December 13, 2023 – The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks have announced the re-signing of four players for the upcoming 2024 season. Outfielder Evan Alexander has agreed to return, along with pitchers Kelvan Pilot, Garrett Alexander, and Brenden Heiss.

This will be the third season with Fargo-Moorhead for Evan Alexander. Originally selected by the New York Yankees in the 19^th round of the 2016 MLB June amateur draft, Alexander rose as high as Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the Yankees system prior to his release during the 2022 season. He signed with the RedHawks shortly after and played in 78 games with Fargo-Moorhead, hitting .249 with 4 homers, 33 RBI, and stealing a team-high 31 bases.

Alexander, a native of Carollton, TX, was an American Association all-star last season, starting strong and batting over .300 a good part of the season before finishing at a professional-best .281, along with 9 home runs, 18 doubles, 8 triples, and another team-leading 43 stolen bases. The veteran speedster played solid defense at all three outfield spots, the majority in center field.

Garrett Alexander returns to the RedHawks after settling into his role as a setup man out of the bullpen last season. Alexander was acquired by Fargo-Moorhead on June 9th via trade from Cleburne after the Railroaders received him back from loan to Quintana Roo of the Mexican League. He tossed 58 innings and allowed 60 hits while striking out 58 and walking 30 along with 2 saves for Fargo-Moorhead. The lanky 6’6” righthander finished with a record of 1-5 and an ERA of 4.03. With Quintana Roo in 2023, Alexander appeared in 14 games, pitching 20.1 innings and finishing with a 5.31 ERA.

Alexander spent the 2019 and 2021-22 seasons with Cleburne going a combined 13-15 over 53 appearances while making 35 starts. He’s averaged 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings in his American Association career. Alexander played collegiately at Blinn College in Brenham, TX and Texas A&M-Kingsville, wrapping up in 2019.

Kelvan Pilot was 1-4 last season for Fargo-Moorhead, coming to the RedHawks July 20^th after beginning the season with Missoula in the Pioneer League where he was 8-1 with a 3.95 ERA. Pilot made eight starts for the RedHawks over the second half of the 2023 season tossing 44 innings, allowing 22 runs on 44 hits, striking out 33 while walking 29. He finished with an ERA of 3.95.

Pilot spent time at Mesa Community College and finished his college career at Arizona Christian University (Phoenix, AZ) in 2017. The 6’6” righthander began his professional career at Santa Fe of the independent Pecos League in 2021. He has also pitched for Grand Junction and Billings of the independent Pioneer League.

Fargo-Moorhead was the third stop last season for righthander Brenden Heiss, coming to the RedHawks on August 18th after beginning 2023 with the Chicago Dogs and also pitching for Sioux City. Heiss pitched in three games for the RedHawks making one start. He pitched a total of ten innings, striking out 11, walking six, and finishing with a 1-0 record. His combined 3-team record last year in the American Association was 2-2, pitching 48 innings, and averaging 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

Heiss played collegiately at Florida Gulf Coast University (Ft. Myers, FL), Southeastern University (Lakeland, FL) and the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR). He was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 31^st round of the 2016 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Algonquin, IL. His highest stop in affiliated professional baseball was with Class A Lake Elsinore in the San Diego Padres organization in 2022.

The RedHawks open the 2024 American Association season at home Friday, May 10^th against the Lincoln Saltdogs. For the full 2024 schedule, click here.