Both Fitzgerald and McCusker played with the Kenosha Kingfish
Rochester, Minn. – Former Kenosha Kingfish players Ryan Fitzgerald and Carson McCusker made their Major League debuts for the Minnesota Twins on May 16 and May 18 respectively. Fitzgerald is the 387th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level and McCusker is the 388th.
Fitzgerald, who played collegiately at Creighton University, played for the Kingfish in 2014. He went undrafted after his college career.
In 2014 with Kenosha, Fitzgerald played in nine games and had two doubles, two runs scored, and an RBI.
After spending a season in independent baseball. Fitzgerald then spent seven seasons in the Minor Leagues where he was with the Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins organizations. Across 684 games he hit .260 with 73 home runs, 29 triples, and 145 doubles. He drove in 368, scored 343 times and stole 43 bases.
Prior to his call-up to the Twins, Fitzgerald was in Triple-A with the St. Paul Saints where he was hitting .328 in 35 games with four home runs, 11 doubles and 21 RBI.
In his Major League debut against the Brewers, Fitzgerald entered the game as a defensive replacement at second base in the 2nd inning he would play the remainder of the game and finish 0 for 3 at the plate.
Carson McCusker, who played collegiately at Folsom Lake College, played for the Kingfish in 2018. He was drafted in the 26th round of the 2017 MLB draft by the Milwaukee Brewers but returned to school and went undrafted after his college career.
In 2018 with the Kingfish, McCusker played in 38 games and hit .205 with three home runs, three doubles, and 13 runs scored. He drove in 22 and scored 13 times.
After spending over two seasons in independent baseball, McCusker started his affiliated professional career in 2023 with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels of the Low-A Florida State League. After 25 games he moved up to the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the High-A Midwest League. Over 46 games between the two clubs he hit .264 with 14 home runs, six doubles, and 36 RBI.
In 2024, McCusker started the year with the Wichita Wind Surge of the Double-A Texas League. After 99 games he was promoted to the St. Paul Saints of the Triple-A International League. In 123 total games he hit .282 with 19 home runs, four triples, and 30 doubles. He drove in 75, scored 69 times, and stole seven bases.
Prior to his call-up to the Twins, McCusker had played in 38 games in St. Paul and was hitting .350 with 10 home runs, 11 doubles, and 23 runs scored. He had 36 RBI and two stolen bases. In his Major League debut against the Brewers, McCusker entered the game as a pinch-hitter and went 0 for 1 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 25 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 380 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.