DeJong is the 172nd former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Wisconsin Woodchuck, Paul DeJong, made his Major League debut for the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, May 28, 2017. DeJong is the 172nd former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
DeJong, who played collegiately at Illinois State, played for the Wisconsin Woodchucks in 2014. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 4th round of the 2015 MLB Draft.
In 2014 with the Woodchucks, DeJong hit .277 with 20 home runs, 15 doubles and seven stolen bases to go along with 61 runs driven in.
DeJong started his Minor League career in 2015 with the Johnson City Cardinals in the Rookie Level Appalachian League. After 10 games in Johnson City he was sent to the Peoria Chiefs of the Lo-A Midwest League. Between the two teams he hit .316 with nine home runs, 18 doubles and 41 RBI. He also stole 13 bases.
The 2016 season saw DeJong promoted again to the Springfield Cardinals of the AA Texas League. Over 132 games he hit .260 with 22 home runs and 29 doubles. He also had two triples and drove in 73 runs.
DeJong had been playing with the Memphis Redbirds of the AAA Pacific Coast League before his promotion to the Cardinals. Over 46 games in Memphis he was hitting .294 with 11 home runs, 31 RBI and nine doubles.
In his Major League debut against the Colorado Rockies, DeJong entered the game as an offensive substitution in the top of the 9th inning for former Mankato MoonDog John Brebbia. Brebbia had made his Major League debut the inning prior. On a 1-0 count, from Rockies closer Greg Holland, DeJong would then go on to hit the next pitch for a home run to left field.
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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 170 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.