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Mitch Ghelfi Signs on With Sioux City for 2021

Sioux City, IA — The Sioux City Explorers have announced the signing of C Mitch Ghelfi.

Mitch Ghelfi will be entering his seventh season of professional baseball and his first with the Explorers. 

Ghelfi received his first taste of independent baseball in 2020 while playing for the St. Paul Saints. In 30 games he hit for a .263 average with three homers, 20 RBI, five doubles and ten runs. Defensively playing in 28 games as a catcher, Ghelfi threw out eight runners. He finished second in the American Association among qualified candidates throwing out 24% of base stealers. 

The switch hitting backstop was drafted out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee after his junior season by the hometown Milwaukee Brewers in the 28th round of the 2015 MLB draft. 

He spent four seasons in the Brewers farm system. In his second season while playing for the Class A affiliate, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Ghelfi was named a Midwest League All-Star. And after hitting a scintillating, .456 during the month of July was named Brewers minor league player of the month. 

Ghelfi reached as high as Double A Biloxi in 2018 before being released by Milwaukee. He was quickly picked up by the Angels and sent to Double A, Mobile where he played out the remainder of the 2018 season before being released by the Halos and picked up by the Mets. 

The Mets have been Ghelfi’s last affiliated stop despite a successful campaign. In 2019, Ghelfi played in 57 games, hitting .240 with 21 RBI, and 24 runs scored. He threw out a career high 21 runners, catching base stealers at an incredible 51% clip. 

In five minor league seasons Ghelfi hit for a .270 average with ten home runs, 112 RBI, 117 runs scored and 47 doubles while defensively throwing out 36% of base stealers.

Mitch comes from a talented baseball family. His Father, Andy Ghelfi, was a 1985, 2nd round draft pick out of  Indiana State by the Cleveland Indians and spent five seasons primarily as a starting pitcher for the Tribe. His older brother Drew pitched at the University of Minnesota and was also drafted by the Brewers and played for the Saints back in 2014. His younger brother Zach played collegiately at UNC-Pembroke. 

The Sioux City Explorers 29th year in Siouxland will begin at MercyOne Field at Lewis and Clark Park on May 18th versus the Houston Apollos. There will be an open house for our brand new box office and team shop on April 23rd beginning at noon. Tickets purchased that day at the box office will be 50% off and new team merchandise purchased at the team store that day will be 20% off.