Both Perfect Game USA and Baseball America announced their list of top prospects in the Northwoods League in recent weeks.
Thursday, Perfect Game USA released their full report on the Northwoods League and on each of the Top 75 Prospects from this season. The full report can only be viewed through a subscription, but here’s a taste of what Patrick Ebert of that scouting service had to say.
“The Battle Creek Bombers got hot at the right time and claimed the Northwoods League championship in their fifth year of existence. They swept both the Green Bay Bullfrogs and Mankato MoonDogs to go 4-0 in the post-season after winning their final seven games of the regular season.
It was a significant reversal of fortune for the Bombers, who brought up the rear in the 16-team league in 2010 with a combined 20-50 record. But the Bombers made a calculated move to change the team’s direction when it hired veteran minor-league manager and former big-league catcher Donnie Scott to manage the club in 2011, and his wealth of experience was critical in the team’s worst-to-first run.”
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“The Northwoods League had a solid 2011 season overall, fielding the same 16 teams it did in 2010. It also broke its own attendance record with 901,652 fans going through the turnstiles, an average of 1,692 per game. Madison once again led the way, and also broke its own summer college records of 213,467 total fans, and 6,278 per game.
With the largest number of clubs of any summer league, along with its rigorous 70-game regular-season schedule, the Northwoods League obviously plays significantly more games overall than any other summer league, accounting for easily the best attendance nationally.
But the league doesn’t measure its success strictly on the basis of its turnstile count. It prides itself by most closely emulating the atmosphere a player will experience playing in the minor leagues, with its extended schedule and demanding travel, and the use of both wood bats and the same baseballs used in the professional game.”
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BEST TOOLS
Best Athlete: Phillip Ervin, of, Green Bay Bullfrogs.
Best Hitter: Andrew Knapp, c, La Crosse Loggers.
Best Power: Shaun Cooper, of, Mankato MoonDogs.
Fastest Base Runner: Garrett Nash, of, Wisconsin Rapids Rafters.
Best Defensive Player: Ty Forney, ss, Eau Claire Express.
Best Velocity: Anthony Bazzani, rhp, Alexandria Beetles.
Best Breaking Ball: Jonathan Crawford, rhp, Madison Mallards.
Best Command: Blake Schwartz, rhp, Mankato MoonDogs.
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TOP 75 PROSPECTS
15. NICK DOLSKY, rhp, Rochester Honkers (Des Moines Area CC/SO in 2012)
SCOUTING PROFILE: The 6-foot-8, 215-pound Dolsky has obvious size and showed the best velocity at the NWL all-star game, touching 93 mph, while sitting at 90-92. His fastball was up to 95 for the Honkers at other times during the summer, and he also threw a hard 82-85 mph slider, giving him two plus pitches when he was on his game. The significant downhill plane he gets in his delivery only adds to his effectiveness. Scouts believe that he’ll need to develop his changeup if he is going to continue to be used as a starter. Dolsky finished the summer on a stronger note than he started, going 3-2, 3.40 in 16 games, five of which were starts. His mediocre 36-to-28 strikeout-to-walk ratio indicates a need to improve his control. All in all, Dolsky’s summer was considered a success as he worked in just seven brief relief appearances for Nebraska last spring, and has since transferred to Des Moines Area CC.
45. ERIK SCHOENROCK, lhp, La Crosse Loggers (Memphis/SO in 2012)
SCOUTING PROFILE: Schoenrock followed in the footsteps of his teammate at Memphis, Dan Langfield, who was ranked 31st on this list a year ago pitching for the Loggers. Langfield stood out this summer in the Cape Cod League, while Schoenrock went 7-3, 4.02, but struggled to throw strikes, mainly with his fastball, while walking 47 in 56 innings. That came on the heels of issuing 26 free passes in 28 innings during his freshman year for the Tigers, where his father Daron is the head coach. Schoenrock did strike out 60 for the Loggers, working with a fastball in the upper-80s, but his best pitch is a swing-and-miss slider. He has a tall, lean, projectable frame and showed improvement with his changeup.
75. GARRETT NASH, of, Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (Oregon State/JR in 2012)
SCOUTING PROFILE: Nash’s profile is somewhat similar to that of (Jonathan) Walsh. A fourth-round draft pick in 2007 out of a Utah high school, he had a lot of promise as he enrolled at Oregon State as a freshman, but hasn’t made the necessary adjustments at the plate to succeed. After taking two years off to go on a Mormon mission, Nash hit just .208 for the Beavers in the spring and fared little better on the summer at .238-2-11. He does continue to show one plus tool in his speed, which enabled him to finish second in the league with 24 stolen bases in 28 attempts.