166 Current and Former Players Selected overall
Rochester, Minn. – The 2019 Major League First-Year Player Draft was held June 3 through June 5 and a total of 166 current Northwoods League players and alumni were selected in this year’s draft.
“When you combine top-talent with an optimal environment for development over a 72-game regular season something very special can happen, as was once again shown by this year’s MLB amateur draft,” said Northwoods League President Gary Hoover. “We are enormously proud of the players, wish them much future success, and are grateful to the Northwoods League fans and Affiliates who also play a key role in this type of outcome.”
The highest pick in this year’s draft was Bryson Stott, a junior shortstop from UNLV. Stott was picked in the 1st round by the Philadelphia Phillies with the 14th overall pick. Stott played for the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters in 2017. Two other former Northwoods League players were also selected in the first round. Former St. Cloud Rox infielder Michael Busch from the University of North Carolina was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 31st pick and former La Crosse Logger Korey Lee from California was drafted by the Houston Astros with the 32nd pick.
Of the 166 players drafted 37 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 6th in Madison.
The La Crosse Loggers had a league-high, 20 players drafted this year. The highest pick for the Loggers was the previously mentioned Korey Lee from California. Eau Claire had 16 former players selected and St. Cloud had 15. The Pittsburgh Pirates had the most selections of Northwoods League players as they selected nine. The Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets each selected eight Northwoods League players.
The full list of 2019 NWL draftees can be found by here: NWL Draft Results and Alumni
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Currently in its’ 26th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 200 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (MIA). 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.