LaMarre is the 135th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Alexandria Beetles outfielder, Ryan LaMarre, made his Major League debut for the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, August 22, 2015. LaMarre is the 135th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
LaMarre, who played collegiately at Michigan, played for the Alexandria Beetles in 2008. LaMarre was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd round of the 2010 MLB draft.
In 2008 with the Beetles, LaMarre hit .237 over 46 games. He hit four home runs to go along with two triples and seven doubles and he also drove in 19 runs. LaMarre also stole 10 bases in 12 attempts.
LaMarre started his Minor League career in 2010 with the Dayton Dragons in the Lo-A Midwest League. After 60 games in Dayton he was promoted to the Hi-A Carolina league with the Lynchburg Hillcats. Between the two he hit a combined .276 with six home runs and 32 RBI. He also stole 19 bases and had 19 doubles.
The 2011 season began with LaMarre at Hi-A in the California League with the Bakersfield Blaze. After 117 games with the Blaze he moved up to AA with the Carolina Mudcats in Southern League. LaMarre hit a combined .278 with six home runs, 47 RBI and 55 stolen bases.
2012 saw LaMarre play the entire season in AA this time with the Reds new affiliate in the Southern League the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He hit .263 with five home runs and 32 runs driven in. LaMarre also had 30 steals in 40 attempts to go along with 22 doubles and three triples.
During the 2013 season LaMarre again split time between two teams. He began the year in Pensacola and finished out the year in AAA with the Louisville Bats of the International League. Between Pensacola and Louisville he hit .245 and stole 23 bases. He also added 10 home runs, four triples and 19 doubles.
LaMarre spent an injury riddled 2014 season in Louisville. He appeared in 17 games and only hit .200. He was released at one point by the Reds but was then re-signed to a new contract.
The 2015 season saw LaMarre begin the year in Louisville. He played in 91 games with the Bats before his promotion to the Reds. He was hitting .257 with eight home runs, 17 doubles and 11 stolen bases before being called up.
In his Major League debut on Saturday night, LaMarre was the starting center fielder against the Diamondbacks.
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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, more than 130 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 (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com.