Ervin is the 167th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Green Bay Bullfrog, Phil Ervin, made his Major League debut for the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, April 22, 2017. Ervin is the 167th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Ervin, who played collegiately at Samford University, played for the Green Bay Bullfrogs in 2011. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1st round, 27th overall, of the 2013 MLB Draft.
In 2011 with the Bullfrogs, Ervin hit .305 with six home runs, two triples, six doubles and 34 runs driven in.
Ervin started his Minor League career in 2013 with the Dayton Dragons in the Lo A Midwest League. After 12 games in Dayton he was sent to the Billings Mustangs of the Rookie Pioneer League. Between the two teams he hit .331 with nine home runs, 11 doubles and 35 RBI. He also stole 14 bases.
The 2014 season saw Ervin back in Dayton. Over 132 games he hit .237 with seven home runs and 34 doubles. He also had seven triples and drove in 68 runs and stole 30 bases.
Ervin again split time between two teams during the 2015 season. He began the year with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in the AA Southern League. After 17 games, he was sent to the Daytona Tortugas of the Hi A Florida State League. In 126 games, he hit a combined .241 with 14 home runs, 21 doubles and 71 RBI. He also tacked on 34 steals and walked 66 times.
Ervin spent the entire 2016 season in Pensacola. Over 123 games, he hit .239 with 13 home runs, 22 doubles and 36 stolen bases. He also drove in 45 runs and walked 65 times.
Ervin had been playing with the Louisville Bats of the AAA International League before his promotion to the Reds. Over 14 games in Louisville he was hitting .286 with three home runs and three doubles. He had also stolen two bases and driven in 11 runs.
In his Major League debut against the Chicago Cubs, Ervin entered the game in the 2nd inning as a pinch-hitter for Reds starting pitcher Cody Reed. Ervin reached first base on a force out as Jake Arrieta threw out Tucker Barnhart at second. After the inning ended, Ervin was replaced in the order by the new Reds pitcher, Lisalverto Bonilla.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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 160 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.