In their 25th year of operation in 2017, the St. Paul Saints led Minor League Baseball in percent capacity at CHS Field, conducted several unique promotions and won the American Association’s “Organization of the Year” award for the third straight season.

The team had at least 8,000 fans at 36 of 49 games, exceeding the ballpark’s capacity of 7,210 during 46 of 49 games and achieving a season high of 10,143 on July 2.’

Overall attendance was 115 percent of capacity for the season, the best in Minor League Baseball. The average of 8,295 was behind only six Triple-A teams and overall attendance (406,501) was exceeded only by 24 teams that played at least 20 more home games than the Saints.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the people I work with and for,” says Derek Sharrer, executive vice president and general manager. “It’s the most dynamic, creative, hard working and talented group in the business.

The team’s promotional calendar started on opening day with a tribute to Mary Tyler Moore. The biggest promotion of all, the team says, took place on August 22, when the Saints played Wichita on a giant Twister board, comprised of 56,000 dots in the outfield painted by staff and grounds crew from the Saints, the Minnesota Twins, Vikings and University of Minnesota.

The team also changed its name for one night on April Fool’s, playing the game that night as “Duck Duck Gray Duck” against an opponent renamed “Duck Duck Goose.”

Sharrer, last month, also received the American Association award for Executive of the Year for the third consecutive season.