Seven position players and two pitchers drafted
*Isaac Collins and Jack Stronach not pictured
Duluth, Minn — The 2019 MLB Draft was held on June 2nd through June 5th, and nine former Duluth Huskies were selected starting in the 2nd round and lasting through the 25th round.
Chase Strumpf was the Huskies’ highest selection as he went 64th overall to the Chicago Cubs. The Second Baseman had a great 2017 season in Duluth as he hit .335, had 6 home runs and drew 19 walks in 164 at-bats.
Matt Frazier, an Outfielder who played for the Arizona Wildcats was selected with the 95th overall pick to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He managed a .300 average and had 10 RBI on 33 hits during the 2017 summer.
The Colorado Rockies selected Middle Infielder Isaac Collins with the 279th pick in the 9th round. Collins had an impressive 31 walks to go along with a dozen doubles and a .292 average. He would be the 3rd Huskies position player selected in a row.
Hunter Bigge of Harvard would be the first Huskies Pitcher selected in this year’s draft when he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs with the 372nd pick in the 12th round. He earned a 2.96 ERA and struck out 58 across 54 innings of work in the 2018 summer season. Bigge also hit .263 and had 12 RBI in 99 at-bats.
Nicholas Sogard from Loyola Marymount University was selected in the 12th round to the Tampa Bay Rays with the 368th pick. Sogard hit for a .291 average and had 42 RBI to go along with 49 walks. He played great in the 2018 NWL Playoffs as well, having a .304 average.
The Cleveland Indians selected San Diego State Center Fielder Julian Escobedo in the 17th round with the 520th pick. Escobedo was with the Huskies in 2018 and had 31 RBI over 50 hits. He also stole 11 bases to go along with a .265 batting average.
Third Baseman Jack Stronach out of UCLA was selected in the 21st round by the San Diego Padres. Stronach had a fantastic 2019 season for the Bruins hitting .330 and slugging .436. He also had a perfect season defensively with a 1.000 fielding percentage.
Jake Pries, a Left Fielder from UCLA was selected by the New York Yankees with the 735th pick in the 24th round. Pries emerged as a power threat for the Bruins in 2019, hitting 11 home runs, and having 40 RBI to go along with a .544 slugging percentage.
Nate Hadley would be the fourth UCLA Bruin drafted, and the last Huskie drafted in this year’s draft. The Pitcher made four relief appearances, going 0-0 with a 3.37 ERA and recorded six strikeouts and three walks in 5.1 innings.
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The Duluth Huskies are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Now in its 26th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, more than 200 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.duluthhuskies.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Huskies as your favorite team.