SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2023
NOGOWSKI JOINS EXPLORERS
BIG LEAGUER RETURNS TO SIOUX CITY
SIOUX CITY, IOWA – The Sioux City Explorers signed INF John Nogowski on Thursday prior to their series final against the Gary SouthShore RailCats. Nogowski returns to Sioux City after spending part of 2017 season with the X’s where he hit an outstanding .402 with a 1.089 OPS and four home runs. The St. Louis Cardinals would receive the transfer of his contract after he torched the Association in 34 games with the Explorers.
John Nogowski joins the X’s after spending the first part of the 2023 season in the Atlantic League with the High Point Rockers and batting lights out. The 30-year-old previously spent parts of two seasons in the MLB between the Cardinals and Pirates organizations. He debuted in 2020 with the Cardinals before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in July 2021 where he made more appearances. He was originally drafted in the 34th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Athletics out of Florida State after playing in three seasons with the university.
This season, Nogowski sported a .297 batting average with a 1.044 OPS over 37 games for the Rockers. He also knocked in 40 RBIs and before being released June 9, which still ranks third in the league currently. Nogowski added 11 home runs for High Point this season. He played winter ball in the Dominican Winter League, struggling over 16 games with a .175 batting average. In 2022, Nogowski started the season with the Atlanta Braves organization, playing in 40 games at AAA and getting on base at a .338 clip. After he was released by the Braves, Nogowski signed with the Washington Nationals on a minor league contract, splitting time between AAA and AA. At AAA Rochester he played well, earning a .290 batting average and .810 OPS over 203 plate appearances while also getting on base at a .409 clip. At AA that year, he landed on base .333 percent of the time over 30 games while posting a .682 OPS.
2021 was Nogowski’s last season in the majors, starting the year with the Cardinals big league club and playing parts of 19 games, recording one hit over 20 plate appearances. He would spend most of his time with the Cardinals organization at AAA Memphis before he was traded, batting .195 with a .601 OPS. Nogowski immediately made an impact for the Pirates following the trade in early July and went 2-4 with three runs, an RBI and a walk in his first game with Pittsburgh. Over his first 12 games with Pittsburgh, he batted .438 with a 1.074 OPS, including four doubles and a home run. On July 7, he went 4-5 against the Braves as one of his seven multi-hit games for the Pirates. He finished his time with the Major League club holding a .261 batting average with a .677 OPS over 33 games. In his 20 games with AAA Indianapolis, Nogowski posted a .406 OBP and .758 OPS before he was released. The San Francisco Giants picked him up to end the 2021 season, where he played in two series for AAA Sacramento.
During the COVID season, Nogowski spent most of his time with the Alternate Training Site for the Cardinals, but finally made his debut on August 16 against the Chicago White Sox. In his one game that year, he went 1-4 with a strikeout before he returned to the training site.
In 2019, Nogowski spent the entirety of the year with AAA Memphis, and he destroyed the baseball in his time there. He hit .295 with a .413 OBP and .889 OPS over 117 games, including a 4-5 game where he added two runs, three RBIs and a homer against the Reno Aces June 7. In 2018, he spent most of his time with the AA squad, batting .309 with an .855 OPS over 83 games.
As a 24-year-old in 2017, Nogowski joined the X’s after he was released by the Athletics the year prior. He had four three-hit games that season, including a two-home run, five-RBI game versus Gary on June 2. He had his contract transferred to the Cardinals on June 26 and played mostly at AA the rest of the season, working a .295 batting average with a .760 OPS over 59 games.
2016 was Nogowski’s last season with the Athletics organization, playing at AA and High-A over the year. He played well at High-A, batting .285 with a .764 OPS over 84 games, but he struggled during his seven games at AA, batting .130 with a .535 OPS. He spent the whole 2015 season with High-A Stockton, batting .274 with a .716 OPS and 24 extra-base hits over 96 games. He spent his first season in affiliated ball between Low-A and rookie ball with the Athletics after his junior year with FSU. Across the season, he hit .264 with a .351 OBP and .699 OPS between the levels.
With FSU in 2014, he made All-ACC first team as one of three Seminoles to play in all 60 games. He hit .307 with 12 doubles and five homers in his final season with Florida State. In his second year with the Seminoles, he played in 58 games, batting .277 with a .412 OBP and .821 OPS. In his first year with FSU, he hit .250 with a .699 OPS but added 23 RBIs over his 53 games.
The X’s wrap up their three-game series with the Gary SouthShore RailCats tonight (June 15) at home before hitting the road on a three-city nine-game road trip. The team returns home Tuesday, June 27 to begin a three-game series with the Sioux Falls Canaries. Tickets for the season can be purchased online at XSBaseball.com, in person at the Lewis and Clark Park Box Office or by calling 712-277-WINS. You can catch all the X’s action on aabaseball.tv and on radio at KSCJ 94.9 FM and 1360 AM.