Salazar is the 315th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former La Crosse Logger Cesar Salazar made his Major League debut for the Houston Astros on Sunday, April 2, 2023. Salazar is the 315th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Salazar, who played collegiately at the University of Arizona, played for the Loggers in 2016. He was drafted in the 7th round of the 2018 MLB draft.
In 2016 with the Loggers, Salazar played in 23 games and hit .276 with two home runs and 15 RBI. He also stole two bases and scored 12 runs.
Salazar began his professional career in 2018 with the Tri-City ValleyCats of the Short-Season A New York Penn League. After 22 games he was promoted to the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Lo-A Midwest League. Between the two clubs he played in 36 games and hit .197 with three home runs and 17 RBI.
Salazar spent the 2019 season with Quad Cities. In 71 games he hit .262 with three home runs, one triple and 16 doubles. He drove in 39 and stole five bases.
In 2021, Salazar began the season with the Asheville Tourists of the High-A East League. After 23 games he moved to AA with the Corpus Christi Hooks. Then after 32 more games he finished the season with one game with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Triple-A West League. For the season he played in 56 games and hit .251 with 11 home runs, 11 doubles and 32 RBI.
Salazar started the 2022 season with Corpus Christi and then went to Sugar Land to finish the year. Between the two clubs he played in 102 games and hit .265 with 16 home runs and 60 RBI. He stole eight bases and scored 58 times.
After a solid Spring, Salazar made the Astros Opening Day roster. In his Major League debut against the Chicago White Sox, Salazar entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the 9th inning. He would walk on six pitches and then come around to score.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now entering its’ 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 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, 315 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.