SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2023
WETHERBEE RETURNS TO SIOUX CITY
LEFTY ADDED FOR 2024
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Sioux City Explorers have announced that the team has signed LHP Jared Wetherbee for the 2024 season. The addition of the former Philadelphia Phillies farmhand brings the roster total to 12 for the Explorers upcoming season.
LHP Jared Wetherbee returns to Sioux City after being part of the opening day rotation in 2023. The lefty originally signed on May 2, 2023, and he would make his first start on May 16 at home against Lake Country. He would work 3.2 innings in a 3-1 win, picking up a no decision with five strikeouts. Wetherbee won his next two starts, going five innings in each outing to close out May with just three earned runs in 10 innings. Over his first 13.2 innings, Wetherbee would punch out 18 batters for the X’s. His longest outing of the season came on the road at Cleburne on June 1. He worked seven innings in a 6-5 win for Sioux City, holding the Railroaders to one earned run on four hits with seven strikeouts.
Wetherbee pitched at least five innings in five consecutive outings into mid-June before arm fatigue slowed his season down. He would leave his June 18 start at Lincoln after 3.2 innings, and he would not return to action until July 2. Wetherbee would then miss most of the rest of the month of July, not returning until the Explorers faced Kansas City at home on July 30 when he threw three scoreless innings of relief for Sioux City in a 4-0 loss to the Monarchs.
Wetherbee was back in the rotation on August 6 and would throw three innings at Gary in a 5-2 loss, but he had five strikeouts while picking up the loss. He rebounded for a four-inning outing on August 19, holding the Sioux Falls Canaries to one earned run on two hits with three strikeouts in the Explorers 11-3 win at the “bird cage”. Two outings later, Wetherbee would finish strong with a quality start in a hard-luck loss at Chicago on September 3. He would hold the Dogs to three earned runs on six hits with another six strikeouts in a 3-0 shutout setback. For the season Wetherbee would go 2-4 with a 4.31 ERA in 56.1 innings with 65 strikeouts while walking 25 and surrendering 27 earned runs on 57 hits. He added a 1.456 WHIP while finishing fourth on the team in strikeouts and fifth in innings pitched.
Wetherbee, age 25, came to the X’s from the Philadelphia Phillies organization where the southpaw from Worcester, Massachusetts played from 2021 to 2022 between rookie and class-A level. In 2022, he threw 24.0 innings with a 4.50 ERA, 1.792 WHIP and 36 strikeouts over 19 games at class A Clearwater. He made one scoreless appearance at the rookie-level Complex League, tossing one frame. In 2021, Wetherbee pitched 11.1 innings between rookie ball and Class-A for the Phillies. He had a 0.79 ERA with a 0.794 WHIP and 19 strikeouts over that season. Wetherbee notched three saves with Clearwater in 8.1 innings with 15 strikeouts and a 1.08 ERA. His stay at the rookie level was just three innings where he allowed no earned runs in a pair of relief appearances for the Phillies.
He signed as a free agent with the Phillies organization on July 20, 2021 out of Elon University in Elon, North Carolina where he pitched for four seasons. In his final season in college, Wetherbee pitched in six games while making four starts, going 16.1 innings with a 3.31 ERA in 2021. The lefty earned a spot on the All-CAA Preseason Team for Elon prior to his senior season. In 2020 he started four games, going 20.1 innings with a 3.54 ERA and 27 strikeouts with a 1.425 WHIP as the Friday starter for Elon. Wetherbee was named to the 2020 Collegiate Baseball Preseason Third Team All-American and was ranked No. 29 out of 150 pitchers by D1Baseball entering the season. Wetherbee threw his fourth career game with 10+ strikeouts against UMass Lowell on February 21, 2020, where he tallied 11 Ks and issued one walk in 7.0 innings of shutout ball. His 27 strikeouts led the team in a shortened 2020 season.
Prior to the pandemic in 2019, Wetherbee pitched in 25 innings, going 84.0 IP with a 3.00 ERA, 1.071 WHIP and 98 strikeouts as a sophomore as the Sunday starter for the Phoenix. He held opposing hitters to a .218 average against for the season. Wetherbee had a 12-strikeout performance over six innings and another 10 punch out effort in 6.2 innings in a pair of starts for Elon. He garnered CAA Co-Pitcher-of-the-Week honors on April 29 after holding Northeastern scoreless through a career-high 8.0 complete innings pitched. His 98 strikeouts placed him third on the team and the seven victories were good for second for the Phoenix.
In his first season, Wetherbee threw 24.1 innings with a 4.07 ERA coming out of the bullpen as a reliever and picked up four saves. His 45 strikeouts are the ninth most by an Elon freshman at the Division I level, while his four saves are tied for the second most by an Elon freshman. In his collegiate debut, he struck out five in 2.0 scoreless innings against Penn State. Wetherbee earned the first save of his career after allowing one run on two hits and striking out two in an inning against Marshall and would pick up the first win of his career by tossing 1.1 scoreless innings in a game at Georgia.
In two summer league seasons, the native of Massachusetts worked both as a starter and a reliever. In 2018 he pitched in 25.1 innings for Charlottesville of the Valley League with 11 games and three starts while fanning 44. He would go 3-1, allowing just seven hits for the season. The next summer, in 2019, Wetherbee pitched for Harwich in the Cape Cod League. He made two starts and appeared out of the pen seven times, pitching in 11.2 innings with 14 strikeouts. He added a pair of saves while going 0-1. Wetherbee was named the 2017 Founder’s League Pitcher of the Year for Avon Old Farms School in Avon, Connecticut.
2024 Players signed:
LHP Jared Wetherbee
RHP Pedro Gonzalez
INF/OF Brennen Dorighi
RHP Heitor Tokar
RHP Braunny Munoz
RHP Kyle Bloor
C Jake Ortega
C Wilfredo Gimenez
OF Scott Ota
INF Daniel Lingua,
INF Daniel Pérez
RHP John Sheaks
The Explorers are set to open their 31st season in the Siouxland at home Friday night, May 10th at 7:05 p.m. against the Kansas City Monarchs. Ticket packages for the 2024 season are on-sale now, including Full and Half-Season Tickets as well as 10, 15 and 25 game Flex Packs. More information is available by calling the Explorers front office at 712-277-WINS. Stay tuned to the Explorers social media channels and the club’s website xsbaseball.com for off-season news and updates.