Descalso Called Up by St. Louis

On Saturday, September 18^th, the St. Louis Cardinals called up former Wisconsin Woodchuck Daniel Descalso (California-Davis) to their Major League roster.  Descalso becomes the 10^th former Woodchuck to play in a Major League game.

Descalso’s debut came on September 18^th against the San Diego Padres.  He was called in to pinch hit in the 6^th inning, but was called back after the Padres brought in a new relief pitcher.  He again came in to pinch hit for the Cardinals this past Monday and grounded out.  Descalso’s first big league start and base-hit came on Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  His double in the 8^th inning brought in two runs as he finished 1-for-3 with a run scored on the night.

The left-handed hitting Descalso was an infielder for the Woodchucks during the 2006 summer.  His numbers that summer were quite impressive.  He had a .277 batting average, .399 on-base percentage, and 10 stolen bases.  The St. Louis Cardinals then drafted Descalso in the 3^rd round of the 2007 MLB Draft.

The Redwood City, CA native played four seasons in Minor League baseball (MiLB) (A- 1 season, A+ 1 season, AA 2 seasons, AAA 2 seasons).  The majority of his MiLB career was spent in AA Springfield and AAA Memphis.  He has a .276 career MiLB batting average in 1,808 at-bats with 224 RBI, 137 extra-base hits and a .970 fielding percentage.

Follow Descalso in the Majors at www.northwoodsleague.com and www.stlouiscardinals.com.

Descalso will be the 74^th NWL alumni to appear in Major League Baseball and the 46^th player to play in the MLB in 2010.

The Northwoods League has more teams, plays more games, and draws more fans than any Summer Collegiate Baseball League in North America.