Call is the 298th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Eau Claire Express outfielder Alex Call made his Major League debut for the Cleveland Guardians on Monday, July 11, 2022. Call is the 298th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Call, who played collegiately at Ball State University, played for the Express in 2013 and 2014. He was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the White Sox.
In 2013 with the Express, Call played in eight games and hit .348 with a home run and three RBI. In 2014 he appeared in 15 games and hit .314 with one home run, one double and seven runs scored. He drove in 13 and stole a base.
Call began his professional career in 2016 with the Great Falls Voyagers of the Rookie Level Pioneer League. After 27 games he was promoted to the Kannapolis Intimidators of the Lo-A South Atlantic League. Over 73 games he hit .308 with six home runs, 20 doubles and 35 RBI. He stole 14 bases and scored 42 times.
In 2017, Call started the season with the White Sox Rookie Level team in the Arizona League. After 13 games, he was sent back to Kannapolis for 38 games before ending the season with the Winston-Salem Dash of the Hi-A Carolina League. For the season he played in 61 games and hit .207 with three home runs and 33 RBI. He scored 34 times and stole five bases.
Call started the 2018 season in Winston-Salem. He would play in 56 games before moving to the Birmingham Barons of the AA Southern League. Between the two clubs he played in 123 games and hit .248 with 12 home runs, four triples and 28 doubles. He drove in 58, scored 63 times and stole six bases.
Prior to the 2019 season Call was traded to the Cleveland Indians. In 2019 he spent the entire season with the Akron RubberDucks of the AA Eastern League. He played in 81 games and hit .205 with five home runs, 13 doubles and 31 RBI.
In 2021, Call began the year in Akron and then was promoted, after 43 games, to the Columbus Clippers of the AAA East League. He played in a combined 109 games and hit .262 with 15 home runs, 21 doubles and 50 RBI. He stole 15 bases and scored 68 times.
Prior to his call-up to the Guardians, Call had played in 68 games with Columbus and was hitting .283 with 11 home runs, 16 doubles and one triple. He had six stolen bases and 55 runs scored. In his Major League debut against the White Sox, Call entered the game as a pinch-hitter and went 0 for 1 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.