Jesse Scholtens – San Antonio Missions
Since the team’s founding in 2012, the Lakeshore Chinooks have produced 82 MLB Draft picks or free agent signings. Of the 13 players selected or signed in 2016, eight have continued in minor league baseball and head into the 2019 spring training season including three who have been invited to major league camps. Here is a recap of where each of them stands:
Shaun Anderson/P/Florida/Lakeshore 2014/2016 BOS Red Sox – 3rd Round
2018 was a pivotal year for the former Florida Gator who was an integral part of the 2014 Lakeshore Championship pitching staff. In his third season, Anderson jumped from the AA Richmond Flying Squirrels to the AAA Sacramento River Cats after being traded from the Red Sox to the San Francisco Giants midway through the 2016 season. As reported by Golden Gate Sports, “Anderson showed a ton of promise as he shot through the ranks after the trade. He has a plus fastball with natural sinker and a plus slider to go with a quickly improving changeup, and he commands them all well (2.1 BB/9, 5.6% walk-rate). He’s built for innings at 6’4” and 225 pounds, and he proved his durability. Despite being drafted as a reliever in 2016, he led the organization with 141.1 innings pitched last season.” Anderson snagged an invite to the Giants major league camp for 2019 after pitching in the 2018 Futures All-Star game, collecting an AA Eastern League All-star selection and being named the #3 prospect and an Organizational All-star for the Giants. Observers agree – Anderson has emerged as the Giants’ best pitching prospect, and it’s only a matter of time until he’s taking the mound in San Francisco.
Lake Bachar/P/UW-Whitewater/Lakeshore 2015/2016 SD Padres – 5th Round
After showing his potential on the mound for the Chinooks in 2015, the former two-sport star for the Whitewater Warhawks made steady progress in 2018 as he made the jump to AA, pitching 27.1 innings at Advanced A Lake Elsinore and then 87 innings for the San Antonio Missions. Bachar’s workload has steadily increased, throwing 36.2 innings in 2016, 50.2 in 2017, and a combined 115.1 which also included 18 opportunities to start, the role Bachar has been most familiar with during his career.
Brian Keller/P/UW-Milwaukee/Lakeshore 2015/2016 NY Yankees – 39th Round
As a 39th round pick, the Germantown High School alum has exceeded all expectations as he spent his entire third season with the AA Trenton Thunder in the Yankee farm system. Keller notched an impressive 3.74 in 21 starts and 121 innings of work. He finished with a 10-9 record and 114 strikeouts against only 37 walks. Those numbers helped improved his career WHIP to an impressive 1.15 and give Keller momentum as he heads into 2019 with an opportunity to rise even higher.
Jesse Scholten/P/Wright State/Lakeshore 2015/2016 SD Padres – 9th Round
Scholtens is also poised to make a move in his fourth year, as the former Wright State Raider pitched most of 2018 for the AA San Antonio Missions, where he had 98 strikeouts in 108 innings of work. Scholtens also made a month appearance for AAA El Paso, where he made six starts for the Chihuahuas and posted 21 strikeouts in 29.1 innings of work. Despite a 1-4 record in El Paso, Scholtens finished well enough in the second half of the Missions’ season to earn a coveted Non-Roster Invite to the Padres major league camp this spring where he will have the opportunity to impress the Padres with his development thus far.
To follow the progress of any of the Lakeshore alums who are playing professional baseball, click on the Alumni tab under the Team section at the top of this page. Click on a specific player’s name to open a link to view their MiLB bio page.
The Lakeshore Chinooks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. 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 200 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.
