A look at how Lakeshore Chinook alumni performed throughout baseball in 2017!
In the year or two after being drafted, many young minor league players progress through three levels of A ball in most professional franchise farm systems. The key for most players is to break through to Double and Triple A to have a chance of breaking through to the major league level. The Chinooks have had a number of players drafted in recent years with many pushing to the Advanced A level and now hoping for that chance to break through. Here is five Chinooks alumni who were drafted in 2016:
Lake Bachar – Lakeshore Chinooks 2015 San Diego Padres
Bachar continues his pro journey from Division III college baseball at UW-Whitewater. After waiting for assignment out of spring training, the former 5th Round pick of the Padres spent most of his second season in 2017 with the Class A Fort Wayne TinCaps where he pitched 37.2 innings, including seven starts, and posted a 4-1 record with a 4.06 ERA and 28 strikeouts. He pitched an additional 13 innings with San Diego’s two Arizona League rookie squads.
Connor Jones – Lakeshore Chinooks 2014-15 New York Yankees
Though drafted in the 11th Round, Connor Jones threw only 11.2 innings in his rookie season in the Yankees’ system in 2016 and then spent all of 2017 rehabbing his shoulder. The lefty from the University of Georgia had successful surgery in June and will look to regain form in 2018.
Brian Keller – Lakeshore Chinooks 2015 New York Yankees
Joining Jones in the New York system, Brian Keller has already pitched 185 innings for five different teams in his two seasons since being selected in the 39th Round. Despite the alte round call, Keller has steadily advanced and midway 2017 was promoted to the Advanced A Tampa Tarpons. Keller stuck out 157 hitters in 144 combined innings between Tampa and Class A Charleston, posting a season record of 11-8 and a stellar ERA of 3.13.
Luke Raley – Lakeshore Chinooks 2015 Los Angeles Dodgers
Lakeshore’s 2015 MVP, outfielder Luke Raley continues to play his hustling style and advanced to the Dodgers’ Advanced A affiliate, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, in 2017. The former 7th Round pick from Lake Erie College hit .295 with 21 doubles, 11 triples, 14 home runs, and 62 RBI on the season and was selected as Mid-Season California League All-Star. Raley will look to take another step up to Double A in 2018.
Jesse Scholtens – Lakeshore Chinooks 2015 San Diego Padres
The 9th Round pick from Wright State has been a dependable arm for the Padres and established himself at Advance A Lake Elsinore by pitching 110.2 innings with 18 starts and a solid 3.98 ERA. The right-hander has recorded a 3.21 ERA in 182.1 in his two year career.
The Lakeshore Chinooks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Entering its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, more than 185 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.lakeshorechinooks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Chinooks as your favorite team.
