712.277.WINS (9467)

Taveras is a 6’4, 210 pound right hander from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He has spent the last six seasons in the Philadelphia Phillies organization reaching as high as Triple-A. 

His first few seasons were spent at the Phillies lower levels including a stop in 2016 with the Lakewood Blueclaws where he posted an 8-8 record and 3.28 ERA over 25 games, with 20 starts. He struck out 154 batters over 137.1 innings of work, including a start where he set a BlueClaws record with 15 punch outs in a game. 

The 2017 season was a career year for the 26 year old he spent most of the season in High-A, Clearwater with 16 starts and a 2.38 ERA over 102 innings of work striking out 92 batters. The impressive numbers earned him the honor as the starting pitcher for the North Division Team In the Florida State League All-Star Game. After a brief stop in Double-A he was quickly promoted to Triple-A where he finished out his season by making seven starts for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. He proved in that short time that he had certainly earned the promotion as he went 3-1 with a 1.32 ERA in 41 innings with 37 strikeouts and allowing only 15 free passes. In total during the season between the three levels Taveras went 9-6 with a 2.22 ERA over 25 starts collecting 140 strikeouts in 154.1 innings pitched. 

The following season was marred by a shoulder injury that put Taveras on the disabled list before the campaign ever began. He was only able to make three starts for Double-A, Reading registering a 5.95 ERA over those starts and another three appearances and 19.2 innings of work. 

Last year Taveras pitched primarily between Double-A and Triple-A. After the first month of the season in Double-A where he posted a 3.41 ERA over seven appearances, five starts, he bounced between Reading and Triple-A, Lehigh Valley. However this stint in Triple-A would not be as kind to Taveras as his previous one. Making six starts and ten total appearances, he had a 7.31 ERA in 28.1 innings of work with a K/9 of 6.4 and a walks per nine of 4.1. 

This past winter the big right hander played for the Adelaide Bite of the Australian Baseball League, fashioning a 5.40 ERA in three starts and ten innings. 

In the six seasons that Taveras pitched for the Phillies affiliates he tossed 526.2 innings, pitching in 105 total games, starting 86 of them. He compiled a 37-26 record and a 2.96 ERA. He had a WHIP of 1.096 and an impressive K/9 of 8.2 with an equally as impressive 2.1 BB/9. The 2020 season will mark his first playing in independent baseball. 

The Sioux City Explorers 28th season in Siouxland will begin on May 19th at the Kansas City T-Bones. The X’s open up their home schedule on May 26th against the Sioux Falls Canaries. Season tickets, flex tickets, group tickets and luxury suites are now for sale for all 50 Explorers home games for the 2020 season. Simply call (712) 277-WINS (9467) to order your ticket package today.