Second list of NWL award winners covers pitchers from the 2022 season
Rochester, Minn. – The Northwoods League today announced the Northwoods League Alumni All-MLB Team of pitchers from the 2022 season. The players are listed below by position, college attended, Northwoods League team and current MLB team. Throughout the off-season the League will also announce its selections of up and coming players in MiLB and draft prospects.
Max Scherzer, Missouri, La Crosse 2004, New York Mets
On December 1st, 2021, Scherzer signed a record-breaking three-year, $130 million contract to head back to the NL East to play for the Mets. The deal is the largest average annual value contract in MLB history. The future Hall of Fame pitcher and three-time Cy Young winner maintained his elite level on the mound with a 2.29 ERA and team-leading 173 strikeouts moving him up to 13th all-time with 3,193. Mad Max recorded his 200th career win after throwing six shutout innings in Milwaukee on September 19th making him the 120th pitcher in MLB history to accomplish that feat.
Tony Gonsolin, St. Mary’s (CA), Madison 2015, Los Angeles Dodgers
Switching from shutdown reliever to a full-time starting pitcher in the Dodgers rotation, Gonsolin absolutely dominated in his new role. Recording 16 wins, 2.14 ERA and 0.87 WHIP over 130 innings, Gonsolin earned his first All-Star recognition and was squarely in the mix for the NL Cy Young before being shut down in August due to injury.
Adam Cimber, San Francisco, Green Bay 2011, Toronto Blue Jays
Heading into his second season with the Blue Jays, Cimber had a banner season setting career highs in wins (10), strikeouts (58), holds (19) and saves (4). The submarine setup man led all Blue Jay relievers in innings and continues to be one of the best late-inning specialists in the American League.
JP Feyereisen, Wisconsin Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids 2015-2016, Tampa Bay Rays
Year two in Tampa Bay was a battle versus the injury bug for JP, but that did not stop the former Rafters star from being flat-out dominant out of the Rays bullpen. Feyereisen went 4-0, holding opposing batters to a .086 average, and did not allow a single earned run over the 24.1 innings pitched in 2022. Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in December, Feyereisen will look to return to the Los Angeles bullpen in the summer of 2023.
Griffin Jax, Air Force, Eau Claire 2015, Minnesota Twins
Becoming the first ever Air Force Falcon to make their MLB debut in 2021, Jax solidified his position as the top long reliever for the Minnesota Twins during his sophomore campaign. Jax led all Twins relief pitchers in innings pitched (72.1) and holds (18) displaying significant reliability for the foreseeable future.
John Schreiber, Northwestern Ohio, Kalamazoo 2014, Boston Red Sox
Moving into a setup role for Boston, Schreiber experienced the best season of his career. Leading the entire Red Sox pitching staff in saves (8) and holds (22) the former Growler sported an eye-popping 0.60 ERA heading into the All-Star Break. Considered one of the most underrated relievers in all of baseball, Schreiber should continue to build upon his breakout 2022 season.
AJ Puk, Florida, Waterloo 2014, Oakland Athletics
Transitioning into the long-relief role for the Oakland Athletics, Puk displayed the traits that made him a first-round pick in 2016 with a 3.12 ERA and 76 strikeouts over 66 innings out of the A’s bullpen and was second on the team with 20 holds. Puk was recently traded to the Miami Marlins.
Steven Wilson, Santa Clara, Eau Claire 2014, San Diego Padres
Making the Padres Opening Day roster out of Spring Training, Wilson made his MLB debut on April 9th and earned his first career win in the game. Wilson enjoyed a solid first season in the big leagues with a 3.06 ERA over 53 innings pitched. On May 6th the former Express right-hander registered his first career save against Miami.
John Brebbia, Elon, Mankato 2009, San Francisco Giants
Year two in the Bay Area saw Brebbia bounce back to his norm, leading all Giants relievers with 18 holds out of his setup role. Brebbia sported a 6-2 record and a 3.18 ERA over 68 innings. He led the entire majors with 76 games pitched.
The Northwoods League recently announced the 2023 season schedule featuring a new team in Minot, North Dakota, and the return of the Thunder Bay Border Cats.
Full league schedules can be found by clicking view all dates at www.northwoodsleague.com/schedule/ or by going to northwoodsleague.com/schedule/2023-printable-schedule/ and downloading PDF versions of the Great Lakes and Great Plains Division schedules.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed 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 310 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.