Bio
Delvin Zinn makes his return to Sioux City in 2024 after spending most of last season with the X’s. Zinn was originally acquired by the Explorers on May 27, 2023, in a trade with the Milwaukee Milkmen for a player to be named later. Zinn would hit the ground running for the X’s, stealing his first of 29 team-leading bases in his first game with Sioux City on May 27. Zinn would swipe four bags in his first three games and steal 11 consecutive bases before finally being caught on June 8. He would notch seven games with multiple stolen bases, including a three-bag effort on June 4 against Kane County.
In 80 games, the native of Pontotoc, Mississippi, hit .211 with three home runs and 18 RBI for the X’s. Zinn would slash a line of .211/.292/.314 while playing 34 games at shortstop and another 32 at second base. Zinn would add to his versatility by playing another six games in the outfield for the Explorers. He would play in five games for the Milwaukee Milkmen, going 1-for-15 with two stolen bases before being traded to Sioux City. In the field, Zinn would have a fielding percentage of .980, committing only five errors during the season.
The Mississippi native finished the season on a six-game hitting streak. He went 2-for-4 with a double on the final day of the season then would go 6-for-18 in five playoff games for the X’s. Zinn had two key RBI in an 8-6 win in game one of the American Association Division Series at Fargo. He would wrap a double, going 1-for-4 as the Explorers took a 1-0 series lead over the RedHawks. Zinn would have a season-high three-RBI game on July 5 in a 5-0 win over the Winnipeg Goldeyes at Lewis and Clark Park. He would go 3-for-5 with a homerun to secure a series sweep for Sioux City.
Zinn, originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 28thround of the 2015 June Draft out of Pontotoc High School, chose to attend Mississippi State University. The Cubs would call his name again in the 23rd round in 2016 while playing at Itawamba Community College (Fulton, MS), and he would make his professional debut at rookie-level Arizona later that summer.
Zinn spent six years in the Chicago organization, reaching AA. He brings versatility to the Explorers roster, having played in both the infield and outfield while in the Cubs system. In 2022 with the Cubs organization, he played all his games at the AA level, having 138 plate appearances across 49 games, with a .137 batting average. In 2021, his first year at AA Tennessee, he played in 27 games with the Smokies where he had a .159 average; most of his season, however, was spent with High-A South Bend where he played 67 games, hitting four home runs while also earning a .300 on-base percentage.
In 2019, Zinn split time between High-A Myrtle Beach and Low-A South Bend in the Cubs organization. At High-A, he hit .242 with 16 stolen bases over 222 plate appearances while at Low-A he batted .273 with a .341 OBP, .705 OPS and 14 stolen bases through 258 plate appearances. In 2018, he made his first appearance at Low-A South Bend, playing the entire season there and batting .286 over 59 games. In 2016 and 2017, Zinn played in the Arizona Rookie League, playing infield in 51 games between the two seasons and batting .21 for the Cubs.