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Former St. Paul Saint, Josh Allen to Join X’s

Sioux City, IA —The Sioux City Explorers today have announced the signing of INF Josh Allen to a 2021 contract. Allen will be entering his eighth season of professional baseball and his first with Sioux City. 

Josh Allen was traded by the now Minnesota Twins, Triple-A affiliate, St. Paul Saints to the Explorers on December 10th. He along with pitcher Matt Quintana, were the players to be named later that completed trades which had sent Blake Schmit and X’s franchise leader in many offensive categories, Michael Lang, to the Twin Cities. 

Including last season which saw the Saints play amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Allen played three seasons with St. Paul. Over 161 games he hit 27 home runs, 33 doubles, drove in 93 RBI, scored 111 runs while hitting at a .291 clip. He has also flashed a good glove at the keystone position committing only 12 errors over 671 chances for a .982 fielding percentage. 

During the shortened 2020 campaign, the power hitting second baseman hit for a .304 average through 44 games. He crushed six home runs and seven doubles while driving in 24 and scoring 36 times. 

Allen was chosen to the 2019 American Association North Division All-Star team. The fourth All-Star selection of Allen’s career. During a season that saw him hit a career high 17 home runs and 20 doubles with a career high 58 RBI and runs scored. He posted a .272 batting average and an .853 OPS. Allen during the post season was just as dangerous as Sioux City would learn first hand in game one of the American Association finals in which Allen collected five hits, three runs and an RBI. 

The New York Mets purchased Allen’s contract from the Saints during the 2018 season after Allen hit four home runs and for a .344 average over 24 games with St. Paul. He was assigned to the Mets Double-A affiliate, Binghamton. There he played in 42 games, hitting .248, clubbing two home runs and 12 doubles, driving in 20 RBI and scoring 15 runs while swiping five bags. 

Prior to linking up with the Saints, the Fort Meade, Florida native already had an illustrious independent baseball career with the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League. 

In four seasons with Evansville, Allen became their all time franchise leader in triples (19), stolen bases (76), and hit by pitches (51). second in games played (347), at bats (1,222), hits (374), doubles (70), RBI (171), runs (261), and total bases (596), and third in home runs (38) and walks (191).

The 29 year old’s most prominent season came in 2016 when he was named Frontier League MVP and helped lead the Otters to a Frontier League championship. In 94 games that season Allen hit a blistering .354, swatting nine home runs, setting career highs with 34 doubles, 29 stolen bases and nine triples. He also scored 75 runs while posting an OPS of 1.041. 

Throughout his entire seven season independent baseball career, he has played in 508 games, hitting for a .301 average with 65 home runs, 103 doubles, 264 RBI, 372 runs scored and 86 stolen bases.