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AA St. Paul Saints

Saints sign former Atlantic League MVP

April 17, 2006 - American Association (AA)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN - Some people like to collect stamps or baseball cards. St. Paul Saints manager George Tsamis prefers a different type of collection: former Most Valuable Players and batting champions.

The Saints' skipper announced today the American Association team has signed IF Victor Rodriguez, the 2004 Baseball America Independent Player Of The Year. Rodriguez was also the Most Valuable Player of the independent Atlantic League. He ranked in the top five in the league in 11 different offensive categories, leading in Hits, RBI and Total Bases.

The 29 year old native of Puerto Rico, who was a second round draft pick of the Florida Marlins in 1994, played in Taiwan last year where he finished second in the league in hitting with a .324 mark, adding 12 roundtrippers and 50 RBIs. In an 11-year pro career that has spanned 999 games, he has a lifetime BA of .290. In addition to the Marlins, he has spent time in the farm systems of Cleveland, Pittsburgh, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees.

Combined with the earlier signing of 1B Brian Becker, this gives the team the last two MVPs from the Atlantic League. "Victor is coming off two excellent seasons where he was one of the top players in the Atlantic League and in Taiwan," Tsamis said. "We expect him to come in here and be a big part of our lineup."

Rodriguez, who joins Saints OF Adam Olow (who won the 2004 Northern League title with a .376 mark) as a former batting champ (he won the Carolina League for Kinston in 2000), played last winter with Saints' closer Matt Hammons for Carolina, which won the Puerto Rico League post-season championship.

The Saints also signed a familiar face - LHP Anthony Boughner. The 27-year old Ohioan is 21-21 with a career ERA of 3.75 in four pro seasons. The Saints saw him when he pitched for Schaumburg in 2004 (where he went 7-1 in 10 games before signing with the Cincinnati organization) and in 2005 when he returned to the Flyers. He was 4-9 there before having his season cut short in August with an arm injury. But Tsamis remembered well his May 21 appearance at Midway when he stifled the Saints on a single run and three hits in seven innings in a 6-3 victory.

"Anthony was one of the top starters in the Northern League in 2004 before he was signed by the Reds," he said. "We feel he can once again be one of the top lefthanded starters in the league."

Rodriguez and Boughner will be in St. Paul when training camp opens April 29. The Saints' preseason opener is currently set for Thursday, May 4 against Sioux Falls at 11:05 a.m. at Midway. The team opens its 14th regular season (but first in their new league) May 12 at Sioux City. The regular season home opener is May 15 against St. Joseph at 7:05 p.m.

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