Bride is the 292nd former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Waterloo Buck and Wisconsin Rapids Rafter Jonah Bride made his Major League debut for the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Bride is the 292nd former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Bride, who played collegiately at the University of South Carolina, played for the Rafters and the Bucks in 2015. He was drafted in the 23rd round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Athletics.
In 2015 with the Rafters, Bride played in 24 games and hit .172 with five RBI and six runs scored. He then played in 28 games in Waterloo and hit .237 with seven doubles, one triple and 18 RBI.
Bride began his professional career in 2018 with the Athletics Rookie Level team in the Arizona League. After two games he moved to the Vermont Lake Monsters of the Short-Season A New York-Penn League. Between the two clubs he played in 56 games and hit .280 with three home runs, 17 doubles and 29 runs scored. He drove in 31 and stole a base.
In 2019, Bride started the season in the Hi-A California League with the Stockton Ports. He played in 115 games in Stockton before ending the season with two games with the Midland RockHounds of the AA Texas League. For the season he played in 117 games and hit .277 with 10 home runs, 18 doubles and four triples. He drove in 58, scored 56 times and stole two bases.
Bride spent the entire 2021 season in Midland. He played in 78 games and hit .265 with nine home runs, two triples and 11 doubles. He drove in 49 and scored 45 times.
Prior to his call-up to the Athletics, Bride began the 2022 season in Midland and then was promoted to the Las Vegas Aviators of the AAA Pacific Coast League. In 33 games he was hitting .347 with five home runs, 14 doubles and 29 RBI. In his Major League debut against the Red Sox, Bride Started the game at third base and went 0 for 3 at the plate.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 29th 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 290 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 via the Northwoods League website at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
