Contreras is the 286th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Rochester Honker Mark Contreras, made his Major League debut for the Minnesota Twins on Friday, April 29, 2022. Contreras is the 286th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Contreras, who played collegiately at the University of California, Riverside, played for the Rochester Honkers in 2015 and 2016. He was drafted in the 9th round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Twins.
In 2015 with the Honkers, Contreras played in 40 games and hit .275 with five home runs, six doubles and 17 RBI. He stole four bases and scored 20 times. In 2016, he played in eight games and hit .357 with two home runs and three RBI.
Contreras began his professional career in 2017 with the Elizabethton Twins of the Rookie level Appalachian League. In 43 games he hit .275 with four home runs, nine doubles and two triples. He drove in 24 runs, scored 27 times, and stole five bases.
In 2018, Contreras started the season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Lo-A Midwest League. After seven games he was promoted to the Fort Myers Miracle of the Hi-A Florida State League. Between the two clubs he hit a combined .228 in 104 games. He drove in 44 runs, stole 13 bases, and scored 64 times. He had nine home runs, 18 doubles and four triples.
Contreras started the 2019 season in Fort Meyers. After 27 games he was promoted to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos of the AA Southern League. For the season he played in 112 games and hit .186 with ten home runs, 15 doubles and three triples. He scored 42 times, stole 14 bases, and drove in 39.
In 2021 Contreras started the season with the Wichita Wind Surge of the AA Central League. He played in 19 games and then moved up to the St. Paul Saints of the AAA East League. In 114 games he hit .251 with 20 home runs, 30 doubles and three triples. He drove in 74, stole 15 bases and scored 72 runs.
Prior to his call-up to the Twins, Contreras had played in 26 games in St. Paul and was hitting .239 with five stolen bases, five home runs and 17 RBI. In his Major League debut against the Astros, he entered the game as a defensive replacement and went 0 for 2 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 28th 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 285 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 (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live for FREE via the Northwoods League website at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
