Four (& possibly 5) Kansas City Monarchs are headed to the All-Star Game: Weekly roundup

Carter Woodiel
·2 min read

Much of the Kansas City Monarchs’ lineup is new. The result — winning baseball — isn’t.

Featuring a lineup with five former major leaguers, the Monarchs are back at the top the standings. They completed a 12-11 comeback win over Winnipeg Sunday to earn a crucial series victory.

Three new position players joined the Monarchs roster ahead of Tuesday’s game: power bat Brian O’Grady, outfielder Aaron Whitefield and infielder Peter Maris.

O’Grady and Whitefield are both former major leaguers. The two have already formed a close relationship in their week with Kansas City

“Me and Whitey flew in on the same day and took the Uber together, so we were talking for a while,” O’Grady said. “He’s a great dude.”

Maris helped the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks to an American Association championship in 2022, knocking the Monarchs out of the playoffs in the process.

“I love all the boys in Fargo; those are my guys. We’re going to make new memories here in KC,” Maris said. “That was last year, this is this year, and I’m trying to win.”

The new names have wasted no time making an impact. O’Grady already has two home runs and eight RBIs in five games with Kansas City. Maris has seven RBIs in six games while playing shortstop, second and third. Whitefield delivered a walk-off single in the Monarchs’ dramatic 12-11 win on Sunday.

“I’m just trying to do the job; we’ve got a great bunch of guys here; we’re having fun,” Whitefield said. “I’m just happy to come through at the end there.”

Four Kansas City Monarchs headed to All-Star game

Four Kansas City Monarchs are heading to the American Association’s All-Star game, the league announced Monday.

Catcher Chris Herrmann and second baseman Justin Wylie both made the starting lineup for the West Division. Pitchers Jalen Miller and Trey Jeans also made the squad.

Additionally, Monarchs catcher and infielder Gavin Collins is one of six candidates for the Last Man In, a fan vote to determine the final roster spot on each division’s All-Star team. Fans can vote for Collins online at aabaseball.com. Voting is open until Thursday at 5 p.m. Central.

Dylan Rosa was also named to the West Division team as their starting designated hitter, but he was traded from the Monarchs to the Chicago Dogs shortly after the announcement was made.

The American Association All-Star Game is set for July 18, 2023 at 6:35 p.m. from Franklin Field, home of the Milwaukee Milkmen.