Former Twins Farmhand Casanova Agrees to Deal for 2021
WASHINGTON, Pa. (October 20) – Today the Wild Things announced the signing of former Minnesota Twins’ farmhand Trevor Casanova to a deal for the 2021 season. Casanova, a catcher, last played in 2019 for the Cedar Rapids Kernels, the Midwest League (A) affiliate of the Twins.
In 2019 between two teams, Casanova slashed .210/.289/.333 with four homers and 23 RBI while throwing out 12 of 39 would-be base stealers in 29 games behind the dish for the Kernels.
His 2018 with the Appalachian League champion Elizabethton Twins was impressive. He slashed .331/.389/.490 with 14 doubles, three homers and 17 RBI. That year, Casanova threw out 16 of 32 potential base stealers, while sporting a .992 fielding percentage.
“We have continued to emphasize the importance of strength up the middle as an organization, with the catching position being the cornerstone to our success,” said president and general manager Tony Buccilli. “Trevor is an athletic, two-way catcher who has played very well with the Twins and he is preparing for 2021 aggressively. He holds himself to a high standard and we look forward to providing him the best possible opportunity to be a difference maker.”
After his September release from the Twins’ organization, it wasn’t long before Casanova found himself in contact with the Wild Things. Casanova is friends with Nick Ward and Spencer Bivens, two already announced Wild Things for 2021, from connections in the game as well.
“The Wild Things were the first team that offered me a contract just a few days after I was released and everyone who was involved with the process and communication treated me very well,” said Casanova. “I also have a couple buddies on the team who I played ball with before and they said nothing but great things about the organization.”
Casanova only played one season of high school baseball. As a senior he finished as an All-League Second Team performer at Centennial High School. Grade issues and what Casanova described as a lack of interest in school didn’t aid the baseball efforts.
He headed to Lane Community College where he collected 43 hits and drove in 33 runs with a .277 batting average. The school, located in Eugene, Oregon, was a bit too far from home. Casanova went home after that. He enrolled at Long Beach City College but grade problems kept him off the field.
After training at Beach Cities Baseball Academy in El Segundo with former big-league reliever Joe Beimel and former UCLA standout Brent Dean and a year and a half working in a furniture warehouse, he went to El Camino College. There he hit .390 with 40 RBI, 66 runs scored and a .492 on-base percentage. The runs scored total was the best in the state, his 82 hits were second and his seven triples were fourth. Casanova hit eight home runs and tossed out 44.2% of would-be base stealers.
The Warriors went to the California College State Championships Final Four and the standout hit .455 during postseason play. He was Pacific Association Division National Player of the Year and an ABCA/Rawlings All American, among numerous other awards before he was selected in the 14th round of the 2017 MLB draft by the Mariners. He did not sign.
Instead, Casanova went to Cal State Northridge, where he slashed .345/.405/.480 with four homers, 18 doubles and 32 RBI in 57 games. He was a Johnny Bench Award semifinalist (nation’s best catcher) and was named All-Big West second team. He also cut down 23 of 49 base runners and had a 21-game hit streak during the season. That was when he was picked in the 13th round by the Twins.
On the field, the California native describes himself as a hard worker.
“I am a guy who shows up to the field everyday with a smile always trying to have fun and make people laugh,” said Casanova. “I play the game hard and the right way every single day. I can play anywhere on the field and will always play my hardest to win games.”
On his other goals for the season, Casanova put it simply: “Win a championship.”
