Saint Paul Saints Ink 3 Players-Ghelfi, Justus, Millan-in Busy Day of Deals

With the American Association of Professional Baseball’s spring training set to start on Thursday, June 25th, with the regular season to follow on Friday, July 3rd, St. Paul Saints manager George Tsamis went to work and signed three players yesterday: catcher Mitch Ghelfi, infielder Connor Justus, and utilityman JC Millan.

The Milwaukee Brewers organization selected Ghelfi in the 2015 MLB Amateur Draft out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The 27-year-old switch-hitting Ghelfi spent last year in the New York Mets’ organization primarily at High-A St. Lucie. Battling injuries throughout the season, he hit .240 with one home run and 21 RBI in 57 games. In 183 at-bats he scored 24 runs, had three doubles, two triples, a .307 on-base percentage, and a .295 slugging percentage. Ghelfi also spent a three-game rehab stint in the Gulf Coast League, where he threw out an extraordinary 24 of 45 base runners, for 53.3 percent clip.

After the Los Angeles Angels drafted Justus out of Georgia Tech in the fifth-round of the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft, he began his professional career with the Rookie-level Orem Owlz. Justus smacked an impressive .344 with 23 RBI in 26 games. Plus, in 93 at-bats, he scored 19 runs, laced six doubles, one triple, a .465 on-base percentage, and a .430 slugging percentage for a .895 OPS.

The 24-year-old Millan spent most of last season at Double-A Jacksonville (Miami Marlins), where he hit .268 with five dingers and 34 RBI in 84 tilts. In 269 at-bats, he scored 27 runs, ripped 13 doubles, had a .322 on-base percentage, and a .372 slugging percentage. On August 5th, he earned a promotion to Triple-A New Orleans and played seven games there, going 4-10 with two doubles.

The Miami Marlins signed Millan to a free agent contract in 2016 out of Broward (FL) Junior College. He spent all of that season in the Gulf Coast League and hit .188 with eight RBI in 24 games.

— Jerry Del Priore

Feature photo: Saint Paul Saints.