Roycroft is the 351st former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Green Bay pitcher Chris Roycroft made his Major League debut for the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Roycroft is the 351st former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Roycroft, who played collegiately at Aurora University, played for the Bismarck Larks in 2017 and 2018 and for the Booyah in 2019.
In 2017 with the Larks, Roycroft appeared in four games and was 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA. He struck out three batters in 6.0 innings and had one save. Returning in 2018, Roycroft pitched in 11 games and had a 3.00 ERA with three wins. He pitched in 12.0 innings and had 15 strikeouts and two saves. Moving to Green Bay for 2019 saw Roycroft pitch in four games with the Booyah. He appeared in 10.2 innings and had 13 strikeouts.
Roycroft started his professional career in 2021 with the Joliet Slammers of the Independent Frontier League. In 26 games he was 4-4 with a 7.23 ERA. He struck out 62 batters in 69.2 innings.
In 2022 Roycroft started the season with Joliet and then was signed by the Cardinals. He was sent to the Peoria Chiefs of the High-A Midwest League. Over 19 games in Peoria he was 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA. He pitched in 32.0 innings and had 40 strikeouts and one save.
Roycroft started the 2023 season with the Chiefs and then moved up to the Springfield Cardinals of the AA Texas League. After 15 games in Springfield, he moved on to the Memphis Redbirds of the AAA International League. For the year he was 7-8 with 5.86 ERA and had 64 strikeouts in 63.0 innings while saving five games.
The 2024 season began with Roycroft in Memphis. He had pitched in 11 games and had a 1.38 ERA with nine strikeouts in 13.0 innings. In his Major League debut against the New York Mets. Roycroft entered the game in relief in the 9th inning and allowed one run on two hits while striking out two.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Entering its’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 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, over 350 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 (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion 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, 2021 and 2023 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.