Birdsong is the 357th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Lakeshore Chinook Hayden Birdsong made his Major League debut for the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Birdsong is the 357th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Birdsong, who played collegiately at Eastern Illinois University, played for the Lakeshore Chinooks in 2022. He was drafted in the 6th round of the 2022 MLB draft by the Giants.
In 2022 with the Chinooks, Birdsong appeared in six games and was 2-0 with a 4.15 ERA. He struck out 31 batters in 17.1 innings and had one save.
Birdsong started his professional career in 2022 with the Giants Orange team in the Arizona Complex League. After four games he was sent to the San Jose Giants of the A Level California League. Between the two clubs he pitched in seven games and was 1-0 with a 3.09 ERA. He struck out 23 batters in 11.2 innings while walking three.
In 2023 Birdsong started the season with San Jose and then was promoted to the Eugene Emeralds of the High-A Northwest League. He would pitch in eight games in Eugene before another promotion to the Richmond Flying Squirrels of the AA Eastern League. For the year he appeared in 28 games and was 2-5 with a 3.31 ERA. He pitched in 100.2 innings and struck out 149 batters.
Prior to his callup to the Giants, Birdsong had started the year in Richmond before moving to the Sacramento River Cats of the AAA Pacific Coast League. He was 5-2 with a 2.51 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 57.1 innings. In his Major League debut against the Chicago Cubs, Birdsong started the game on the mound and went 4.2 innings allowing three runs on six hits while striking out five.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 31st 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 355 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 (STL) 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). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network. Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
