St. Paul – When the Minnesota Twins optioned Mickey Gasper to St. Paul on May 5, the Saints knew they were getting one of the best hitters in Triple-A.
In four games following his first stint with the Twins in April, Gasper was 4-for-12 with two homers, three RBI, and a 1.417 OPS. In six games back with the Saints, Gasper took his game to the next level, going 11-for-23 (.478 batting average), with a 1.658 OPS, four home runs, and six RBI. He hit the second of back-to-back walk-off homers after Mike Ford hit one.
Gasper’s standout performance earned him International League Player of the Week on Monday. Gasper says it’s just a matter of keeping his mind quiet at the plate.
“Just trying to keep it simple at the plate,” said Gasper. “See it, hit it, is what I tell myself before every at-bat. Right now, I’m just getting pitches to hit, and I’m executing the game plan, and that’s what it comes down to, execution.”
Gasper’s timely execution at the plate continued to pay off on Tuesday night. He went 2-for-5 in St. Paul’s 6-4 victory over the Iowa Cubs. It seems like nothing can slow down Gasper’s hot bat, and his teammates and coaches recognize there’s more to what he brings to the Saints’ clubhouse than just being an experienced masher at the highest levels of the minors.
“Mickey’s awesome,” said Saints manager Toby Gardenhire. “He’s exactly what you want in a player. He works his butt off, he’ll do anything you ask him to do, and he can really hit.”
“He raked all of last year, and I think that’s why we made that acquisition with him,” said Shawn Schlechter, the Saints’ hitting coach, “And when he came down for that short stint in Iowa, we saw that version of him. He’s the type of guy that’s going to show up ready to hit, and you throw whatever at him, and he’s consistent with his routine.”
Gasper is in his seventh minor-league season and has continued to improve every year. He had a .367/.471/.592 slash line in 204 plate appearances with the Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate in Worcester, and he has a .425/.531/.950 slash line in 49 games with the Saints.
“We’ve got a pretty good team one through nine,” said Ford. “It’s been fun, McCusker has been great, Mickey’s been great while he’s been here, Eddie will get going, you know, all the guys one through nine. We think we can score ten runs a game.”
This is the second season in which Gasper has changed franchises. He spent his first six years in the minors with the New York Yankees’ affiliates, his favorite team growing up in New Jersey.
While the change of scenery can be a challenge for some players, it hasn’t fazed Gasper. He made his MLB debut last season with the Boston Red Sox and then checked off many career firsts, such as hits and RBI, with the Twins this season. It’s helped that he’s fit in with the guys in the clubhouse.
“The guys, both here and up in Minneapolis,” said Gasper. “It’s a good group, and they both give me a sense of belonging, and that’s what it really comes down to. Being confident in the box and just being relaxed and being able to execute in approach, even with all the outside distractions.”
Given his numbers, there doesn’t seem to be much for Gasper to work on at the plate. He’s still adjusting to playing second base more frequently than in previous seasons. In 2023, the Yankees had only started experimenting with him at second base for 16 games in Double-A. He’s already on pace to start more games there than ever this season.
“It’s just a process,” he said. “Defense is all about the work you put in, and I’m trying to get ground balls when I can, try to work on my hands before I take all the ground balls, trying to get long tosses in three to four times a week. Just trying to build strength on that side of the ball.”
The Twins have already used two of their three options on Gasper early this season, meaning the next time he’s called up and then demoted for another player could be his last go-around in Minnesota. Even after having one of his hottest weeks, he may be with the Saints for a while so that the Twins can retain him on the 40-man roster.
If nothing else, Gasper proved why he was worth trading for on Christmas Eve and why their organization is better with him in Minnesota or St. Paul’s lineup.
