Saints Announce Alternate Site Roster, CHS Field Open to Fans

[Seth Stohs]

On Friday morning, the St. Paul Saints announced the Twins alternate site staff and the 33 players who will be working out at CHS Field. In addition, fans will be able to attend workouts.The Twins season has started. Twins minor leaguers have reported to Ft. Myers. The intake/testing process is in progress, and on Saturday, the players will have their first official workout.

 

However, the St. Paul Saints have announced the 33 players who will be part of the team's alternate site at CHS Field.

 

From a coaching perspective, it will be the Saints staff. Toby Gardenhire is the manager. Mike McCarthy and Cibney Bello are the pitching coaches. The hitting coach is Matt Borgschulte while Tyler Smarslok is the development coach.

 

Here are the players scheduled to participate:

 

Left-Handed Pitchers (7): Andrew Albers, Danny Coulombe, Devin Smeltzer, Andrew Vasquez, Brandon Waddell, Charlie Barnes, Lewis Thorpe.

 

Right-Handed Pitchers (13): Ian Gibaut, Griffin Jax, Ryan Mason, Shaun Anderson, Jhoan Duran, Tom Hackimer, Derek Law, Juan Minaya, Glenn Sparkman, Luke Farrell, Ian Hamilton, Robinson Leyer, Chandler Shepherd.

 

Catchers (3), Caleb Hamilton, Ben Rortvedt, Tomas Telis.

 

Infielders (5): Travis Blankenhorn, Nick Gordon, Tzu-Wei Lin, Drew Maggi, JT Riddle.

 

Outfielders (5): Keon Broxton, Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, Rob Refsnyder, Brent Rooker.

 

Now, as you know, the Twins Taxi Squad for this first road trip includes Luke Farrell, Brandon Waddell, Tomas Telis, JT Riddle and Brent Rooker. However, much of this group will be what comprises the Saints Opening Day roster.

 

The cool thing is that fans will be able to attend the workoutsat the alternate site for just $5. The first workout will be Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. and go until 2:30. It will get you a seat on the right field/first base side of the ballpark. Tickets can be purchased in blocks of two to six, and you will not be allowed to leave an available seat open when purchasing. For example, if you want to purchase three tickets in a pod where four are available, you will need to purchase all four. And yes, concessions will be open.

 

For each 10:30 workout, batting practice will take place at 11:00, and a simulated game will begin at 12:30 unless otherwise specified. For workouts that go from 4:30 to 8:30, batting practice begins at 5:00 and simulated games begin at 6:30 unless otherwise specified on the calendar.

 

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[rikker49]

Where is Wiel??

[AceWrigley]

 

Where is Wiel??

My thought too.

[rdehring]

Interesting roster, Seth.

 

With 20 pitchers, at least six are going to have to move down to AA when the season opens. To be honest, I don't see any obvious names to make that move. Who do you see moving down?

 

I know people have wondered where Wiel is. Another player missing to me is Celestino. Any word on him, Seth?

 

Do you think Rortvedt will stick at AAA? I think most people were expecting him to begin his season at Wichita.

[Shaitan]

Is the Taxi Squad only a thing until MiLB season starts?

[darin617]

 

Where is Wiel??

Well, that is a great question.

[DocBauer]

Betting Wiel and Celestino are in Ft Myers

[FlauerPauer]

Why not just say that tickets for 2 are 10 bucks? If you wanted to go by yourself, that's what it would be, right?

[TopGunn#22]

Yeah, Wiel and Celestino but Balazovic as well.  Is he in Fort Myers ??  I thought he was further along.  I wonder if Kiriloff plays a good deal of 1B in St. Paul with Rooker and Larnach also on the roster.  You don't need to platoon Kiriloff, Larnach and Rooker.  I want them to bat as many times against BOTH RHP and LHP.  St. Paul is where they should be getting exposed to ALL the game situations possible.  

On another note:  I STILL have high hopes for Wander Javier.  Where is he going to be to start the season ??

[jimbo92107]

Wander Javier...once considered an all-world prospect, now a trivia question. Where did he go? What happened to him?

[Fatbat]

Wander Javier is in fort myers, Balazovic is in wichita with celestino but that could all change by may 1st.

[mikelink45]

I like the relief pitchers and the outfielders. The others are not that exciting.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Betting Wiel and Celestino are in Ft Myers

 

Lots have asked about Wiel. So have I... I am very surprised... 

 

As for Celestino, he's maybe starting at Wichita this season (possibly Cedar Rapids), so no need for him to be up there. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Interesting roster, Seth.

 

With 20 pitchers, at least six are going to have to move down to AA when the season opens. To be honest, I don't see any obvious names to make that move. Who do you see moving down?

 

I know people have wondered where Wiel is. Another player missing to me is Celestino. Any word on him, Seth?

 

Do you think Rortvedt will stick at AAA? I think most people were expecting him to begin his season at Wichita.

