Saints sign former Twins' farmhand

RHP Ronnie Corona to start tonight; C Jake Wallis acquired from Sioux Falls

ST. PAUL, MN – Ronnie Corona, a former sixth round draft choice of the Minnesota Twins, has signed with the St. Paul Saints. The 25-year old Californian will make his debut today as the starting pitcher when the Saints face Gary in the opener of a four-game series at Midway Stadium.

In another move, St. Paul acquired C Jake Wallis from Sioux Falls for a player to be named later. To make room for Wallis on the roster, the team released C Mikaela Dworken.

Corona, 25, was taken in the 2000 draft and moved his way to Class AA New Britain (Eastern League) before the end of the year. He spent two seasons at Class A Fort Myers (Florida State League) before returning to New Britain in 2003. Shoulder miseries limited him to just seven games the past two seasons. He is 9-8 with a 3.07 ERS and has fanned 194 batters in 170 innings in his professional career. This year, he was 0-1 in three games with the Rock Cats.

Wallis, 23, a 10th round draft choice of Cincinnati in 1998, is in his seventh season as a pro. He hit .242 for the Canaries this year with five home runs and 14 RBIs, including going 4-for-10 in the season-opening series with St. Paul. He had his best season in the pros last year when he hit .313 for San Angelo in the independent Central League. He was fifth in the league in Slugging with a .527 mark and finished seventh in batting average.

Dworken hit .232 in 26 games with a home run and 17 RBIs.