St. Paul Saints Opening Day Roster

Thanks a ton, Seth.  Expect the Saints are going to wish they were still on the road next week, it's going to be cold.

Couple technical questions.  What exactly is the Development List?  And not counting the development list guys, I count 28 players.  Is that the max roster size this year?

Also see 7 starting pitchers.  With six game series and Monday as their standard day off, will they be using a six man starting rotation?

Looking back at that prospective Dozier trade, unbelievable what happened to that duo.  But I guess that is the reality of the sport, no one knows what tomorrow may bring for these young prospects.

Expect to see Kirilloff play on this team as well.

Impeccable detail and reporting as always Seth.

One small knit, to use the slogan that could be used as a drinking game on a Morneau broadcast, Garlick is much more able to "do damage" against lefties.  

Be smart kids, take an Uber. 

Time to renew my Milb streaming package.  My top 10 things I will be watching / hoping to see at AAA this year.

1)    Royce ready to join the big club.
2)    How does Julien look at 2B and where else do they play him.
3)    Louie Varland dominating.
4)    Same as #3 with SWR.
5)    A healthy Austin Martin picking up where he left off in the AFL
6)    A rebound from Jordan Balazovic.
7)    Better command from Trevor Megill.
8)    An early return of a healthy Matt Canterino.
9)    Do they try to develop Bechtold as a catcher.
10)  A reduced K rate from Matt Wallner.
 

There's some interesting players to watch in Saint Paul. Really want to see how Balazovic responds to a) coming off an injury-filled and ineffective season and b) dealing with the broken jaw and the team's resultant unhappiness.

Wallner is worth keeping an eye on: he'll hit HRs, but I'll be watching to see if he keeps the K rates manageable and makes enough contact.

Hope Martin doesn't need surgery and comes back soon.

Laweryson is an interesting pitcher. Sounds like the Twins may have locked him in to the bullpen and I feel like that's the right choice for him. He did some good stuff in the minors last season and I think we could see him in MLB this season if some guys in the bullpen falter. There's room for a guy with a funky delivery.

1 hour ago, roger said:

What exactly is the Development List?  And not counting the development list guys, I count 28 players.

My question as well. I did see that 28 was the roster max at AAA that I saw.

Seth - thank you for this. And you answered my question on why I haven't seen Helman with any AB's this spring. Bummer for him.

I'll be curious to see how the Saints manage their rotation. That is a lot of capable starters that the team will want to keep fully stretched out and, especially in the case of Varland, SWR and Headrick, gaining experience. I'm guessing they'll want Ober, Varland, SWR, and Headrick to pitch every 5th or 6th day, so it might be tough for Sanchez, Dobnak, and Balazovic to get into a starter's rhythm. 

It also seems likely that Megill will serve in the closer role. Could be some good experience for him -- he'll probably be in the Majors fairly soon, considering he's on the 40-man. 

Looks like probably SWR for the home opener then?

2 minutes ago, Unwinder said:

Looks like probably SWR for the home opener then?

No, he pitches on Sunday. Louie Varland would be my guess. Good ol' Minnesota boy to pitch in the 35 degree weather.

18 minutes ago, GKuehl said:

it might be tough for Sanchez, Dobnak, and Balazovic to get into a starter's rhythm. 

I think Balazovic gets a regular spot in the rotation if his jaw allows it. Sanchez and Dobnak - one may get to start if we are going with a six man, once a week rotation. Otherwise, they are fighting for scraps, probably pitching long relief when a starter gets pulled early.

More prospects than I would expect on an opening day roster at the AAA level. Usually, even heavier on the depth/AAAA veterans. And that's not counting Lewis and Kirilloff. I could see the Twins roster really turning over big time...over the next year. Especially, if the team struggles to compete this year.

@roger@FlyingFinn

Here's what I found on the Development List:

With approval of the MLB Commissioner, a player on a minor league Domestic Reserve List can be placed on the Development List if the player is at the parent organization's Minor League Spring Training Complex or at a club-approved training facility for the purpose(s) of conditioning and/or development, or if the player has been loaned to a club in another MLB organization, to a club in the Mexican League, or to a club in an independent MLB partner league.

