180 Current and Former Players Selected overall
Rochester, Minn. – The 2017 Major League First-Year Player Draft was held June 12 through June 14 and the Northwoods League was well represented. A total of 180 current Northwoods League players and alumni were selected in this year’s draft.
"Some of the finest amateur baseball players in the world – those forged in the crucible of the Northwoods League – were up for grabs in this week's MLB draft," said Northwoods League President Gary Hoover. "The Northwoods League's role in developing players, made possible by our model and our excellent operators, continues to become more apparent."
The highest pick in this year’s draft was Greg Deichmann, a junior outfielder from LSU. Deichmann was picked in the 2nd round by the Oakland Athletics with the 43rd overall pick. Deichmann played for the Lakeshore Chinooks in 2015.
Of the 180 players drafted 41 of them had played in the Northwoods League Major League Dreams Showcase. The Major League Dreams Showcase brings together 100 of the Northwoods League’s top prospects to form four teams for a day of scouting workouts and double-header action. Played in front of Major League scouts, the Showcase provides an invaluable platform for players looking to one day make it into the professional ranks. Participating players are hand-selected by a panel of MLB scouts, distinguishing this event from the more traditional All-Star Game format that features representatives from every team. This year’s Major League Dreams Showcase will take place on August 8th in Madison.
The La Crosse Loggers had a league high 17 players drafted this year. The highest pick for the Loggers came in the 3rd round, when catcher Riley Adams from UC San Diego was taken 99th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Toronto Blue Jays had the most selections of Northwoods League players as they selected 13. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies each selected 11 Northwoods League players.
The full list of 2017 NWL draftees can be found here: NWL Draft Results
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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 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.