Rochester, Minn. – The Northwoods League has announced the recipients of the 2020 Rawlings ‘Finest in the Field’ Award and the La Crosse Loggers had a pair of honorees in infielders Andrew Meggs (Creighton) and JT Thompson (Texas State). The annual award recognizes the top fielders at each position. The 2020 Rawlings ‘Finest in the Field’ Award recipients and their fielding percentages are below.
| Position | Player | NWL Team | College | Fielding Percentage |
| C | Patrick Arndt | Kalamazoo Mac Daddies | Bellarmine | .990 |
| 1B | Kyle Manzardo | Willmar Stingers | Washington State | .995 |
| 2B | Andrew Meggs | La Crosse Loggers | Creighton | .991 |
| 3B | J.T. Thompson | La Crosse Loggers | Texas State | .988 |
| SS | Connor McGuire | Kalamazoo Mac Daddies | California, Irvine | .972 |
| OF | Kyle Ashworth | Kalamazoo Mac Daddies | Cal Poly | 1.000 |
| OF | Xane Washington | Waterloo Bucks | Nicholls State | 1.000 |
| OF | Andy Garriola | Wisconsin Rapids Rafters | Old Dominion | 1.000 |
| P | Nathan Hemmerling | Wisconsin Rapids Rafters | Lakeland University | 1.000 |
Rawlings has been rewarding the top defenders in the Northwoods League since 2002. The recipients receive a special Rawlings engraved trophy. Rawlings is the official equipment provider for the Northwoods League. To qualify for an award a player needs to appear in at least half of the scheduled games at a specific position. For pitchers, the player that had the highest total defensive chances without committing an error earns the number one spot.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 27th 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, over 245 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 (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB All-Star Jordan Zimmermann (DET). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
