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IL St. Paul Saints

Saints Add Nine-Year Veteran Rob Whalen to Pitching Staff

May 21, 2021 - International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN - The Minnesota Twins promoted RHP Rob Whalen from Double-A Wichita to St. Paul on Friday. Whalen, who has pitched in professional baseball since 2012, will be making his third Triple-A appearance when he suits up for the Saints.

Whalen has spent parts of three seasons in the Major Leagues. The 27-year-old appeared in one game with the Seattle Mariners in 2018, throwing 4.0 innings of shutout relief. He also had a short stint with the Mariners in 2017, pitching in two games, making one start.

After the 2018 season, Whalen had retired from baseball, but came back to the game in in January of 2020 when he signed with the New York Mets, the team that drafted him back in 2012.

Prior to his time with Seattle, Whalen played in the Braves organization in 2015 and 2016, having been traded from the New York Mets in exchange for a package that included Juan Uribe. He made five starts with Atlanta in in 2016, getting his first MLB win in his debut on August 3rd. He spent just three games in Triple-A with Gwinnett that season, posting a 1.02 WHIP, before getting the call.

He began the 2016 season with Double-A Mississippi, going 5-1 in his last 10 starts, and earned him a promotion to Gwinnett in July. Whalen went on to win the Mississippi Braves Pitcher of the Year award for his performance in the Southern League that year.

Whalen was originally drafted in the 12th round in 2012 by the Mets. He came on the scene in 2013 as the Sterling Award winner with the Kingsport Mets, given out to the top player at each level in the Mets organization. Whalen went 3-2 with a 1.87 ERA in 12 starts with Kingsport that season, holding batters to a .187 average.

Right-handed pitcher Derek Law has also accepted his assignment and will be active for the Saints tonight.

The Saints roster now consists of 28 players, 16 pitchers and 12 position players, along with Alex Kirilloff on Major League Rehab.

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