 

The veterans will be in AAA (or released). I assume like Barnes and Vasquez and Jax and Mason and maybe even Duran. Remember he only had a handful of starts in AA in 2019. I think he could move up quick  if he doesn't start in AAA. 

 

And no, I think Rortvedt goes to AA, at least to start the season. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Wander Javier is in fort myers, Balazovic is in wichita with celestino but that could all change by may 1st.

 

They're all in Ft.  Myers now... First practice of the year is on Saturday!

[Seth Stohs]

 

Wander Javier...once considered an all-world prospect, now a trivia question. Where did he go? What happened to him?

 

He has been hurt. Not much he can do about that. He's basically missed three seasons the last five years (obviously one due to COVID). Still young. Still very, very talented. 

[IndianaTwin]

Seth, assuming no injuries at the MLB level requiring them to go beyond Maeda/Berrios/Pineda/Happ/Shoemaker and Dobnak, what would you project the AAA rotation to be?

 

I’m guessing Thorpe and Smeltzer. Duran didn’t appear in a single spring training game, right? With that being the case, it seems like he’s likely to start at AA. Who would be the other three most likely to be at AAA? 

[DocBauer]

Seth, assuming no injuries at the MLB level requiring them to go beyond Maeda/Berrios/Pineda/Happ/Shoemaker and Dobnak, what would you project the AAA rotation to be?

 

I’m guessing Thorpe and Smeltzer. Duran didn’t appear in a single spring training game, right? With that being the case, it seems like he’s likely to start at AA. Who would be the other three most likely to be at AAA?

 

I have been turning this idea over and over in my head for WEEKS now! EVERY team was affected by the loss of the 2020 milb season. And every team had their 2nd site. And every team got the end of season instructs. But further, every team also lost some lower level affiliates meaning there will have to be some sort of upward mobility "bump" of prospects in order to keep your best talent. Unfortunately, that also means some guys are going to end up looking for baseball work other places, but we already knew that.

 

In regard to the Twins specifically, I have to wonder about guys like Duran. Super talented, at the 2nd site plus the instructs, does a few games at AA allow him to move to St Paul at this point? Because you also have to look at Sammons, Jax, Ober and Barnes.

 

It seems to me the initial St Paul roster is a bit incomplete and has a lot of veteran arms still looking for opportunity and examination while a few arms may be in Ft Myers ramping up there.

 

Robinson Leyer and Chandler Shepherd appear to be former starters moving to relief, or have begun to do so already. But I see them as temporary/fill-in SP at best. Frankly, despite getting a few appearances in ST, they may have a very hard time making the Saints in any capacity just looking at depth.

 

SAINTS SP OPTIONS, with comments:

 

LH:

 

Thorpe: done deal

Smeltzer: done deal

Albers: a successful SP oversees. A temporary/swing option?

Sammons: 16 decent AA GS in 2019

Barnes: 3 levels in 2019. Appeared in ST games this year.

Waddell: Former SP that is being groomed for the pen. Hot ST.

 

RH:

 

Duran: TOP prospect. Talent and instructs enough to move to AAA?

Ober: ubelieveable numbers. No instructs. Ready for AAA?

Jax: appears poised and ready for a lengthy try at AAA.

Gibaut: Former starter being groomed for the pen.

Sparkman: Former starter being groomed for the pen.

Farrell: Let's just says ditto.

 

MY best guess to open the year?

 

Thorpe

Smeltzer

Barnes

Ober

Jax

 

I think Duran has a shot though.

 

Just like the Twins, there will be flux and need and movement.

 

It might be more fun to figure out the Wichita rotation and speculate how many of them are ready for St Paul by mid-season.

 

[Major League Ready]

Ober has not been talked about much lately. However, I wonder if he is one of the guys that gets a shot at the ML level this year? Great command plays at every level. I keep hoping the coaching staff finds a way to add a couple ticks to his velocity. You would think a guy that big could add a couple MPH through great physical conditioning if nothing else. I am hoping for Chris Young with a couple extra MPH and even better control. Young was quite good early in his career. Sure be nice to get the equivalent or a little better out of Ober.

[ashbury]

Ober has not been talked about much lately. However, I wonder if he is one of the guys that gets a shot at the ML level this year?

Once a player, particularly a pitcher, is added to anyone's 40-man, the odds of an in-season appearance surely shoot up dramatically. Nobody gets added, no matter how unready, without there being some sort of contingency plan for when he might get called to the majors; Polanco is an example to remember.

 

There are 7 pitchers on the Twins' MLB.com roster page currently marked as assigned to the minors, and Ober probably is near the bottom of that pecking order, but it's a long season. Probably the relevant question is the over/under for the date he gets a call. I'll toss August 1 out there for grins.

 

(It would be interesting to look at a previous season's opening-day 40-man, and check how many appeared in a major league game that year, but I don't know of a repository for that.)