Mike Kvasnicka Content Despite Unusual Path To St. Paul Saints

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- In the last 20 years, there have been three Minnesotans taken in the first round of the baseball draft -- Joe Mauer, Glen Perkins, and the guy currently manning right field for the St. Paul Saints.

Mike Kvasnicka's career might not have gone the way he wanted, but he's never been happier.

"Maybe could have been a little bit different," Kvasnicka said. "But I just don't put that value in being a big league baseball player. So no, I'm really happy. I'm really, really happy where I'm at."

He played in high school at Lakeville North, college at the University of Minnesota and pro in the Twins' minor league system. Quite frankly, Kvasnicka is running out of hometown teams to play for.

"I don't want to leave," he said with a laugh. "My house is 12 miles away. I'm good right where I am."

Coming out of college five years ago, Kvasnicka was Minnesota-born baseball's next big thing. The first Minnesotan drafted in the first round since Glen Perkins in 2004.

Instead, he became most known for being the guy who collided with Byron Buxton last year.

There isn't a sport more familiar with failure than baseball, or more comfortable with it. Fail seven out of 10 times? You're a Hall of Famer.

But it's exactly what got Kvasnicka's career in trouble.

"I always struggled with the failure, and putting some pressure on myself," he said. "I would be the guy in the cage for hours and hours and hours, and if I didn't do well, I'm going to try harder, kind of thing. And it just doesn't work like that in this game."

When the Twins released him this spring, he signed with the Saints three days later.

"A lot of the opportunities were the same, a Double-A opportunity," Kvasnicka said, "In another new city and starting over again with a whole new affiliated team or something like that, I just kind of felt like it was time to be done with that."

Most players come to St. Paul with the hope of reviving their career. Not Kvasnicka.

"It's the opposite," he said with a laugh.

In a league that runs on second chances, he isn't looking for one.

"I'm just really excited and happy to be where I am," he said.

Back home, back in school to finish his degree, with his family and with his wife five months pregnant, Kvasnicka has come to a place where he's OK letting go of that big league dream.

"I felt really, like, at peace with it," he said.

He can still play at a high level.

"He was a first-rounder for a reason," Saints manager George Tsamis said.

He'd just rather play here.

"And really just play for fun," Kvasnicka said. "It's something that I should have been able to do probably a lot earlier in my career. But, you know what, I'm just content where I'm at right now."