Aaron Whitefield of Team Australia hits an RBI double to make it 2-8 in the fourth inning during the World Baseball Classic Pool B game between China and Australia at Tokyo Dome on March 11, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images)
Australian outfielder Aaron Whitefield signed with the Sioux Falls Canaries for the 2024 American Association regular season, the league announced on January 19.
January 19 Transaction: @canaries signed OF Aaron Whitefield.
— American Association (@AA_Baseball) January 20, 2024
The former big-leaguer with the #Angels and #Twins was acquired by Sioux Falls in August 2023.https://t.co/mSWNLXHxh8 pic.twitter.com/xGxdlCcMRV
Whitefield, 27, was born in Brisbane, Australia, and has played two seasons in Major League Baseball, appearing with the Minnesota Twins in 2020 and the Los Angeles Angels in 2022.
Whitefield played in the Australian Baseball League with the Melbourne Aces during the 2023-24 winter league season, and batted .282 in 36 games with 40 hits, eight doubles, one triple, three home runs, 13 RBI, 14 stolen bases, six walks, and 27 strikeouts.
Last season, Whitefield played with Double-A Rocket City with the Angels organization, as well as with the Kansas City Monarchs and the Sioux Falls Canaries in the American Association.
With Double-A Rocket City, Whitefield played in 37 games, batting .191 over 118 plate appearances with 20 hits, five doubles, three home runs, 13 RBI, 12 stolen bases, 12 walks, and 47 strikeouts before being released on June 19, 2023.
Whitefield signed with the Kansas City Monarchs on June 27 and played in 29 games, batting .234 with 25 hits, three doubles, five RBI, 11 stolen bases, 11 walks, and 23 strikeouts before heading to Sioux Falls.
With the Sioux Falls Canaries, Whitefield played in 12 games, batting .250 with 11 hits, one double, one triple, two home runs, nine RBI, seven stolen bases, six walks, and 17 strikeouts.
Whitefield played for Australia at the 2023 World Baseball Classic in Pool B at the Tokyo Dome. He played in five games defensively in center field, hitting .308 in 13 at-bats and scoring five runs, recording four hits, one double, two RBI, two stolen bases, four walks and four strikeouts.
Last winter, Whitefield played with the Melbourne Aces in 34 games batting .186 with 133 plate appearances recording 21 hits, four doubles, one home run, 10 RBI, 11 stolen bases, 13 walks, and 35 strikeouts.
In 2022, Whitefield played with Double-A Rocket City in 79 games with 344 plate appearances hitting .263 with 79 hits, 18 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 38 RBI, 29 stolen bases, 36 walks, 93 strikeouts, and a .775 OPS.
Whitefield has played in eight games in MLB in two seasons with 12 plate appearances, striking out five times, and has not recorded a hit.
The Sioux Falls Canaries will play their first game of the 2024 American Association regular season against the Lake Country DockHounds on May 10 at 7:35 p.m. EST on the road at Wisconsin Brewing Company Park in Oconomowoc, Wis.
