By PATRICK “PACKY” MADER
Staff Writer
Following three consecutive sellouts at Target Field in Minneapolis earlier this month between the Savannah Bananas and the Loco Beach Coconuts, it is possible to say the Minnesota Twins’ ticket office was yellow with envy. The popular six-team Banana Ball League known for their showmanship, trick plays, dancing, high-energy, and fast-paced entertaining games have captivated the baseball public.
The unanswered question for Minnesota fans has been, is there anyone from Minnesota on any of the Banana Ball League teams? A quick review of rosters and research reveals one player for sure: Jordan Barth of Cold Spring, Minnesota.
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Jordan has competed in the sport of racquetball at the national and world level, winning more than 20 championships. He was an outstanding high school baseball player for ROCORI (ROckville, COld Spring, and RIchmond) High School in Cold Spring, Minnesota — located 17 miles southwest of the regional city of St. Cloud. The right-handed batting infielder played collegiately at Division II Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South, Dakota (2018-22), helping them to a national title in 2018. Batting over .400 for two seasons and in the mid- to high-.300s another three seasons (Jordan received an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID pandemic), Jordan played around the infield. The summers between college seasons were spent playing for the nearby St. Cloud Rox, in a wood bat league where he had good statistical years and was a popular player.
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An undrafted free agent, Jordan played independent baseball for four years, primarily at shortstop for the Sioux Falls Canaries in the American Association. Suddenly, an official connected with Banana Ball called and invited Jordan to a tryout in 2025. Although Jordan struggled with trick plays and the choreographed dancing, he must have made an impression because he was drafted by the Texas Tailgaters in the second round. Already the team’s starting third baseman, Jordan is among the league leaders in batting average and gaining popularity by the game.
Go bananas, Minnesota!
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• Originally Published in Aug. 2026 on “MNAthletes.com” •
THIS ARTICLE FROM “MNAthletes.com” WEBSITE IS REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. IT HAS BEEN RETYPED, BUT NO CONTENT HAS BEEN CHANGED, EXCEPT GRAPHICS.
Patrick “Packy” Mader has written several books, including two large volumes on Minnesotans who were in the Olympic Games or competed in world competitions. To view hundreds of articles on Minnesota athletes, be sure to visit Packy’s website: MNAthletes.com. You can click on the link below:
BaseballCardFun.com 