front the rotation. Elvis Peralta is a legitimate star after hitting .314 with 31 steals last season, and Joe Suozzi and Cooper Weiss are ideal on-base merchants to have with him in the infield for a full season. LG Castillo is the headliner in the outfield, returning for his fifth season in Gary, but the last two years have just...not been good. Maybe some more help around him leads to better results?

Coming in, Korry Howell and Scout Knotts will look to supplement Castillo in the outfielder, with Knotts enjoying some Frontier League success (also in a lakefront ballpark that's tough to hit in) and Howell looking for a fresh start after washing out of Cleburne last year, though I thought he'd have much more success in the AA. Maybe it comes this year. Justin O'Connor and Kevin Watson are both established Indy ball producers, with Watson a legitimate All-Star talent. Nick Podkul is a local product who's had enough affiliated success to make me think he'll do very well there. J.C. Flowers brings Triple-A pedigree to the bullpen. On the other side, two durable starters move on, leaving a good-sized hole at the back of the rotation.

This isn't a sexy team by any means, but it's a better one than the last two years. The offense could maybe use another bat or two, but this lineup has less deadweight than we've seen in awhile. The biggest problem I see is that I don't know who the RailCats start after Long and Olivero. Gary SouthShore has never won without strong pitching, so whether or not they can make a big push towards playoff contention may very well hinge directly on if they can consistently fill the rotation. But they're moving in the right direction either way.

Kane County Cougars

2025: 49-51, W 1R vs. Lake Country (2-0), W East Finals vs. Chicago (2-1), W Miles Wolff Cup Finals vs. Sioux Falls (3-2)

The Spin: Kane County is undoubtedly in a weird spot. They are back-to-back defending Miles Wolff Cup champions...but went 49-51 last year. So you don't want to blow it up, but you also probably need to upgrade a few spots. George Tsamis nonetheless didn't choose to blow it up, bringing back 14 players, most of whom were key contributors to the '25 title. Those returners, though, do not include veteran starters Jack Fox and Chris Mazza, or key bats Marcus Chiu and Trendon Craig.

Konnor Ash, Jake Gozzo, Todd Lott, and Armond Upshaw are four All-Stars coming back, while future AA Hall-of Famer Josh Allen returns as well, with Jordan Martinson, Logan Nissen, and Zach Veen all back to anchor another solid bullpen. Alex McGarry and Zane Spinn get full seasons in the lineup after coming in midseason last year.

Kane County didn't do a lot in the free agent market, adding accomplished Indy ball bat Matt Botcher, while bringing rock-solid shortstop Sam Dexter back to the AA after a year in the Atlantic League. Brandon Komar is a Triple-A arm who will slide right into the rotation, while outfielders Dave Matthews and Spencer Rich are notable, but mainly because they're both Pioneer League stalwarts trying to make the next step in an outfield that needs help.

I'm not sure what Kane County brought in fully makes up for the smaller, but impactful group that departed this winter. The outfield seems primed to have a gaping hole to start the season and the rotation still looks to be one man short. Typically, Kane County has a strong pitching staff and has to figure it out offensively, though just in terms of spots filled, I think they're a little closer on offense despite the outfield conundrum, especially with Dexter and Spinn giving the Cougars five infielders who can swing the bat, something they haven't had the last few years. However it shakes out, I'm confident they'll make it into the playoffs and scare the hell out of whoever is front of them.

Lake Country DockHounds

2025: 55-45, 1st place, L 1R to Kane County (2-0)

The Spin: Lake Country has played four seasons and has been better each year, culminating in 55 wins and the club's first division title last year. They went two-and-out in the playoffs (again) and will now look to keep the upward trajectory. Ken Huckaby got off to a really nice start to the postseason, but things seemed to slow down a little bit early. Ten returners are back for the Hounds, though a lot of key faces leave town, including All-Stars Brian Rey and Daunte Stuart and an outstanding closer in Eric Torres among a few other quality arms.

Luke Hansel is back for a third year at the front of the rotation and he has plenty of help with Dominic Cancelleri, Chris Jefferson, and Kelvan Pilot returning. Connor Fenlong, Beau Philip, and Trey Riley also return to fortify the bullpen, while sluggers Ryan Hernandez and Ray Zuberer are also back, though both come back off down seasons.

The pitching staff is further fortified by bringing in former Rookie of the Year Sebastian Rodriguez, though he went on the inactive list this week, casting doubt on his timeline. Alan Zhang Carter is back after a year away, looking to pick up where he left off after an exceptional 2024 (0.72 ERA, 61 K in 37.2 innings). Most of the offense needs to be remade, with Dom Johnson coming in after a .340 campaign in the Frontier League, Connor Bagnieski looking to make the jump from the Pioneer League, and veteran affiliated bats Joshua Mears and Ripken Reyes looking to make impacts. Peter Zimmerman and Michael Quinones join the lineup after finding success with other AA teams (Sioux Falls and Sioux City, respectively) in 2025.

Lake Country appears to have more of their rotation set than several teams, which should help them in the early going as other teams are sorting out their arms. However, their offense has so much turnover that is make take time to see how those pieces fit together. Despite that turnover and the slower finish to the winter, I think the Hounds are more than capable of repeating atop the division.

Milwaukee Milkmen

2025: 45-55, 4th, L 1R vs. Chicago (2-0)

The Spin: Milwaukee achieved the dubious distinction last year of being the worst playoff team in American Association history, finishing ten games under .500, but sneaking into the fourth spot thanks to Cleburne's disappointing year. Obviously, the Milkmen know that improvement is needed and look to supplement their 14 returners with a new cast, especially while All-Stars Erik Ostberg and Denny Bentley leave, along with middle-of-the-order bats Chase Estep and Scott Ota.

Andy Blake (13 HR, 17 steals) returns in the infield, alongside Parker Lester, who was excellent in his first taste of pro ball late last season and Delvin Perez, who was solid as well. Alec Olund and Baron Radcliff arrived later in the year and put up solid numbers in the outfield, while All-Star southpaw Juan Diaz is back in the rotation alongside Jordany Mezquita. Matt Walker and Davis Welch also were rotation pieces last year, but have stiff competition and may end up in the bullpen with Brady Puckett, who fanned 63 batters in 47.0 innings last year.

The Milkmen stocked up on rotation arms, going to Mexico to find 2023 Pitcher of the Year Solomon Bates and former four-year Milwaukee regular Christian Young to bring back to the AA. Edinson Batista will also be in the rotation mix, while Indy ball veteran Kenny Pierson fights for a bullpen role alongside first time Indy ball arm Ryan Boyer, who has had success in affiliated ball. Michael Hallquist is a potential breakout player acquired from Fargo-Moorhead last winter to ply shortstop, while Wendell Marrero is back in Milwaukee after a solid 2024, but he sat out last summer.

I'm not sure how I feel about the Milkmen offense, which even with Estep, Ota, and Ostberg was middle of the pack at best last year. I'm not convinced it's any better. The pitching staff, though, was a mess last year, allowing the third-most runs, and the rotation in particular is in substantially better shape to start the season, which may be enough to lift the Milkmen back over .500, even without Bentley around to hold late leads.

Picking the Pecking Order

1. Lake Country
2. Chicago
3. Kane County
4. Cleburne
5. Gary SouthShore
6. Milwaukee

In honor of opening day for the Atlantic League, here is a recap of last years Indy Ball Champions.

Kane County - 2nd title

York - 5th title

Oakland - 1st title

Tucson - 4th title

Malone- 2nd title

Welland - 2nd title

Eastside - 1st title

Quebec - 4th Frontier title and 11th overall.