Comings and Goings from the Bigs and Mexico, Youth and Charity Days: Ten Things to Know in the American Association This Week

The American Association of Professional Baseball (@AA_Baseball) rolls into another week full of top matchups and meaningful off-field activities. The MLB Partner League continues to interact with MLB affiliates and the Mexican League, with several players moving both ways between the leagues in the past few days.

Here are 10 (or so) Things to Know about the AAPB this week:

• In recognition of those affected by the ongoing wildfires in Canada, Manitoba Blue Cross has donated 400 game tickets and 400 food vouchers for Saturday’s National Indigenous Peoples Day at Blue Cross Park to individuals who have been displaced. Winnipeg takes on Sioux City at 6 p.m. CT. This is the first time the Goldeyes have hosted a National Indigenous Peoples Day celebration, as the date has never previously coincided with a game day. The evening will feature a vibrant lineup of live entertainment celebrating the richness and diversity of Indigenous culture, music, and dance.
• MLB’s Play Ball Weekend, a nationwide initiative designed to spark youth interest and participation in baseball and softball, hit Oconomowoc, Wis., last weekend, and Lake Country hit it out of the park, as Dockhounds players and staff brought smiles and high-fives to the local YMCA Miracle League field. There they teamed up with children of all abilities to celebrate the game of baseball.
• Some transaction highlights:
  • On Sunday, the Kansas City Monarchs transferred the contract of LHP Jake Brentz to the Chicago Cubs. Brentz struck out 17 batters in 12 1/3 innings with the Monarchs, and made 72 appearances for the Royals in 2021 (5-2, 3.66) and eight more in 2022.
  • Infielder Armando Alvarez, who saw action in 16 games for the Athletics last year and is a 10-year pro, singed with Sioux City on Sunday.
  • Fargo-Moorhead fans will be familiar with their most recent signee, pitcher Tyler Wilson, who is in his 17^th pro season and previously pitched for Cleburne (’18, ’19, ’21, ’24) and the RedHawks (’20). He had been pitching in the Mexican League since 2021.
  • In more news South of the Border, Monarchs’ star outfielder Isiah Gilliam has signed with Tabasco of the Mexican League. Gilliam leads the AAPB with a .389 average, .478 on-base and .770 slugging. The former Yankees and Reds farmhand’s 1.248 OPS for the Monarchs ranks nearly 100 points above second place in the league. And Fargo-Moorhead transferred the contract of LHP Greg Minier (3-2, 2.67 ERA) to the Diablos Rojos del México.
• The AAPB will hold the American Association Futures Tryout Camp on Monday, July 21 at the Bucky Burgau Field on the campus of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. The Camp is a post-MLB Draft event and is being held in conjunction with the 2025 American Association All-Star Game, hosted by the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, N.D., on July 22.
• Soldiers assigned to the 85th U.S. Army Reserve Command color guard team presented the colors during the National Anthem before the start of the Chicago Dogs versus the Cleburne Railroaders baseball game at Impact Field on Saturday.
• Trading card scanner app Ludex announced a partnership with REV Entertainment, extending to the Kane County Cougars and Cleburne Railroaders, that will include in-stadium activations, giveaways, exclusive offers, and interactive experiences centered around the Ludex app.
• Mitchell Lambson of Winnipeg and Jordan Barth of Sioux Falls earned AAPB Pitcher and Batter of the Week honors, respectively. Lambson pitched a complete game, allowing one run and striking out seven, while Barth led the league in hitting this week with a .536 average and 15 hits including three doubles, a triple and a home run.
• Kane County broadcast intern Nicholas Eriksen of the University of Georgia discussed his ongoing experience in Geneva, Ill. on the Grady College of Journalism Website.
• Some of this week’s notablepromotions across the league include:
  • The Cleburne Railroaders will have a player card set giveaway on Saturday presented by Dairy Queen
  • Winnipeg will hold Lou Gehrig Night tonight in honor of the 122^nd anniversary of his birth in 1903.
  • Fargo-Moorhead highlights an important cause with Suicide Prevention Night tonight.
  • Cleburne will bring back the Cleburne Eagles during a Juneteenth celebration on Saturday
  • The home parks of Lake Country and Milwaukee are a little over 30 miles apart, which makes the Rivalry Series branding for their weekend series in Oconomowoc a natural.
• Media interest in AAPB remains strong. Some of the recent articles on teams include:
  • First and Pen highlighted Jabari Henry’s fan-friendly approach to baseball and, by the way, his home run record…
  • MLB.com noted that the only pro player from the island of Bermuda is Adam Hall, currently with the Brewers’ AA affiliate in Biloxi, Miss., after a stint with the Winnipeg Goldeyes last year.
  • Salon had its take on JD Scholten’s U.S. Senate run, which Yahoo! News also picked up.
  • Baseball.com.au updated fans Down Under on some of their native sons in pro ball, including the Monarchs’ Josh Hendrickson.
  • The Telegraph Herald gave Dubuque, Iowa, readers a progress report on Johnny Blake of the Lincoln Saltdogs.
  • KCTV is excited about the Monarchs’ league-best 22-11 record.