Since the Eau Claire Express joined the Northwoods League in 2005, the organization has developed dozens of players who have continued their careers in professional baseball. The ultimate goal, of course, is to play Major League Baseball. Eau Claire has seen 11 players in its history achieve that ultimate goal. Right-handed pitcher Jordan Zimmermann (2006) was the first former Express player to reach the big leagues when he debuted with the Washington Nationals in 2009. Outfielder Kole Calhoun (2007-2009) became the second when he was recalled from the Minor Leagues in 2012. Catcher Nevin Ashley (2006) made a brief appearance when he was a September call-up for the Brewers in 2015. In the 2016 season, Eddie Gamboa (2007) was a September call-up for the Tampa Bay Rays.
The 2017 season saw two more former Express players reach the Major Leagues. In June 2017, Brad Goldberg (2010-11) was called up to the White Sox. Dietrich Enns (2010) was the second alumni to get the call in 2017, making his debut with the Minnesota Twins on August 10. Nathan Orf (2010) made his MLB debut July 2, 2018, with the Milwaukee Brewers. Sam Haggerty (2013) was a September call-up for the New York Mets in 2019.
In 2020, Daulton Varsho (2015-16) made his debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 30. Louis Head (2009) debuted with the Tampa Bay Rays on April 25, 2021, and Griffin Jax (2015) was called up by the Minnesota Twins on June 8.
Jordan Zimmermann
Year: 2006
College: UW-Stevens Point
Draft: 2nd Round (67th Overall) in 2007 by the Washington Nationals
Current Team: Retired 2021
Northwoods League Pitching Stats:
| W-L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |
| 4-2 | 1.01 | 11 | 10 | * | 80.2 | 42 | 18 | 9 | 28 | 92 | |
Major League Baseball Stats:
| W-L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | SO | |
| 95-91 | 4.07 | 279 | 275 | 0 | 1614.0 | 1673 | 789 | 730 | 1271 |
Kole Calhoun
Year: 2007-2009
College: Yavapai Community College / Arizona State
Draft: 8th Round (264th Overall) in 2010 by the Los Angeles Angels
Current Team: Oklahoma City Dodgers (Triple-A LA Dodgers)
Northwoods League Batting Stats:
| Year | Avg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
| 2007 | .274 | 66 | 241 | 54 | 66 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 29 | 35 | 56 |
| 2008 | .273 | 43 | 161 | 29 | 44 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 24 | 23 |
| 2009 | .241 | 41 | 153 | 25 | 37 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 19 | 30 | 24 |
Northwoods League Pitching Stats:
| Year | W-L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| 2007 | 3-0 | 0.38 | 19 | 0 | 14 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 45 |
| 2008 | 1-2 | 3.46 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 20 |
| 2009 | 1-2 | 3,75 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 18 |
Major League Baseball Stats:
| Avg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
| 0.316 | 1196 | 4291 | 618 | 1042 | 198 | 18 | 173 | 557 | 437 | 1089 |
Nevin Ashley
Year: 2006
College: Indiana State
Draft: 6th Round (169th Overall) in 2006 by the Tampa Bay Rays
Current Team: Retired 2021
Northwoods League Batting Stats:
| Year | Avg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
| 2006 | .250 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Major League Baseball Stats:
| Avg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
| .100 | 12 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
Eddie Gamboa
Year: 2007
College: UC Davis
Draft: 21st Round (626th Overall) in 2008 by the Baltimore Orioles
Current Team: Mariachis de Guadalajara (Mexican League)
Northwoods League Pitching Stats:
| W-L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |
| 4-1 | 1.74 | 10 | 5 | * | 46.2 | 43 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 33 | |
Major League Baseball Stats:
| W-L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | SO | |
| 0-2 | 1.35 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13.1 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
Brad Goldberg
Year: 2010-11
College: Ohio State
Draft: 10th Round (303rd Overall) in 2013 by the Chicago White Sox
