The MLB Draft saw various Northwoods League players chosen in rounds 10-19. Below is a breakdown of notable NWL alumni who were taken Tuesday afternoon in the 2011 MLB Draft.
Round 10 –
Mike Strong – Mike Strong, a left-handed pitcher from Oklahoma State, played for the Rochester Honkers in 2010 and led them to the NWL Championship Series. Strong was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 311th overall pick.
Ben Hughes – Ben Hughes pitched for the Duluth Huskies and will now be a member of the Colorado Rockies system. The St. Olaf right-handed pitcher was taken with the 318th overall pick and projects as a starter at the next level.
Cody Koback – Cody Koback used an impressive 2010 season with the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters and 2011 season with Wisconsin Stevens-Point to jump into the 10th round. Koback, a pitcher/outfielder, was selected by the Boston Red Sox with the 322nd overall pick.
Round 11 –
Adam Davis – The former Madison Mallard and University of Illinois catcher was selected in the 11th round by the Baltimore Orioles. Davis is a 6’0’’ 205 pound catcher and was a 2010 NWL All-Star after hitting .328 with six home runs.
Jacob Esch – The right-handed pitcher teamed up with Davis in Madison in 2010. Esch has a career 5-3 NWL record in 74.1 innings of work. The Georgia Tech standout was selected by the Florida Marlins with the 343rd overall pick.
Round 12 –
Josh Parr – Another Illinois and Madison Mallard, Josh Parr, was taken in the 2011 MLB Draft. Parr was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks (364th) and is a right-handed hitting shortstop. Parr hit .307 in 2010 with the Mallards and was also named a 2010 All-Star.
Round 13 –
Jacob Tanis – Tanis was selected by the Oakland Athletics as the 406th overall pick. Tanis, a third basemen from Mercer, led the Alexandria Beetles in 2010 at the plate with a .315 average and nine homers in 43 games.
Tony Mueller – The speedy La Crosse Logger found himself picked by the Atlanta Braves after leading Winona State to the NCAA D-II Championship game. Mueller started the 2010 All-Star game on the mound and also hit .306 at the plate this past season.
Round 14 –
Nick Rickles – Rickles played for the Duluth Huskies in 2009. The Stetson catcher was taken by the Oakland Athletics with the 436th overall pick.
Brian Humphries – The former St. Cloud River Bat was selected by the Colorado Rockies. The left-handed hitting center fielder spent 2009 in St. Cloud and hit .264 in 55 games played.
Round 15 –
Eric Wooten – The Denver native was selected by the Baltimore Orioles. The 6’3’’ left-handed pitcher played his college ball at Central Arizona and is a member of the Mankato MoonDogs in 2011.
Round 16 –
Rafael Lopez – The left-handed hitting catcher played for the Madison Mallards in 2010 after a successful junior season at Florida State. Lopez was selected with the 489th overall pick by the Chicago Cubs. In 2010 with the Mallards, Lopez hit an impressive .344 and threw out 42.2% of base stealers.
Frazier Hall – Hall played for the Bucks in 2009 and the Loggers in 2010 and now will be a member of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Southern A&M 1st basemen hit .274 this past season with La Crosse.
Round 17 –
Collin Kuhn – Collin played for the Green Bay Bullfrogs in 2010 and was selected by the Chicago White Sox. Kuhn is a 6’0’’ right-handed hitting outfielder who played collegiately at Arkansas.
Round 18 –
Corey Kimes – Kimes was taken by the Minnesota Twins and projects to be a starter at the professional level. The 6’4’’ righty played in the Big Ten with the University of Illinois.
Round 19 –
Matt Flemer – Flemer was a member of the 2010 NWL All-Star team after a great season with the La Crosse Loggers. The right-handed pitcher/outfielder was selected by the Kansas City Royals and projects as a pitcher at the next level. Flemer was 8-2 last season with the Loggers.
