Bacus is the 243rd former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Waterloo Buck Dakota Bacus, made his Major League debut for the Washington Nationals on Friday, August 14, 2020. Bacus is the 243rd former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Bacus, who played collegiately at Indiana State, played for the Waterloo Bucks in 2011. He was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the ninth round of the 2012 MLB draft.
During the 2011 season with the Bucks, Bacus appeared in 11 games and was 2-1 with a 4.39 ERA. He struck out 19 batters in 26.2 innings.
Bacus spent eight seasons in the minor leagues appearing in 225 games. He compiled a 42-25 record with a 3.53 ERA. Bacus had 505 strikeouts in 609.2 innings pitched with a 1.293 WHIP. He also saved 28 games.
Bacus was placed in the Nationals 60-man player pool for the 2020 season and had his contract purchased on August 14. In his Major League debut against the Orioles, Bacus entered the game in relief in the eighth inning. He faced six batters over 2.0 innings and struck out one.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 27th 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 240 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB All-Star Jordan Zimmermann (DET). 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.