6 hours Ago By Michael Lyne
WILLMAR — Below zero temperatures did not stop Willmar Stingers fans from braving the cold to show up and spend their afternoon with two of the Northwoods League team's alumni who are in the big leagues donning Minnesota Twins uniforms. Willmar co-owners Marc Jerzak and Ryan Voz hosted a Winter BBQ event, which featured a lunch and question-and-answer session with Minnesota infielder Brooks Lee and starting pitcher Louie Varland before nearly 300 attendees on Tuesday at the Willmar Conference Center. Lee and Varland appeared alongside former Twins relief pitcher Glen Perkins, a three-time all-star who spent all 12 of his MLB seasons in Minnesota and is currently a broadcast/radio analyst for the Twins, Kris Atteberry, Minnesota's lead radio play-by-play voice, and mascot T.
C. Bear. The event served as part of Leg 2 of the Twins Winter Caravan, which made its next stop at 6 p.
m. Tuesday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The second leg will also be making two stops on Wednesday, the first is at 3 p.
m. in Owatonna and the final appearance is at 6 p.m.
in Mankato. Before the bus arrived for the question-and-answer segment with Lee, who was with the Stingers in 2020, and Varland, who spent two summers in Willmar (2017-18), fans intermingled as anticipation rose. Projectors across the convention center showed the many highlights of Lee and Varland from their time spent with the Stingers while those in attendance enjoyed a variety of hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad and more.
Soon enough, the caravan arrived. Then, Jordan Smith spoke. He's a 2009 Willmar High School grad and current manager of the Lynchburg Hillcats, a High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians who was drafted by Cleveland in 2011 and played for the Stingers in 2010.
He kicked off Tuesday before a tribute video highlighted Lee and Varland's time in Willmar. Smith thanked Jerzak and Voz, host families and local businesses for all that they do before he sent a light jab toward Lee and Varland about how Cleveland, the reigning American League's Central Division champion, finished higher than the Twins, which got the crowd into it. "It's a lot of baseball and not a lot of days," Smith said of the sport's busy schedule.
"You go from basically 70 games in the summer to 162 games, and hopefully, playoffs soon if you guys (the Twins) ever get past Cleveland." Lee, who was selected eighth overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, made his way to Willmar following the cancellation of his freshman season at Cal Poly, where he had two at-bats, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Voz offered Lee a chance to get more at-bats.
It was a no-brainer as most other leagues were shut down. The switch-hitter batted .345 in 36 games, and with less games on the schedule, got to enjoy west central Minnesota with his host family, highlighted by wake surfing.
"The host family (Jay and Sherri Black) was the biggest thing for me," Lee said. "I've played for a few other teams, but nothing like the Willmar Stingers, and especially, the family that they have. .
.. I had the time of my life.
" Lee, who made his debut with the Twins in 2024, also announced he will wear a different number for Minnesota, as he enters his second season in 2025. He is switching from 72 to 2 after his first MLB season where he batted .221 in an injury-riddled rookie season.
"I grew up liking Derek Jeter," Lee said. "Two is a special number." Varland's older brother Gus Varland, a relief pitcher for the Chicago White Sox who played with the Stingers in 2017, helped recruit him to Willmar as the team was in need of more pitchers on its roster.
He saw little action that summer before he posted a 4-2 record in 12 games in 2018. Just about all of Varland's baseball exposure has come in the state of Minnesota. He was a three-sport athlete at North St.
Paul High School and earned a scholarship at Division II Concordia University-St. Paul before the Twins drafted him in the 15th round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Yet, Varland credited his time in Willmar in helping him advance his career.
"It gave me a lot of professional scout exposure," Varland said. "I think back at my experience with the Willmar Stingers, I don't remember much about any of the baseball, I had a great host family (Richard and Shari Courtney) and it is the teammates who I still talk to today. It was great.
" Varland, who debuted with the Twins in 2022, is entering his fourth season with the club in 2025. "It is a complete dream come true," Varland said of playing for the Twins. "It was my whole dream growing up, especially when baseball really started to take off for me.
I grew up a Twins fan and had a Joe Mauer poster on my wall. "Now, occasionally, I see Joe Mauer in the Twins clubhouse for the team I'm playing for. It still hasn't settled in and hit me really.
I still sit back in my seat sometimes and realize like, 'Man this is really happening.'" Willmar will wear new cream jerseys for the 2025 season, which begins May 26 against the Badlands Big Sticks in Dickinson, North Dakota. Willmar's home opener is against the Thunder Bay Border Cats on Sunday, June 1 at Bill Taunton Stadium.
Lee and Varland signed the first two jerseys as part of a raffle to conclude the Winter BBQ session. The Twins begin their season in St. Louis against the Cardinals on March 27.
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