Former Major Leaguer and Former Hawkeye Join Explorers
June 14, 2025 - American Association (AA)
Sioux City Explorers News Release
SIOUX CITY, Iowa - The Sioux City Explorers have announced the signing of former Major League infielder Armando Alvarez and left-handed pitcher and former Iowa Hawkeye Ben DeTaeye. The pair are active tonight for the scheduled doubleheader against the Lincoln Saltdogs. Alvarez will wear #1 while DeTaeye will sport #12.
Armando Alvarez comes to Sioux City after spending the first part of 2025 with the St. Paul Saints, the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. In 38 games this season with the Saints, Alvarez slashed .226/.307/.365 with four home runs and 22 RBI. The Miami native signed a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics before the 2024 campaign. He began the season in Triple-A Las Vegas.
The A's selected Alvarez's contract and called him up to the big leagues for the first time in his career. At age 29, Alvarez made his major league debut that same day against the Minnesota Twins. He picked up his first hit, a double off Tyler Anderson, in his first career start a few days later in Anaheim against the Angels. Alvarez was up and down between the majors and Triple-A all season. In 75 minor league games, he hit 315 with 15 home runs and 54 RBI. In 16 MLB games with the Athletics, Alvarez slashed .243/.282/.270 and was elected to free agency after the season.
The New York Yankees selected Armando Alvarez in the 17th round of the 2016 MLB Draft out of Eastern Kentucky University. In his first three years in the organization, Alvarez progressed quickly. He reached Double-A during his age-23 season and stayed consistent as a hitter the whole way. Alvarez is a player who has decent power, but it's more evident in his doubles than in his home runs. The future major leaguer was a two-time district champion and two-time all-county selection at Miami Killian Senior High School. He batted .490 with 30 RBI as a junior and .400 with 33 RBI as a senior.
24-year-old Ben DeTaeye joins the Explorers after finishing his collegiate baseball career with the Iowa Hawkeyes. In three seasons, the six-foot left-hander appeared in 51 games, making four starts. He finished his amateur career with a 4-6 record with a 4.77 ERA across 71.2 innings, where he struck out 100 batters and walked 50. During his senior season with the Hawkeyes, DeTaeye finished 0-5 with a 4.89 ERA across 35 innings, where he punched out a career-high 51 batters.
In his summer collegiate baseball career, DeTaeye shined. In 2023, with the Clinton LumberKings of the Prospect League, the Clive, Iowa native didn't allow a single run in 14.1 innings of work. He struck out 15 batters, walked 8, and surrendered just four hits. The following summer with the Mat-Su Miners of the Alaskan League, DeTaeye was dominant again, finishing 2-0 with a 1.24 ERA in 29 innings across 10 appearances. He racked up 31 K's and walked just 12 hitters, ending the summer with a WHIP of 0.931.
DeTaeye started his collegiate career at Iowa Central Community College as a two-way player. In his only full season in 2021, he made six appearances, pitching to a 2-1 record with a 2.08 ERA. He also hit .242 with two home runs, five doubles and 29 RBI. DeTaeye made one appearance as a freshman in the abbreviated 2020 season. At West Des Moines Valley High School, DeTaeye was a multi-time All-State and All-Conference selection. In his junior season in 2018, he led his team to a conference championship and a state semifinal appearance.
The Explorers have released right-handed pitcher Ben Madison and left-handed pitcher Brendan O'Donnell. The active roster is at 25 going into the game tonight for Sioux City.
The Explorers will face the Saltdogs Saturday night in a scheduled doubleheader. Game one will begin at 5:05 p.m. with game two to follow approximately thirty minutes after game one. The gates will open at 4:00 p.m. and the X's are expected to start J.D. Scholten in game number two. The game can be heard on radio at KSCJ 94.9 FM and 1360 AM and the video stream will air on aabaseball.tv. Ticket packages for the 2025 season are on sale now, including Half-Season Tickets as well as 10-, 15-, and 25-game Flex Packs as well as group tickets. For more information, please call the Explorers' front office at 712-277-WINS. Stay tuned to the Explorers' social media channels and the club's website, xsbaseball.com, for all our news and updates.
TUNE INTO ALL THE EXPLORERS ACTION ON KSCJ AND AABASEBALL.TV.
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