AA St. Paul Saints

Two Former Saints on Opening Day Major League Rosters

Published on March 31, 2011 under American Association (AA)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN (March 31, 2011) - There is a good chance the St. Paul Saints will reach the century mark this season. In the club's first 18-seasons, 98 Saints players have had their contracts purchased by a Major League organization. Of those 98, 16 have reached the big leagues. As the 2011 season gets under way, two former Saints are donning Major League jerseys, outfielder J.D. Drew of the Boston Red Sox and pitcher Brandon Kintzler of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The 35-year-old Drew spent the second half of 1997 and the first half of 1998 with the Saints and put up mind-boggling numbers. In 44 games in 1997 he hit .341 with 18 homers and 50 RBI. In 170 at bats he scored 51 runs, had six doubles, one triple, a .443 on base percentage and a .706 slugging percentage. He began the next season with the Saints and in 30 games hit .386 with nine homers and 33 RBI. In 114 at bats he scored 27 runs, doubled 11 times, had two triples, a .504 on base percentage with a .754 slugging percentage.

Following his 30 games with the Saints in 1998, Drew signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals and has had a solid 13-year career. He has played six seasons for the Cardinals, one with the Atlanta Braves (2004), two with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2005-06) and the last four with the Red Sox, including a World Series title in 2007.

The 26-year-old Kintzler pitched for the Saints in 2009 and had his contract purchased after his performance in the American Association All-Star game that summer. He went 8-3 with a 2.79 ERA and one complete game in 14 games (11 starts) with the Saints.

Kintzler's climb through the Brewers organization culminated in a September call-up in 2010 where he pitched in seven games going 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA. In 7.1 innings he walked four and struck out nine. He earned his way onto the 2011 Opening Day roster by having a stellar spring. In 10 games, he was 1-1 with a 2.19 ERA.

The Saints 2011 season begins on May 12 at 7:05 p.m. against the Sioux Falls Pheasants. Tickets for all Saints home games are available now in person at the Saints Box Office, by phone at 651-644-6659 or online at saintsbaseball.com.

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American Association Stories from March 31, 2011


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