Jackson Strong (2022) was the highest drafted player, taken in the seventh round
ASHWAUBENON, Wis. – The 2024 Major League First-Year Player Draft was held July 14 through July 16. This year’s draft was twenty rounds with six current and former Rockers’ players selected.
The highest alum picked in this year’s draft was Jackson Strong (Canisius College). While with Green Bay in 2022, the outfielder played 18 games, picking up six hits and one home run. Strong finished this spring with a .350 average, with 62 total hits, 11 home runs, and 41 RBIs.
Left-handed pitcher Justin Loer (LSU) was teammates with Strong in 2022 and was taken in the 13th round. He had 32 strikeouts with the Rockers and allowed just 14 runs in five games. For the Tigers in 2024, he made 26 relief appearances with 30 strikeouts in 24.1 innings.
Three players from last year’s championship team were also drafted. Zane Zielinski (UI-Chicago) was selected in the nineth, while Cole Peschl (Campbell College), and JoJo Jackson (Georgia State) were day three guys picked up in the fifteenth and the seventeenth.
Zielinski played in 32 games for Green Bay, where he hit .231 and stole six bases. This spring, he exploded for UI-Chicago, boosting his average to .407 with 21 home runs, 22 doubles, and 63 RBIs. Jackson continued his impressive batting from the championship run. He hit 16 homers in 47 games at Georgia State in the spring, to go along with the four he hit with the Rockers. Peschl racked up 32 strikeouts in just five games with Green Bay, but that number jumped with Campbell to 83 across 69 innings pitched.
The final Rocker drafted was current pitcher Nathan Blasick (New Orleans). He has made 10 appearances this summer with 17 strikeouts to just 11 walks. At New Orleans, he had a 3.93 ERA in 24 appearances, allowing just 15 earned runs in 34.1 innings of work.
The full list of 2024 NWL draftees can be found by going to www.northwoodsleague.com and selecting NWL Alumni and Draft Highlights under the baseball menu at the top of the page.
Single game tickets are on sale now. Visit www.greenbayrockers.com or call the ticket office at 920-497-7225 to reserve your seats today. The Rockers front office and Team Apparel Fan Shop at Capital Credit Union Park are located at 2231 Holmgren Way in Ashwaubenon. Office hours are Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm.
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The Green Bay Rockers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 31th 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 355 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 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 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network. Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit www.greenbayrockers.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.