Pauley is the 341st former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former La Crosse Logger Graham Pauley made his Major League debut for the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. Pauley is the 341st former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Pauley, who played collegiately at Duke University, played for the Loggers in 2020. He was drafted by the Padres in the 13th round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
In 2020 with the Loggers, Pauley played in 14 games and hit .184 with three RBI, three runs scored and 10 walks.
Pauley started his professional career in 2022 with the Padres Rookie level team in the Arizona Complex League. After 15 games he was promoted to the Lake Elsinore Storm of the A Level California League. Between the two clubs he played in 32 games and hit .276 with four home runs, seven doubles, and one triple. He drove in 25 and stole six bases.
In 2023 Pauley started the season in Lake Elsinore and then moved up, after 62 games, to the Fort Wayne Tin Caps of the Hi-A Midwest League. He would play in 45 games in Fort Wayne before another promotion, to end the season, to the San Antonio Missions of the AA Texas League. For the year, he hit a combined .308 over 127 games with 23 home runs, five triples and 32 doubles. He drove in 94, scored 98 times and stole 22 bases.
In his Major League debut against the Dodgers in Korea, Pauley entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the 9th inning and struck out on a foul tip.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 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 340 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 two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, 2021 and 2023 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team 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