America East Baseball: Aidan Kidd Signs a Pro Deal

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With the MLB Draft set to take place this weekend, some players are bypassing it to begin their pro careers at the Independent level. Recently, UMass Lowell shortstop Fritz Genther signed with the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League. Now comes NJIT Left-handed pitcher Aidan Kidd, who on July 9 signed a contract with the Chicago Dogs of the American Association.

Kidd spent four years playing for the NJIT Highlanders where he appeared in 49 games. The 6-3 pitcher from Laguna Beach, California began his Highlander career as a member of the bullpen in 2021 making nine appearances and finishing with a 2-0 record, striking out 15 in 11 innings. He helped NJIT advance to the NCAA Tournament in that season. He would make two relief outings going 1.1 innings and did not allow a run against Arkansas and Nebraska.

Kidd moved to the starting rotation in 2022 and became an America East All-Tournament Honoree. During the regular season, Aidan was mostly the team’s number two starter. He did miss time with injuries. His first career start came on February 20 against Virginia where he struck out six over four innings.

In 2023, Kidd was a first-team All-America East and All-America East Academic selection. He was also a two-time America East Pitcher of the Week. He led the conference in strikeouts with 90. He had two 10-strikeout games, three nine-strikeout games, and two eight-strikeout games. He led the staff in both wins with five and in ERA at 4.48.

This past spring for the Highlanders, he once again led the league in strikeouts with 97. He made 15 starts and had a career-high 12 K’s vs the River Hawks on March 29. He had eight starts with at least seven strikeouts this spring. His final performance for NJIT came in the America East Tournament where he went six innings and struck out 10 to help his team to a win over Binghamton. For his career at NJIT, Kidd was 12-0, had a 5.09 ERA in 49 appearances, 39 of them starts, 194,2 IP, 194 hits, 124 runs, 110 earned runs, 250 strikeouts, 107 walks, and 16 HRs allowed. Teams hit .257 against him.

The American Association is an independent league based mostly in the midwestern part of the country. There is one team located in Canada. The 12-team league plays a full minor league schedule. The Dogs are in the Eastern Division, in fourth place with a record of 28-27, 2.5 games out of first place. They are doing well in the stands as they average 4,226 per game and for the season have drawn 131,007.

For players like Kidd, getting drafted just may not be in the cards. However, playing in leagues like the American Association can still give them a chance at a big league opportunity.