St. Paul – The Minnesota Twins have called up or sent down many St. Paul Saints players in the first month of the season. Those remaining in Triple-A move from position to position almost every game.
Jeferson Morales is the reigning Sire of Ft. Myers and has had to step up in the utility player role. Morales quickly became a favorite of Rocco Baldelli’s in camp and has become a fan favorite with the Saints.
“He looks great,” said Saints manager Toby Gardenhire. “He’s been swinging the bat great, he’s been playing different positions than he has in the past. … But swinging the bat, he was awesome all spring. The energy he brings was pretty fun, he’s a good one to have.”
“Basically, I was just going out there to have fun, and for me it was my first having my first big league spring training, so I was just trying to have fun,” said Morales through teammate Jose Miranda, who translated for him. “I took for myself as much as I could. And obviously all the Latin guys, Miranda, Vazquez, Carlos, they were helping me a lot, and it was a great spring for me, so I was just having fun.”
Morales earned his title from Twins Daily’s Tom Froemming after hitting .375/.459/.531 in camp. He had a .990 OPS in 32 at-bats with one home run and five RBI. Morales built off his hot spring training with a .273/.360/.439 slash line in 21 games with two homers and seven RBI.
Even if it isn’t the red-hot numbers he had from spring, Morales has been a versatile part of the Saints lineup while hitters like Austin Martin and Emmanuel Rodriguez have lost playing time due to injuries.
“I feel really good about my approach,” Morales said. “It’s such a long season, I’ve got to keep doing the work every single day. For me, every day is a new opportunity, and it’s just making adjustments every single day. But as of right now, I feel really good with my approach.”
Morales was a full-time catcher when the Twins signed him as an international free agent in 2016. Since they called him up to Triple-A in late August 2024, he’s been spending less time behind the plate and more patrolling the outfield.
The Twins also had him play second base in spring training. They planned to have him back up Luke Keaschall, and he was building his throwing arm back up from Tommy John surgery on Aug. 10. Morales’ days as a catcher seem to be over. The Saints are using him more frequently at second and corner outfield spots.
“It feels good,” said Morales. “Obviously, it’s a new experience at these new positions, so I think for me, I just try to keep learning every day. Keep learning more about the new positions, obviously left field and second base, and just for me, try to have fun and keep learning. That’s the thing, learning from that new experience.”
Morales’s teammates and coaches have picked up on his willingness to jump into a new position and learn. It’s come at pivotal moments this season when it hasn’t been expected, such as when he had to go into the center field on April 10 after Martin exited the game with a pulled hamstring.
“So, some of it there’s a little learning curve,” said Gardenhire. “[Morales] hasn’t played that much second in the past, we’re going to run him out there a little bit and try to work him at third a little bit maybe, and then maybe some corner outfield spots.”
“He did a great job in spring training,” said Miranda. “He opened a lot of eyes, and he’s just opening a door right now to the big leagues. He’s just got to keep working, trust yourself, and keep trusting the process.”
Gardenhire hasn’t put Morales in the hot corner for a game yet, but St. Paul’s positional depth is lightening up. Infielder Yunior Severino went on the IL Saturday after suffering a hamstring strain the day before. Morales will keep up his performance with the Saints, hoping to improve at the plate and on the field. He has allowed only one error at four different positions.
As Morales continues to develop his skills as a utility player further, he will have to balance out his performance at the plate to prove he is major league-ready.
