Villar is the 297th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former La Crosse Logger David Villar made his Major League debut for the San Francisco Giants on Monday, July 4, 2022. Villar is the 297th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Villar, who played collegiately at the University of South Florida, played for the Loggers in 2017. He was drafted in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Giants.
In 2017 with the Loggers, Villar played in 58 games and hit .312 with 13 home runs, 15 doubles and 49 runs scored. He drove in 49 and walked 23 times.
Villar began his professional career in 2018 with the Giants Rookie level team in the Arizona League. After six games he was promoted to the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes of the Short-Season A Northwest League. In 62 games he hit .282 with 13 home runs, 23 doubles and 47 RBI.
In 2019, Villar spent the entire season with the San Jose Giants of the Hi-A California League. Over 113 games he hit .262 with 13 home runs, 24 doubles and two triples. He drove in 57, scored 68 times and stole four bases.
In 2021, Villar moved up to the Richmond Flying Squirrels of the AA Northeast League. In 107 games, he hit .284 with 21 home runs, 15 doubles and one triple. He scored 70 times, had 58 RBI and stole five bases.
Prior to his call-up to the Giants, Villar had played in 66 games with the Sacramento River Cats of the AAA Pacific Coast League. He was hitting .284 with 21 home runs, 15 doubles and 62 RBI. In his Major League debut against the Diamondbacks, Villar started the game at second base and went 2 for 4 at the plate with an RBI.
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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.
