St. Paul Saints, Wichita set to be part of new Twins’ minor-league system

The Minnesota Twins announced their invitations for their 2021 minor-affiliates and there’s a couple of new teams — including a familiar one located just a few miles away from Target Field.

The Twins invited the St. Paul Saints (Triple-A), Wichita Wind Surge (Double-A), Cedar Rapids Kernels (High-A) and Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (Low-A) to be part of their new minor-league system.

The Saints will be making the move from independent baseball. Since moving to their current home, located in the historic Lowertown District of St. Paul, the club has drawn 2,028,402 fans over five full seasons (2015-19), leading the American Association in each of those years.

“We are incredibly excited at the thought of Minnesota baseball fans having the opportunity to watch their favorite Twins prospects as they wear the Saints uniform and play at gorgeous CHS Field,” Twins president and CEO Dave St. Pete said in a release. “Simply put, a Twins-Saints partnership would not only be historic, but a wonderful boon for baseball in the Twin Cities and beyond.”

Said Saints president and CEO Mike Veeck: “Our fans have been the lifeblood of this organization since 1993. Marv, Bill, and I wouldn’t have done this deal without their blessing. When we moved into CHS Field they had one ask and that was not to change our identity. We made that promise in 2015 and we’re making that promise now. I’m excited for this partnership and I look forward to bringing our irreverent fun to the world of Triple-A Baseball.”

Wichita, which has been the home of several Double-A teams over the year, will have a new stadium in 2021.

Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers return to the Twins’ fold. The Kernels have been a part of Minnesota’s organization since 2013 and Fort Myers since 1993. Fort Myers changed their nickname from the Miracle to Mighty Mussels in 2020.

“Quality player development is at the core of a winning baseball organization. These potential affiliations – both new and sustained – put us in prime position to continue to build on our recent major league success. I could not envision a better setup for our club,”  Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said in a release. “The tremendous resources and proximity afforded by St. Paul and CHS Field would give us a chance to link our two highest levels of play. The brand new facility in Wichita and what we’ve learned about the rich history and passionate baseball fanbase there creates fantastic new possibilities in Double-A. The ability to continue relationships with the great organizations in both Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers would help to set the foundation for future big leaguers at the early stages of their journeys. We look forward to hopefully collaborating with the ownership groups, management and communities for each of our minor league affiliates as we all together develop future generations of Minnesota Twins.”

Rochester had been Minnesota’s Triple-A affiliate since 2003 while Pensacola was the Twins’ Double-A team in 2019.