St. Paul Saints


The St. Paul Saints are an American professional baseball team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Saints are a member of the North Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. The Saints played their home games at Midway Stadium starting in 1993, when the modern-day team started as a member of the Northern League. In 2006, the team was a founding member of the modern American Association. The team started playing at CHS Field in 2015.
Before the arrival of the Minnesota Twins in 1961, there was a long history of minor-league baseball teams called the St. Paul Saints, as well as their crosstown rivals the Minneapolis Millers. One incarnation of the Saints participated in the Union Association, a short-lived major league, in 1884. A [|second incarnation] was active in the Western League from 1894 to 1899, and became a forerunner of the modern Chicago White Sox. The [|third and most long-lived incarnation] of the Saints was active in the American Association from 1915 to 1960.

History

The current inception of the St. Paul Saints was formed in 1993 in the Northern League, one of several independent leagues not affiliated with Major League Baseball. The Saints are known for promotions that are sometimes over-the-top even by the standards of minor league baseball. In this regard, Mike Veeck, formerly the team's principal owner and still owner of a large interest in the team, is seen as following in the footsteps of his father Bill Veeck, who was famous for conceiving outlandish promotions as an owner of the Major League teams the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox. The current majority owner, Marvin Goldklang, also owns a stake in four other minor league baseball teams: the Fort Myers Miracle, Sioux Falls Pheasants, Hudson Valley Renegades, and Charleston RiverDogs. Comedian and actor Bill Murray is also a part owner.
Despite the considerable naysaying at their inception, the Saints became one of the most successful teams in the Northern League and all of independent baseball. In 2002–2004, the Saints saw severely reduced attendance, owing partially to renewed interest in the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball, who won the 2002, 2003, and 2004 American League Central Division championships. In spite of an initially cool, if not outright hostile reception, the Saints and their Major League neighbor have worked together for several years to promote the sport of baseball.
The Saints have figured prominently in the creation of modern independent baseball. The team has been featured in books and a cable network series. Mike Veeck wrote a book that covered the mantra "Fun is Good" and describes the business approach he has used for many years.
On May 31, 1997, the Saints became the first professional men's baseball team since integration to have a female on their roster. Ila Borders, a pitcher, played with the team out of the bullpen for a month before being traded.
On September 29, 2005, the Saints left the Northern League, along with the Lincoln Saltdogs, Sioux City Explorers, and the Sioux Falls Pheasants to start the American Association for the 2006 season.
In June 2009 the Saints began a push to build a new stadium in Downtown Saint Paul. The proposed 7,500 seat stadium would be located in the Lowertown neighborhood near a planned maintenance facility for the METRO Green Line light rail. The city of Saint Paul requested $25 million in its 2010 bonding wish list to the Minnesota Legislature.
In 2020, the league announced that the Saints would compete as one of six teams in a condensed 60-game season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they will not play games at CHS Field, and will instead be based at Sioux Falls Stadium.

St. Paul Saints (1894–1899)

As described in Lee Allen's book, The American League Story, the team began as the Sioux City franchise in a minor league called the Western League. The WL had reorganized itself in November, 1893, with Ban Johnson as President. Johnson, a Cincinnati-based reporter, had been recommended by his friend Charles Comiskey, former major league star with the St. Louis Browns in the 1880s, who was then managing the Cincinnati Reds. After the 1894 season, when Comiskey's contract with the Reds was up, he decided to take his chances at ownership. He bought the Sioux City team and transferred it to St. Paul, where it enjoyed some success over the next 5 seasons.
In 1900, the Western League changed its name to the American League. It was still officially a minor league, a part of the National Agreement and an underling of the National League. The NL actually gave permission to the AL to put a team in Chicago, and on March 21, 1900, Comiskey moved his St. Paul club to the South Side, where they became the Chicago White Sox.
accumulated 1,639 hits over 12 seasons with the old Saints.

St. Paul Saints (1901–1960)

Another team called the Saints played minor league baseball in the American Association from 1901 to 1960. The Saints finished first in the American Association nine times, and won the Little World Series in 1924. During this period, the Saints were a farm club of the Chicago White Sox, the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Saints played streetcar home and away double headers with their local rivals, the Minneapolis Millers. When the Minnesota Twins came to town in 1961, the Saints became the Omaha Dodgers while the Millers ceased operations and their role as affiliate to the Boston Red Sox was filled by the Seattle Rainiers. Lexington Park served as the Saints' home stadium for most of those years.
During the six decades of the original American Association minor league, the Minneapolis Millers and St. Paul Saints engaged in vigorous rivalry known as the Streetcar Series. This series has been documented in a book by Rex Hamann entitled "The Millers and the Saints, Baseball Championships of the Twin Cities Rivals".

Current roster

Notable former players

In an attempt to gain publicity in a metropolitan area that hosts four major pro sports teams and a major college program, the Saints have grabbed headlines numerous times for their unique promotions.

Season-by-season record (2010-present)

Playoffs

Northern League:
AAIPB: