Warner Park played host to the 2017 Major League Dreams Showcase on Tuesday which featured a plethora of baseball action in front of MLB scouts. A handpicked crop of the Northwoods League’s best players participated in workouts during the afternoon and played a pair of ballgames to cap the evening.
The afternoon festivities at Warner Park included a financial seminar for the athletes and workouts for both position players and pitchers. The NWL’s best took batting practice, threw bullpens, and showcased their fielding skills in front of nearly 80 MLB scouts.
Game one of the showcase featured many players from the North Division of the NWL. Rochester’s Zach Zubia, the league leader in home runs and RBI, showed off his power with a two-run shot in the bottom of the second that gave the home squad a 2-0 lead. The visitors responded quickly with a two-run shot of their own when Isaac Collins (Duluth) went deep in the top of the third. Collins ended the evening 2-for-3 and also reached on a walk.
Another notable performance from the visitor squad came from Duluth centerfielder Augie Isaacson who went 3-for-5 with an RBI. Isaacson’s RBI came in the fourth and gave the visitors a 4-3 advantage. However, the home team responded with a pair in the fifth, one coming in on a Hunter Feduccia (Rockford) RBI double, and claimed a 5-4 lead. The home side would hang on to the advantage until the top of the ninth when the visitors scratched across a run to tie the game. Game one was eventually called in the middle of the eleventh inning and ended in a 5-5 tie.
Game two featured more offense as the home team smashed 12 hits and tallied 13 runs. The home side featured seven Madison Mallards and multiple made contributions to the big 13-7 win. Madison shortstop Cole Daily recorded a pair of hits, one being a double, and knocked in three runs. Outfielder Zac Taylor was also productive in the batter’s box as he ripped a pair of singles and knocked in a run.
On the mound, Madison hurlers also made an impact. Florida pitchers Nate Brown and Tyler Dyson were both effective in their appearances. Brown started the ballgame for the home team and pitched a pair of scoreless innings and allowed only one hit. Dyson tossed a perfect inning in the fourth and struck out two while touching above 95 MPH with his fastball as the gallery of scouts checked their radar guns with approval.
The Mallards are back in action tomorrow night at Warner Park as they take on the Green Bay Bullfrogs at 7:05 PM. Gates are scheduled to open at 5:30 PM and the game features the Zimbrick Honda Maynard wobblehead giveaway and it is also Jamz Fitness Night. Listen to all Mallards games live by tuning into The Zone 106.7 FM or 1670 AM. For more Mallards coverage, visit mallardsbaseball.com.
