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CHS Field is beautiful. Maybe you’ve already been there for some Saints games, but if not, you will certainly want to make the trek east of the river starting this year. The Saints are now the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. You can watch future Twins working and preparing to get the call across the Mississippi River to join the Twins at Target Field, and you can do so with the great atmosphere that the staff at CHS Field provide.
Let’s take a look at the team’s 2021 Opening Day roster, starting with the coaching staff and working through the players.
The Coaching Staff:
Manager: Toby Gardenhire
Pitching Coaches: Cibney Bello, Mike McCarthy
Hitting Coach: Matt Borgschulte
Coach: Tyler Smarslok
The Pitchers
LHP: Andrew Albers (35), Charlie Barnes (25), Daniel Coulombe (31), Devin Smeltzer (25), Lewis Thorpe (25), Andrew Vasquez (27), Brandon Waddell (26).
RHP: Shaun Anderson (26), Jhoan Duran (23), Luke Farrell (29), Ian Gibaut (27), Ian Hamilton (25), Griffin Jax (26), Derek Law (30), Robinson Leyer (27), Juan Minaya (30), Bailey Ober (25), Chandler Shepherd (28), Glenn Sparkman (28).
The Saints have quite the pitching staff. There are prospects like Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax Charlie Barnes and Bailey Ober. There are veterans with a lot of big league time like Andrew Albers, Juan Minaya, Glenn Sparkmann, Luke Farrell and Derek Law. There are guys like Lewis Thorpe and Devin Smeltzer who have had a role with the Twins the past two seasons.
The Catchers
Caleb Hamilton (26), Roberto Pena (28), Ryan Jeffers (23), Tomas Telis (29).
Ryan Jeffers was optioned to St. Paul on Friday. He should get the majority of the starts behind the plate and potentially DH when he’s not catching. He will need consistent at bats again and remains the likely catcher of the future. Hamilton can catch, but he can also play first base, third base and in left field. Telis is a veteran with big-league time in parts of four seasons. In 2019 at Rochester, he hit .330. Roberto Pena has been in pro ball since signing with the Astros in 2010. He’s also been in the White Sox, Rays and Angels organizations.
The Infielders
Travis Blankenhorn (24), Nick Gordon (25), Drew Maggi (31), Zander Wiel (28)
JT Riddle (29) and Tzu-Wei Lin (27) were DFAd on Friday, so it will be interesting to see if either is claimed. If not, they could be on this roster too. Nick Gordon was called up to the Twins last weekend but didn’t get into a game. The former first-round pick (2014) can play both middle infield positions. He just needs to get at bats and stay healthy. Blankenhorn saw one game with the Twins, and it didn’t go well for him, but don’t let that alter your thoughts on him. He’s a big kid, capable of playing third base and second base, and he has power potential. Maggi is a minor league veteran who played well in Double-A and Triple A in 2019. Zander Wiel had a monster season in Rochester in 2019 and has been in big-league spring training the past two years.
The Outfielders
Keon Broxton (30), Trevor Larnach (24), Rob Refsnyder (30), Brent Rooker (26).
Rooker was optioned to the Saints on Friday after playing in a handful of games with the Twins following a stint on the Injured List. He will be a middle of the lineup bat. Larnach is the #3 Twins prospect and 2018 first round pick. His bat has nearly as much potential as Alex Kirilloff. He just needs time and some at bats. Refsnyder has several years with MLB time but hopes to get back to the big leagues this year. Broxton is interesting because just a few years ago, he had a 20/20 season for the Brewers. He’s a strong defender, capable of playing all three outfield spots.
Check out these St. Paul Saints sites and social media:
Minnesota Twins 2021 Top 20 Prospects on the Saints roster:
20. Bailey Ober, RHP:
12. Brent Rooker, OF:
5. Jhoan Duran, RHP:
4. Ryan Jeffers, C:
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