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IL St. Paul Saints

Boyd Back to Triple-A, Joins Stacked Saints Outfield

August 23, 2021 - International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN - The Minnesota Twins promoted outfielder BJ Boyd from Double-A Wichita to St. Paul on Monday. When he suits up for the Saints, it will be his third stint in Triple-A.

Boyd opened the 2021 season with the Wichita Wind Surge. His .319 average in 66 games was the best in the Double-A South. Boyd joins Jose Miranda as the second Wind Surge player to lead the league in batting average when earning the promotion to Triple-A. He also ranked second in the league in RBI (62), fifth in OPS (.923) and slugging percentage (.550). His defense shined in Wichita as well, totaling three outfield assists in left field, which is the fifth-most in the league. His 15 home runs this season is already a career-high, surpassing the eight he hit in 2016.

The 28-year-old's path to St. Paul is a complex one. He spent the 2018 season with the Nashville Sounds, who were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics at the time. After not getting the call to the Majors, Boyd decided to pursue a new career path on the gridiron. He had a successful high school football career in Palo Alto, where he won a state title with a team that also consisted of Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams and Atlanta Braves shortstop Joc Pederson. He spent 2019 as running back on the football team at Foothill College, a member of the California Community College Athletic Association. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry with five touchdowns in 11 games with the Owls. He garnered attention from several Power Five teams, but the coronavirus pandemic halted those plans and Boyd found his way back into baseball.

Boyd was an Athletics prospect his whole career before stepping away in 2019. He was an everyday player for the Nashville Sounds in 2018, hitting .271 in 105 games. He hit three homers and had 49 RBI while stealing six bags. He also had a seven-game stint with the Sounds in 2016, where he hit .267 in his first go with Nashville.

The Palo Alto, CA native dominated the 2017 season in the Texas League with the Midland RockHounds. He was first in the league in hits (172), 24 more than any other players, eighth in OPS (.794), and 10th in stolen bases (16).

The 2015 and 2016 seasons for Boyd were both spent in the California League with the Stockton Ports. He had successful years there, hitting .277 and .288, respectively. In his 2015 campaign he stole a career-high 18 bases and hit a career-best eight triples.

Boyd made a statement when he debuted in professional baseball, hitting .301 in 39 games his rookie season in 2012 with the Arizona League Athletics. He stole 16 bases and was caught just four times.

Over the course of his eight-year minor league career, Boyd has a .283 batting average in 776 games and has 96 stolen bases and has been caught just 38 times. He was originally drafted in the fourth round out of Palo Alto High School in 2012 by the Oakland Athletics. The Minnesota Twins signed him to a minor league contract on May 27, 2021.

The Saints roster now consists of 28 players, 14 pitchers and 12 position players with five on the injured list and two Major League Rehab assignments in Byron Buxton and Luke Farrell.

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