The Rochester Red Wings (Class AAA; International League) and Minnesota Twins announced a two-year extension of their player development contract (PDC) through the 2016 season.
The announcement was made by Twins Executive Vice President and General Manager Terry Ryan, Red Wings President/CEO/COO Naomi Silver and Chairman of the Board Gary Larder during the first inning of the August 25 game at Frontier Field.
“We have an ideal situation with the Red Wings organization and Rochester is an ideal baseball town. It’s a fantastic community for our players to play in every summer with a knowledgeable fan base who supports the team very well,” Ryan said. “The ownership is tremendous and there’s a mutual respect between the Twins and Red Wings. It’s a relationship we don’t take for granted in Minnesota.
“In working with the minor league affiliates it’s tough to find that combination of quality ownership, facility, community fan base, and team travel and we’re happy to say we have that here in Rochester,” Ryan continued. “We look forward to the next two seasons and hopefully many more after that.”
With their win on Sunday, the Red Wings clinched their seventh winning season in the first 12 years of affiliation with the Twins and remained in the hunt for a second consecutive postseason appearance.
“We consider ourselves fortunate to be affiliated with such a high quality organization. The Twins provide us with competitive teams, high caliber players, and communicate well with us,” Silver said. “Our relationship is one of mutual respect and common philosophies about upstanding, hard-working players and success. No organization is more respected than the Twins and we are lucky and grateful they are our partner.”
“Ever since we first affiliated with the Twins in 2003, we have continued to be impressed with the attention they give to their minor league teams. They are indeed wonderful partners,” added Chairman of the Board Gary Larder.
Rochester has proved to be an important step in the development of Twins players since the relationship began in 2003. Over the first 12 years, 155 different players have appeared in both a Twins and Red Wings uniform. This year alone, 17 different players have been promoted to Minnesota — including eight players who are currently on Minnesota’s 25-man roster.
Here’s a look at the current affiliate status in Minor League Baseball.
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