St. Paul – The St. Paul Saints have added a reinforcement to their rotation from the lower levels of the minors. Last Monday, they called up 2021 14th-round pick Pierson Ohl to make a spot start as they opened up a six-game series against the Louisville Bats.
Ohl pitched phenomenally in his Triple-A debut, allowing only three hits, one strikeout, and no walks in four scoreless innings. He continued to build off the strong start during his second outing Saturday, extending his scoreless streak to 6 ⅔ innings before allowing his first run at Triple-A.
“It’s always a great feeling to get off on the right foot,” said Ohl. “Felt like I didn’t have my best stuff, either, which is kind of a confidence boost, being able to put up some consecutive zeros without your best stuff. I mean, it’s a good feeling.”
In total, Ohl has gone eight innings with the Saints, allowing only two runs on a two-run homer, two walks, six hits, and striking out seven. Both his starts at Triple-A have been caught by a longtime teammate and Noah Cardenas, a fellow member of the Minnesota Twins’ 2021 draft class.
Cardenas was called up to the Saints two weeks before Ohl, but having caught him in both his starts has been a tremendous help to Ohl adjusting to hitters at the next level.
“Having a roommate, a big-time believer, helps me,” Cardenas said. “He’s a guy who’s going to attack the zone. He’s really going to get strike one. And I think the rapport is huge just because it’s a new level for both of us.”
Ohl highlights that one of his greatest strengths is getting ahead in counts, specifically pitching to 1-2 or 0-2 counts. While Minor League Baseball’s stats don’t cover how frequently a pitcher gets into a specific count, they have Ohl’s total pitches thrown and break them down into balls and strikes.
Of the 713 pitches Ohl has thrown this season, only 42.6% have been called balls, with the other 57.4% landing in the strike zone. That alone is a good indicator to back up how effective Ohl is with his command in the strike zone, and it’s something he’s proud to have as a strength in the organization.
“Transitioning to a new level, I’m going to fall behind just being a little timid that it’s the new level,” Ohl said, “but yeah, I think the numbers speak for themselves. I’m going to be able to get ahead of guys, 0-1, 0-2, better than most guys, and the game of baseball, hitting is tough, so it’s going to put me in a good spot.”
“He attacks and has good off-speed stuff,” said Saints manager Toby Gardenhire. “He moves the ball in and out, he goes up and down, he’s got a good changeup. He’s not scared to go after them, and he does a really nice job. He goes right in the strike zone, and he just goes right at guys. So that’s what we look for, and that’s great.”
“Pierson is always going to give you his best effort,” said Jonas Lovin, Saints pitching coach. “He competes really well on the mound, he executes his pitches really well, and he does a nice job adjusting to what the hitters are doing. I think you’ve seen that so far, and I think, obviously, we’ll continue to see it, but Pierson’s great.”
To be at Triple-A at this point in the season is a significant achievement for Ohl. He started the season a bit behind on the injured list, but was quickly beginning his rehab assignment with the first two weeks of the Low-A Fort Myers season.
Once he returned to Double-A Wichita, Ohl compiled a 2.08 ERA in 39 innings along with a 0.87 WHIP, 30.3% strikeout rate, and 2.6% walk rate. It’s a massive turnaround from a disappointing 2024 season, where Ohl had his ERA north of 4.50
Like Zebby Matthews, Ohl walks very few batters. His career high in the minors reached 18 in 127 ⅓ innings between Cedar Rapids and Wichita in 2023. It’s a strength that has benefited greatly from having a catcher like Cardenas behind the plate consistently at each level of the minors. It’s also built up a friendship that they’ve cherished in the four years since being drafted.
“I think it’s an underrated aspect,” said Ohl. “Just the catcher knowing your stuff, knowing what to go to with two strikes to get ahead of guys. It’s yeah, I’ve thrown to him for the last four seasons, and he’s phenomenal back there, and I’m comfortable. He’s comfortable, and it’s been great.”
“I think just reminding each other, ‘Hey, we’ve got to do the things that got us here.’” Cardenas said. “I think sometimes you get to a new level and you kind of try to be someone you’re not, and I think he’s done a really good job of staying to himself, staying to his identity, which is really, really been good for him so far.”
Cardenas and Ohl are still early in their Triple-A careers. However, suppose they can bring out the best in each other, like they have in their first two together for the Saints. Then, they’ll be a huge boost to a struggling rotation that has the second-highest ERA in the International League over the second half of the season.
