Rochester, Minn. – Former La Crosse Logger Korey Lee made his Major League debut for the Houston Astros on Friday, July 1, 2022. Lee is the 296th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Lee, who played collegiately at the University of California, played for the Loggers in 2017 and 2018. He was drafted in the 1st round, 32nd overall, of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Astros.
In 2017 with the Loggers, Lee played in 55 games and hit .266 with three home runs, 12 doubles and 30 runs scored. He drove in 30 and stole three bases. In 2018 he appeared in 60 games and had six home runs, 14 doubles and a .283 batting average. He drove in 44 and stole 12 bases.
Lee began his professional career in 2019 with the Tri-City Dust Devils of the Short-Season A New York-Penn League. He played in 64 games and hit .268 with three home runs, four triples and six doubles. He drove in 28, scored 31 times and stole eight bases.
In 2021, Lee started the season with the Asheville Tourists of the High-A East League. After 29 games he was promoted to the Corpus Christi Hooks of the AA Central League. He played in 50 games with the Hooks before a promotion, to end the season, to the Sugar Land Skeeters of the AAA West League. For the season he played in 88 games and hit .277 with 11 home runs, 18 doubles and 51 runs scored. He stole four bases, drove in 45 and had one triple.
Prior to his call-up to the Astros, Lee had played in 64 games in Sugar Land and was hitting .226 with 10 home runs, 14 doubles and two triples. He also had six steals and 40 RBI. In his Major League debut against the Angels, Lee entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the 8th inning and flew out in his only at bat. He did continue in the field in the top of the 9th at catcher.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 29th 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 290 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 (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). 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). 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.
