Rave is the 390th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Rockford Rivet John Rave made his Major League debut on Monday, May 26, 2025. Rave is the 390th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Rave, who played collegiately at Illinois State University, played for the Rivets in 2017. He was drafted in the 5th round of the 2019 MLB draft by the Kansas City Royals.
In 2017 with the Rivets, Rave played in 26 games and hit .336 with two home runs, three doubles, and one triple. He drove in 10, stole six bases, and scored 11 times.
Rave started his professional career in 2019 with the Burlington Royals of the Short-Season A Appalachian League. After 15 games he moved up to the Lexington Legends of the Lo-A South Atlantic League. Over 61 games with the two clubs he hit .234 with three home runs, nine doubles, and 13 RBI. He stole nine bases and walked 27 times.
In 2021 Rave Spent the year with the Quad Cities River Bandits of the High-A Central League. He appeared in 77 games and hit .252 with eight doubles, three triples, and 14 home runs. He stole 13 bases and drove in 51.
Rave started the 2022 season with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. He would play in 111 games with the Naturals and then was promoted to the Omaha Storm Chasers of the Triple-A International League. He hit .256 for the year with 16 home runs, 15 doubles, and 79 RBI. He stole 23 bases and walked 65 times.
In 2023 Rave began the year with Northwest Arkansas and then moved back to Omaha after 54 games. Between the two clubs he hit a combined .253 in 124 games. He also had 12 home runs, 62 RBI and 10 steals.
Rave spent the full 2024 season in Omaha. He played in 131 games and hit .259 with 21 home runs, five triples, and 32 doubles. He stole 17 bases, drove in 60, and scored 93 times.
Prior to his call-up to the Royals, Rave was hitting .301 with nine home runs, 46 runs scored, 25 RBI and 17 steals in Omaha. In his Major League debut against the Cincinnati Reds, Rave started the game in right field and went 0 for 3 at the plate with a walk and a sacrifice.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 32nd 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 390 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.