St. Cloud Rox pitcher Reese Gregory pitches during his college season. Photo by St. Cloud State Athletics.
Since 11 games of the Northwoods League season are in the book, it's time for the first of many installments of the Northwoods League Player and Pitcher rankings. Using a formula similar to what is used in fantasy baseball, I rank the top five pitchers and the top five hitters. Here is the first installment of many.
HITTERS
1. Zach Ratcliff, Kenosha Kingfish (Last Week: N/A)
| Season | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwoods 2014 | Kenosha Kingfish | 11 | 42 | 10 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 0 | .310 |
A sophomore from Ohio State, Ratliff leads the league in both home runs (5) and RBIs (13) as he's been a crucial part of the Kingfish lineup. The 6-5 first basemen has had three 3-RBI games and hits a home run roughly every eight at bats. He's also second in runs created with 11.224, a stat that estimates the number of runs a hitter contributes to his team.
2. Clay Ardeeser, St. Cloud (N/A)
| Season | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwoods 2014 | St. Cloud Rox | 10 | 37 | 8 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 0 | .405 |
Ardeeser is hitting .405/.649/.551 for the Rox as he leads the league in both runs created and walks. The Georgia College junior also has 15 hits in just ten games along with six doubles, which ties for the lead.
3. Jamie Ritchie, Green Bay (N/A)
| Season | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwoods 2014 | Green Bay Bullfrogs | 10 | 30 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 12 | 2 | 5 | .333 |
The Belmont senior has been arguably the best hitting catcher in the league this season, as he's hitting .333 with 10 RBIs and 12 walks. Ritchie also has a 1.020 OPS along with a .333/.467/.553 line that ranks among the leagues best.
4. Matt Dacey, Battle Creek (N/A
5. Matt Beaty, Green Bay (N/A)
PITCHERS
1. Reese Gregory, St. Cloud (N/A)
| Season | Team | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SHO | SV | IP | SO | BB | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwoods 2014 | St. Cloud Rox | 2 | 0 | 0.64 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 18 | 7 | 6 |
St. Cloud's local talent is the first top pitcher as St. Cloud State sophomore Reese Gregory has been dominant on the mound for the Rox. The 6-0 righty has thrown 14 incredible innings as he's allowed just one earned run while striking out a league-high 18. He's struck out roughly one out of every three batters he's faced and has a 2-0 record with a 0.64 ERA.
2. Seth Davis, Wisconsin (N/A)
| Season | Team | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SHO | SV | IP | SO | BB | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwoods 2014 | Wisconsin Woodchucks | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 15 | 4 | 5 |
Not allowing an earned run over 13 innings of work is a pretty good way to get onto this list. Striking out 15 while allowing just five hits is another way as well. Woodchucks lefty Seth Davis, a junior from Augustana, has been amazing this season. He has 0.69 WHP- as a starter- something that is virtually unheard of. He's tied for the league lead in ERA as well.
3. Adam Bray, Waterloo (N/A)
| Season | Team | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SHO | SV | IP | SO | BB | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwoods 2014 | Waterloo Bucks | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 13 | 3 | 4 |
Bray has been very good for the Bucks this summer as he also hasn't allowed an earned run over two starts. He's made two starts, including a seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts against Kalamazoo. A right-hander from South Dakota State, he has 13 strikeouts in 12 innings and is 1-0 with an amazing 0.58 WHIP- virtually untouchable.
4. Dylan Barrow, Duluth (N/A)
5. Robby Medel, Wisconsin (N/A)