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AA St. Paul Saints

Saints Sign Brand New Battery, Sign Pitcher and Catcher

August 17, 2013 - American Association (AA)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN (August 17, 2013) - With the 2013 American Association regular season just over two weeks away from reaching its' conclusion and the St. Paul Saints suddenly struggling with the injury bug, they have reached into free agency to aid both their offense and defense. The Saints have signed pitcher T.J. Hose and catcher Chris Manning.

The 27-year old Hose, a right-hander, had been pitching for the Long Island Ducks this season until he was released on August 14. With the Ducks, Hose had posted a 2-2 record and 5.31 ERA in 38 relief appearances that covered 39.0 innings. He struck out 30 opposing hitters while issuing walks to 21 and giving up four home runs. In his six-year professional career he is 12-19 with a 3.96 ERA and 23 saves. He also has a career 2.38 strikeout to walk ratio with 262 strikeouts and 110 walks.

Hose also spent the entire 2012 season in the Atlantic League with the Somerset Patriots. That year he was 1-4 with a 3.58 ERA in 31 appearances out of the bullpen. His professional career began in 2008 when he was selected in the 36th round of the MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks out of East Carolina University. He spent the first three years of his career in the Diamondbacks farm system, reaching as high as Advanced-A, before playing his final affiliated season in the Boston Red Sox organization in 2011.

Manning, a Las Vegas native, will be making his professional debut with the Saints whenever he first takes the field. He completed his senior season at Doane College, an NAIA school in Nebraska, with impressive numbers earlier this year. In 48 games the backstop hit .316 with a team-high three home runs and 26 RBI, which tied for the team lead. Manning also paced Doane in total bases with 64. Defensively he was brilliant behind the plate, throwing out 14 of 39 attempted stolen bases on the season, good for an impressive 35.9%. In 2012, his first season at Doane, Manning hit .293 in 54 games while driving in 28 runs.

Prior to transferring to Doane College, Mannning began his collegiate career with a pair of seasons at Barstow Community College in California.

The Saints lost both their catchers on Friday night. Dwight Childs left the game after a collision at home plate, injuring his knee and ankle, while Adam Seaman injured his quad after collecting his first professional hit.

In order to make room for the two players, Brad Boyer had his contract purchased by the Minnesota Twins organization and the Saints released inured catcher Adam Seaman.

The Saints roster stands at the league maximum 22 players, 11 pitchers and 11 positions players.

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