The modern Sioux Falls Canaries are 30 years old. Here are the franchise's 10 best players since 1993.

It's been another rough year for the Sioux Falls Canaries. They're in last place in the American Association's West Division, thanks mostly to a pitching staff that, well, let's just say that when you play in South Dakota and the team ERA is higher than the area code, things aren't going well.

But this is the Birds' 30th season since bringing professional baseball back to Sioux Falls, so in the interest of nostalgia, here's our list of the 10 best players ever to don the blue and yellow (and, yes, the black and brown from the brief Fighting Pheasants era). The list is in alphabetical order.

Reggie Abercrombie

A big, imposing and flamboyant combination of power and speed, the former Florida Marlin is the American Association’s all-time leader in hits, homers and RBI.

And while he did much of the damage in a Winnipeg Goldeyes uniform, Abercrombie spent parts of four seasons in Sioux Falls, hitting 54 homers in a Birds uniform, including 22 in 2010, when he partnered with Beau Torbert and Brandon Sing to form one of the most formidable 3-4-5’s in minor league history.

More: Two Canaries named to American Association All-Star Game

Pedro Guerrero

Players of Guerrero’s caliber don’t come through the Indy circuits anymore, and 30 years later, it’s still hard to believe a five-time MLB All-Star and World Series MVP played for the Canaries, but that’s what will always make Guerrero the most memorable and arguably most important player in Canaries history.

A career .300 hitter in the big leagues, with 215 home runs and an .850 OPS, Guerrero brought instant credibility to the fledgling Northern League in 1993, and batted .278 in 42 games for Sioux Falls. He returned in 1994 and at the age of 38 batted .328 with eight home runs.

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Jabari Henry

The only active player on the list, no one has hit more home runs in a Canaries uniform than Henry. He set a team record with 29 dingers in his first season in Sioux Falls, in 2017, and is among the league leaders again this year, with 16 homers at the end of June. That gives him 88 and counting in his Canaries career.

Rich Hyde

A classic old-school workhorse, Hyde was the prototypical staff ace for six seasons in Sioux Falls. He went 9-3 with a 2.72 ERA in his Birds debut in 1996, then had three straight seasons with eight wins, 100-plus innings and a sub-3.50 ERA from 1999-2001.

He moved on to Joliet in 2002 and put up four more excellent seasons before retiring in 2005 with a Northern League mark of 85-51 with a 3.41 ERA. He won 53 games and notched 519 strikeouts in a Canaries uniform, both second in franchise history.

More: Canaries pull off wild comeback in win over Winnipeg Wednesday night

Pat Mahomes

Now most famous for being the father of an MVP quarterback, Mahomes was a well-known name from a long major league career as a journeyman relief pitcher, and he was instrumental in delivering the Canaries their only championship in 2008.

Immediately installed as the No. 1 starter on Steve Shirley’s pitching staff in 2007, Mahomes won 22 games in his two full seasons atop the rotation and was an invaluable mentor to his young teammates.

Ben Moore

A thoughtful and wise-cracking character on the field and off, Moore was a back-of-the-rotation guy when Shirley first brought Moore to Sioux Falls, but after developing his signature pitch – the "sweeper" – Moore transformed into the best pitcher in independent baseball.

He was the American Association pitcher of the year in 2010 and 2011, winning 24 games and leading the league in strikeouts both years, while also pitching the Perth Heat to an Australian Baseball championship, enjoying a successful eight-start stint in the Atlantic League, and returning for two more years in Sioux Falls before retiring in 2014. He’s the franchise’s all-time leader in wins (55) and strikeouts (698) among several other categories.

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Felix Pagan

A former Twins farmhand, Pagan was a reliable middle-of-the-order bat for Doc Edwards for five seasons. He batted .331 with 19 homers to help lead the Canaries to their first playoff appearance in 2001, and remained a steady hitter throughout his tenure. He left the Canaries after the 2004 season and at the time was the all-time franchise leader in home runs, hits and RBI.

Charles Peterson

A first-round draft pick who never made it to the big leagues, Peterson joined the Birds in 1999 and brought an air of professionalism to the team, in the lineup and in the clubhouse. He was also an intimidating and dangerous presence in the box. He batted a whopping .364 with 16 homers to lead the way to the team’s first playoff appearance in 2001, then after splitting 2002 between Mexico and Winnipeg, returned to the Birds midway through 2003 and batted .289 with six homers in 37 games.

More: The Canaries' oldest living player met Babe Ruth and got a hit off Don Larsen

Chris Powell

An absolute powder keg of speed, power, and 100 mph intensity, Powell’s uniform was always dirty, he was always on base, and no fly ball in the gap was out of his reach unless it was over the fence.

Powell batted .302 in the Birds’ debut season in 1993, then tore up the Northern League a year later, batting .357 with seven triples, four homers, 17 steals and a .413 on-base percentage to earn a contract in the Angels' organization. He returned to Sioux Falls in ’96 and batted .333 with a whopping .474 OBP, then hit .301 in 31 games in his final stint in Sioux Falls in 1997.

Beau Torbert

Steve Shirley knew he was getting a good player when he landed Torbert before the 2008 season, but he had no idea how dominant the former Double-A all-star would truly turn out to be. Torbert played three seasons in Sioux Falls and won the American Association MVP award in two of them. He would’ve earned the honor all three seasons had he not missed 30 games to injury in 2009.

His 2010 season was one of the best in minor league history, as Torbert batted .394 with 24 home runs and 100 RBI (in a 96-game schedule). His exploits got him into spring training with the Braves in 2011, but despite a strong showing, he was released. He retired immediately, went to medical school, and is now a PAC (physician assistant – certified) and bodybuilder.

More: Why the Sioux Falls Canaries think they can get back into contention

Honorable Mentions

Joe Anthonsen, Abner Arroyo, Joe Bircher, Mike Burton, Benny Castillo, Aaron Cotter, Matt Davis, Ryan Ford, Tim Hutting, Trevor Lawhorn, Carl Nichols, Kris Regas, Blake Schmidt, Brandon Sing, Will Smith, Ben VanIderstine, Jamie Ybarra.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: The Sioux Falls Canaries' top 10 players in franchise history