Decker is the 140th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Duluth Huskies and Mankato MoonDogs infielder, Cody Decker, made his Major League debut for the San Diego Padres on Monday, September 14, 2015. Decker is the 140th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Decker, who played collegiately at UCLA, played for the Duluth Huskies in 2006 and the Mankato MoonDogs in 2007. Decker was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 22nd round of the 2009 MLB draft.
In 2006 with the Huskies, Decker only played in one game and was 0 for 2. In 2007 with the MoonDogs he hit .283 with two home runs and nine RBI in 16 games.
Decker started his Minor League career in 2009 with the Padres Rookie level team in the Arizona League. After 52 games he was promoted to the Fort Wayne TinCaps in the Lo-A Midwest League. Over 59 games he hit a combined .333 with 15 home runs and 64 RBI. He also had 22 doubles and three triples.
Decker spent the 2010 season in the Hi-A California League with the Lake Elsinore Storm. He played in 130 games with the Storm and hit .270 with 28 home runs, 35 doubles, two triples and 90 RBI.
The 2011 season was split again between two teams. He began the year with the Padres Rookie team in Arizona and was then moved up to the AA Texas League with the San Antonio Missions. Over 59 games he hit .254 with 15 home runs, 12 doubles and 45 RBI.
2012 saw Decker start the year in AA with San Antonio. After 104 games with the Missions he was promoted to the AAA Pacific Coast League with the Tucson Padres. Between the two clubs he hit a combined .252 with 29 home runs and 26 doubles. He also drove in 81 runs.
The 2013 season was split again between two different teams. He began the year again in San Antonio before a promotion, after 10 games, to Tucson. Decker hit .262 with 19 home runs, 24 doubles, five triples and 70 RBI for the season.
Decker spent the entire 2014 season with the Padres new AAA affiliate the El Paso Chihuahuas. For the season he played in 134 games and hit .261 with 27 home runs, 25 doubles, four triples and 79 RBI.
The 2015 season was once again spent in El Paso. Before his promotion to the Padres, Decker played in 120 games and hit .252 with 21 home runs, 23 doubles and 75 RBI.
Over seven minor league seasons Decker has played in 761 games and is a career .265 hitter with 154 home runs, 167 doubles, 17 triples and 504 RBI. He also has a career .993 fielding percentage.
In his Major League debut against the Diamondbacks, Decker entered the game in the 9th inning as a pinch-hitter for Austin Hedges. Facing David Hernandez he popped out to first base in his only plate appearance of the game.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 22 year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, 140 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (KC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com.