American Association Sunday Insider- Zim
I was planning on doing part two of my blog from last week asking "why aren't they in affiliate ball?". Then news came across that long time American Association staple and all around good guy Ryan Zimmerman was released by the Sioux Falls Canaries.
Let's preface what I'm going into with this. We know how at times being released can mean several things, including a player may be going to go play somewhere else and is not coming back. Someone may be injured and there is not enough room to put them on the inactive list. It could be a salary saving maneuver. But when you've had four starts and your ERA is 21.21, it's pretty easy to assume it may be performance related. I've been told that Zimmerman is remaining with the Canaries in his pitching coach capacity. But never say never, especially in this league, to a comeback.
Zimmerman personifies what the American Association is all about.
After a four year career with St. Thomas in Mendota Heights, a suburb of St. Paul, the Eden Prairie, Minnesota native Zimmerman signed with the St. Paul Saints in 2018. On a Saints team that was playoff bound but only had three solid starting pitchers, Zimmerman was thrust into the rotation. There were flashes of excellence, but as often times happens with rookies fresh out of college, the innings between the college and pro season began adding up, and Zimmerman took his lumps with a 2-2 record and a 7.03 earned run average.
Zimmerman was back in the fold in 2019 and with some rest and experience under his belt, he got off to an excellent start pitching in various roles in the Saints bullpen. Once again however, Zimmerman was needed in the rotation and ended up starting 17 games winning seven and lowered the ERA to 4.13. But Zim saved his best for the playoffs. In a win or go home scenario, he shut down a potent Fargo Moorhead offense in Game Four at CHS Field going 7.1 shutout innings allowing only three hits and striking out ten. It is so huge in the American Association to get this sort of performance from your "rookies".
One more start came for Zimmerman in that championship season and it was in Game three of the Miles Wolff Cup. Former MLB slugger Jeremy Hazelbaker got to Zimmerman for a three run home run in the first inning, but from there Zim shut down the Explorers setting the stage for a rally and eventually a championship at the end of the night.
In 2020 Zimmerman was back in St. Paul. As has been documented, it was a strange season. Zimmerman struggled against stacked lineups in the six team circuit. Zimmerman won four games but saw his ERA go to 5.64.
Then came the tough news for us Saints fans and players alike. There was no longer a St. Paul Saints team in the American Association. Manager George Tsamis distributed many of his players throughout the American Association to fill any player to be named laters that were out there yet. One of them was sending Zimmerman to Milwaukee. Tsamis would get the job in Kane County. You wonder if he knew he was getting the job in Kane County earlier, how much of the 2019 band he could have got back together in Geneva.
Zimmerman took well to pitching in Milwaukee and won ten games in 2021 and 2023 with his best season of the three being in 2023 when he had a 3.35 ERA. In all three seasons in Milwaukee, Zimmerman struck out more than 100 batters each season. Zim was also durable throwing at least 99 innings a season. A highlight was getting to pitch a scoreless second inning in the American Association All Star Game in 2023 at Franklin Field.
In spite of the success though, he never got the chance to pitch in affiliated baseball. But he kept coming back.
Then Zimmerman was traded to Sioux Falls. The Birdcage was Zim's home park for part of the 2020 season, but he never had pitched there for an entire season. Although there was a near no hitter thrown in July, Zimmerman struggled in 2024 and those struggles carried on to this season.
As a pitcher who pitched for guys that know pitching like George Tsamis, Kerry Ligtenberg and Mike Meyer, Zim will be a fine pitching coach.
The St. Paul Saints are the last professional baseball team that I ever rooted for. That did not carry on with the move to AAA. I gave it a shot, it didn't do it for me. It reminded me of Wayne's World when the production company commercialized the show too much and it lost its hip factor. Going into this season there were only five players left playing from the 2019 championship team. Four of the five have become American Association legends, Zimmerman, Josh Allen, Jabari Henry, Max Murphy and Tanner Keist (currently on the Dodgers Developmental List). It makes me feel old and more removed from being a fan as that list gets smaller. I know in talking to Zimmerman last season, that he is looking at the potential expansion to Blaine with a great deal with interest as I am myself. I hope we can through a new franchise, preserve and recognize the history of the Independent St. Paul Saints.
Way too early American Association Power Rankings:
1. Kansas City Monarchs 20
2. Sioux City Explorers 19
3. Chicago Dogs 18
4. Cleburne Railroaders 18
5. Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 18
6. Lake Country DockHounds 15
7. Milwaukee Milkmen 14
8. Kane County Cougars 13
9. Winnipeg Goldeyes 13
10. Sioux Falls Canaries 13
11. Linclon Saltdogs 12
12. Gary SouthShore 10
10.
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