Current Team: Retired 2017
Northwoods League Pitching Stats:
| W-L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |
| 3-6 | 4.06 | 13 | 12 | * | 62 | 62 | * | * | 34 | 50 | |
Major League Baseball Stats:
| W-L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | SO | |
| 0-0 | 8.25 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 3 |
Dietrich Enns
Year: 2010
College: Central Michigan
Draft: 19th Round (607th Overall) in 2012 by the New York Yankees
Current Team: Saitama Seibu Lions (NPB)
Northwoods League Pitching Stats:
| W-L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |
| 3-2 | 2.04 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 53 | 49 | * | * | 23 | 42 | |
Major League Baseball Stats:
| W-L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | SO | |
| 2-0 | 3.42 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 26.1 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 27 |
Nathan Orf
Year: 2010
College: Baylor University
Draft: Signed by Milwaukee Brewers as a non-drafted free agent on June 14, 2013
Current Team: Retired 2021
Northwoods League Batting Stats:
| Year | Avg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
| 2010 | .294 | 55 | 187 | 38 | 55 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 32 | 29 | 23 |
Major League Baseball Stats:
| Avg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
| .071 | 21 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 9 |
Sam Haggerty
Year: 2013
College: University of New Mexico
Draft: 24th round (724th Overall) in 2015 by the Cleveland Guardians (Indians)
Current Team: Seattle Mariners
Northwoods League Batting Stats:
| Year | Avg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
| 2013 | .317 | 34 | 123 | 21 | 39 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 17 | 21 |
Major League Baseball Stats:
| Avg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
| 0.229 | 166 | 358 | 59 | 82 | 18 | 1 | 8 | 36 | 34 | 111 |
Daulton Varsho
Year: 2015-16
College: UW-Milwakuee
Draft: 68th Overall in 2017 by the Arizona Diamondbacks
Current Team: Toronto Blue Jays
Northwoods League Batting Stats:
| Year | Avg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
| 2015 | .296 | 63 | 247 | 37 | 73 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 32 | 23 | 42 |
| 2016 | .321 | 63 | 240 | 52 | 77 | 12 | 2 | 15 | 63 | 45 | 36 |
Major League Baseball Stats:
| Avg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
| 0.231 | 345 | 1146 | 167 | 265 | 54 | 7 | 52 | 147 | 109 | 295 |
Louis Head
Year: 2009
College: Texas State
Draft: 18th Round (563rd Overall) in 2012 by the Cleveland Guardians (Indians)
Current Team: Lehigh Valley Ironpigs (Triple-A Philadelphia Phillies)
Northwoods League Pitching Stats:
| W-L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |
| 3-4 | 5.13 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 54.1 | 64 | 45 | 31 | 28 | 49 | |
Major League Baseball Stats:
| W-L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | SO | |
| 2-0 | 4.10 | 55 | 2 | 1 | 63.2 | 53 | 30 | 29 | 58 |
Griffin Jax
Year: 2015
College: Air Force
Draft: 3rd Round (93rd Overall) in 2016 by the Minnesota Twins
Current Team: Minnesota Twins
Northwoods League Pitching Stats:
| W-L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |
| 1-0 | 3.36 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 19.0 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 14 | |
Major League Baseball Stats:
| W-L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | SO | |
| 14-15 | 4.86 | 110 | 14 | 1 | 179.2 | 163 | 105 | 97 | 171 |
Alex Call
Year: 2013-14
College: Ball State University
Draft: 3rd Round (86th Overall) in the 2016 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox
Current Team: Washington Nationals
Northwoods League Batting Stats:
| Year | Avg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
| 2013 | .348 | 8 | 23 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 2014 | .314 | 15 | 51 | 7 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 3 |
Major League Baseball Stats:
| Avg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
| 0.226 | 105 | 314 | 42 | 71 | 12 | 1 | 8 | 33 | 41 | 77 |
