Hayden Senger, Drake Baldwin, and Kristian Campbell made their first appearances in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Lakeshore Chinook, Hayden Senger, made his MLB debut on Thursday with the Mets. Former K-Town Bobber and Madison Mallard Drake Baldwin debuted with the Braves and former Duluth Huskie Kristian Campbell debuted with the Red Sox. Senger, Baldwin, and Campbell are the 373rd, 374th and 375th NWL alums to debut in Major League Baseball.
Senger played for Miami of Ohio for his college baseball career from 2016 to 2018. In 2016 with the Chinooks, Senger appeared in 41 games for Lakeshore and batted .221 with 30 hits, nine runs scored, two home runs, and 18 RBI. He also appeared behind the plate in 38 of his 41 games.
In 2018, He was drafted by the New York Mets in the 24th round of the MLB Draft. Senger would remain in the Mets organization for the next seven seasons. Over that time, Hayden would continue to rise in the ranks through the Mets minor league system, primarily as a catcher. During his minor league career, he has appeared in over 400 games.
In his MLB debut, Senger would replace Mets starting catcher, Luis Torrens, behind the plate in the 8th inning. In the top of the 9th, Senger came to the plate with the bases loaded but struck out.
In 2020 with the Bobbers, Baldwin played in nine games and hit .294 with one double and five RBI. In 2021 in Madison, he played in 52 games and hit .316 with four home runs, 12 doubles and 33 RBI. He also had 37 runs scored.
Baldwin started his professional career in 2022 with the Braves Rookie level team in the Florida Complex League. After three games he was sent to the Augusta GreenJackets of the Low-A Carolina League. For the season, he played in 24 games and hit .258 with five doubles, 15 runs scored, and nine RBI.
In 2023 Baldwin started the year with the Rome Braves of the High-A South Atlantic League. He then moved up, after 92 games, to the Mississippi Braves of the AA Southern League. He was then sent to the Gwinnett Stripers of the AAA International League to finish the year. For the season he played in 109 games and hit .270 with 16 home runs, one triple, and 26 doubles. He also drove in 61 and scored 63 times.
In 2024, Baldwin started the year in Mississippi and then moved up again to Gwinnett. Between the two clubs, he played in 124 games and hit .276 with 16 home runs, 19 doubles, and one triple. He drove in 88, stole two bases, and scored 58 times.
In his Major League debut, Baldwin started the game at catcher and went 0 for 3 at the plate.
Former Duluth Huskie Kristian Campbell made his Major League debut with the Boston Red Sox. Campbell, who played collegiately at Georgia Institute of Technology, played for the Duluth Huskies in 2022. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 2023 MLB draft by the Boston Red Sox.
In 2022 with the Huskies, Campbell played in 58 games and hit .356 with two home runs, three triples and 10 doubles. He drove in 45, scored 45 times, and stole 31 bases.
Campbell started his professional career in 2023 with the Florida Complex League Red Sox. After eight games he moved to the Greenville Drive of the High-A South Atlantic League. Over 22 games between the two clubs he hit .309 with four doubles, two triples, and one home run. He drove in five and stole three bases.
In 2024, Campbell began the year in Greenville and then moved up to the Portland Sea Dogs of the AA Eastern League. After 56 games in Portland, he was promoted to the Worcester Red Sox of the AAA International League. For the season, he hit a combined .330 with 20 home runs, 32 doubles, and three triples. He stole 24 bases, drove in 77, and scored 94 times.
In his Major League debut, Campbell started the game at second base and went 1 for 3 at the plate.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history 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, nearly 2400 NWL alums have been drafted and over 370 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 (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion and Cy Young Award winner 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, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove, two-time 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.