St. Paul – The St. Paul Saints outfield depth just got a bit more crowded. Last week, in addition to Walker Jenkins and Hendry Mendez returning from the IL, 23-year-old Kala’i Rosario was promoted from Double-A Wichita to bolster the Saints’ depth.
Kala’i Rosario brings plenty of accolades to an already crowded Saints outfield. He won the Midwest League MVP in 2023 with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, with 21 home runs, 94 RBI, and a .252/.364/.467 slash line.
Rosario had been in Wichita since the start of the 2024 season, spending nearly two and a half years at Double-A. Scouts and draft pundits have always raved about Rosario’s raw power. He showcased it last season with 25 home runs, 83 RBI, 92 runs scored and a .256/.358/.487 slash line in 130 games with the Wind Surge.
His 25 home runs and 92 runs scored led all of Double-A last year. It earned him an invite to his first spring training this February, an experience that Rosario still relishes four and a half months later.
“Just being around a lot of the veteran guys, and just trying to put myself in their shoes, just trying to see myself at the next level, and try to take everything I could from them,” Rosario said. “I learned a lot from the older guys, from their experience, and just try and take that into my season and not being up here, learning a lot from the veteran guys to make it to the next step and make it to the next level.”
This year, Rosario has put up a .239/.389/.450 slash line, 11 home runs, 33 RBI, swiped nine bags, and been walked 41 times. Even though pitchers in the Texas League are much more familiar with the damage he can do, Rosario set a career-high walk rate of 18.1% and drew 41 walks in 221 plate appearances in the first half. While power is his strength, Rosario tries to keep things level-headed in all aspects of his game.
“I always try to keep everything as simple as possible,” he said. “You know, the game is hard enough, so I don’t try to overcomplicate things. But when I go through struggles, I really try to get some extra swings in, defensive-wise, just get some extra work in. Practice makes perfect. You’ve heard that all these years, and it’s true.”
“Rosy, good player, unbelievable pop off his bat, can drive the ball out of the ballpark anywhere,” said Saints manager Brian Dinkelman. “He was coming along well in Wichita there, and I know he was excited to get out of there, having been there for parts of three years. So we’re excited to have him here, having him at multiple positions in the outfield so he can provide some thump in the lineup.”
Kala’i Rosario is excited to be joining a Saints team filled with players he’s come up with through the system. He joins his old roommate Ben Ross, along with Walker Jenkins, Gabriel Gonzalez, and Kaelen Culpepper, the core of the players at Wichita with him last year.
Culpepper and Rosario have formed a unique bond with each other as they’re both self-described ‘goofy guys’ in the clubhouse. As hard as they work on the field, they’re just as much jokers in the clubhouse to keep a loose environment over the long season.
“We laugh a lot, we joke around all the time,” Culpepper said regarding Rosario. “The guy, I mean, he can smash the ball, so I’m always joking around with him, saying how much harder I can hit a ball than he can, but he knows that’s not true. We have a really good relationship, I think. I love him as a teammate; off the field, he’s a better person, plays the game hard.”
“[He’s] definitely a goofball,” said Rosario, “but I mean, that’s a big part of how you get through a full season is you have a great group of guys, and you’re out here, you’re just having fun playing baseball. You’re not out here just treating it like a job. We’re out here and understand that we’re blessed to play this game. So I think going out there and just having fun with your friends, that’s a big reason of how you get through a full season.”
Rosario has appeared in only two games with the Saints so far and is 3-for-8 in his limited playing time. But given that CHS Field is the launching pad for the International League’s power hitters, Rosario is sure to show off the power skills that have gotten him to this level soon.
He’s only been in Minnesota once before the latest Saints homestand, joining a few other prospects a few years ago on an off-season workout at Target Field. The Hawaii native would have liked to have been up at Triple-A sooner. Still, he’s a bit relieved to be avoiding the cold and rain his Saints teammates battled through early in the season.
Target Field is on the horizon, and Kala’i Rosario is ecstatic to be a short drive down I-94 from his big league dreams. Even if playing time is short to start his Triple-A career, he knows it’ll come along eventually and show the CHS Field faithful a home run show similar to a few others they’ve seen.
“It’s definitely exciting to be back,” he said. “Target Field is right there, so one step closer, and I’m super excited for that.”
