MAY 20, 2014 PROGRAM:
Take the Last Train to Midway
Derek Sharrer, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Saint Paul Saints, will be sharing plans for celebrating the 22nd and final year of Saints baseball at Midway stadium as well providing a brief introduction to this year’s ballclub. He will also provide an update on the process/ progress with the construction of the Lowertown Ballpark as well sharing plans for its opening in 2015. Will “Trains” be replaced by “Planes?”
Upon beginning his career in Fort Myers, FL with the Goldklang Groups Florida State League franchise, the Whiteland, IN native rose through the ranks of the Miracle quickly, ascending to the GM's chair in 1997. As part of the job there, he worked extensively with the Miracle's parent team – the Minnesota Twins – during spring training. The Miracle has consistently bucked the trend of poor Florida State League attendance and has led in that department now for several years.
In 2001, he moved to Charleston, SC. The RiverDogs, a Tampa Bay affiliate at the time (they are currently linked with the Yankees) in the Class A South Atlantic League. With the help of such interesting promotions as Nobody Night (when fans weren't allowed into the ballpark until it was an official game), the Riverdogs drew a team record 259,007 fans in 2003. Charleston mayor Joe Riley thought so much of Sharrer that he helped organize a special day in his honor before he left to join the Saints.
Just one month prior to the start of the 2004 season Sharrer headed north from Charleston, SC. The Saints fourth championship would come just a few months later.