NOTE: There must first be an agreement in place between MLB and the partner league before players under control of MLB organizations can be loaned to a club in that league.

A player on Optional Assignment from an MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) can be placed onto the Development List of the minor league affiliate to which he has been optioned, but only with consent of the player.

A player cannot be placed on the Development List for the purpose of injury rehabilitation or disciplinary action.

A player can be placed on the Development List only during his minor league club's regular season, the player must remain on the Development List for at least seven days, and the player must be reinstated from the Developmental List no later than the day after the conclusion of his minor league club's season.

A player on the Development List counts against the in-season minor league 180-man Domestic Reserve List (or MLB 40-man roster if the player is on Optional Assignment), but he does not count against the minor league club's Active List roster.

A player is paid by the MLB club while he is on the Development List.

Source: https://www.thecubreporter.com/book/mlb-roster-rules-presented-arizona-phil-34

Can't necessarily speak to the accuracy, but it's the top result and seems to make sense.

Rough outing from Ober. 75 pitches. 

Fingers crossed on the Major league hitters not getting hurt, because AAA doesn't look like the place replacements will come from outside of Julien and Wallner. There is little to no reason those two ever sit, they should be playing 2B/OF and taking turns at first base as well. (not including Lewis, because my hope is when healthy he is only in the minors for a tune up)

This is a huge year for Jordy, Varland and Headrick because if they aren't really good or better I can't see them being added to the 40 next year since they will be 25/26/26.

3 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Expect to see Kirilloff play on this team as well.

Also, mid-summer, Royce Lewis. And part of me wouldn't mind seeing Lewis DH for a bit. He was quite the bat last May. I know he's a stellar athlete, but the same knee, twice ... 

Is Jordan Balazovic working his way out of the doghouse? I don't see his name in the order of succession. He might be a bit of a hooligan, but he's a talented pitcher, I hear.

I think this team looks pretty good. And it's a nice mix of your typical AAA/AAAA players and a nice group of quality prospects as well. 

I like the rotation a lot, even though Sanchez is filler, and not a prospect. But he fills a role, and like 2022, he might end up helping here and there at the ML level at some point. Hunch and hope has Balazovic healthy and re-establishing himself as a top prospect again and might be ready by around July. He and Varland and SWR give this team outstanding talent and potential for the Twins. While his future with the Twins might be in doubt, and might find better opportunity elsewhere, Dobnak might work his way back in to the conversation as a useful arm. I'm pleasantly surprised by Headrick in the rotation. I know he had a breakout last season, but his AA numbers weren't great. But I want to say he finished strong. The longer he was with the Twins in ST, the more I thought he had a chance. So again, pleasantly surprised.

The pen is mostly what you'd expect, mostly AAAA arms that work in AAA and might help at the ML level at some point, but Laweryson and Schulfer have a chance to be something. I like the pen even more when Winder is back. I can't help wonder, when healthy, does Henriquez figure here, despite his youth? Or does he go back to the rotation for now? 

Catcher really surprises me. They had way too many on the initial roster, but where is Sisco and Greiner? I think Camargo has a shot to be a solid ML catcher, but just figured he'd start at AA. Another pleasant surprise to be at St Paul. Williams figures more at 1B and DH, but he can catch.

Fans better enjoy Julien while they can, if he keeps his current trajectory, he might not be there long. The rest of the INF is functional. It will be better with a return of Lewis and future promotions from AA, Lee and probably Prato and Severino. Helman will help there as well.

And that brings me to the OF. Helman is part of the equation here as well. One of my biggest disappointments was his being hurt in ST. He's too "old" to be a quality prospect, but he's versatile and talented overall, and has a future as a super utility player for someone. Nice to have Garlick around for depth. Wallner has real potential. I'm not betting against him, but nice he gets time to smooth rough edges and work on his defense. The OF is even better when Celestino is back and working on his game, FINALLY at the level he basically skipped, getting better prepared for what is still a potentially solid ML career.

It will be very interesting to see what Martin does, and where he plays, once he's back.

Not sure if I was the only one.......my initial scroll thru the roster of the Saints........I don't feel all that confident.......

(Part of that is probably because Ober didn't dominate like I thought he would!)(ONLY one game!!)