Madison, Wis. – The Madison Mallards had 15 former players selected in the 2018 First Year Player Draft this week, the highest total in the South Division of the Northwoods League. Nico Hoerner, who played with the Mallards in 2016, was selected with the 24thpick of the draft by the Chicago Cubs, making him the first NWL player to be selected. Overall, the Rochester Honkers led the league with 21 players drafted.

Hoerner, who just finished his junior year with Stanford, was the primary shortstop in 2016 for the Mallards, hitting .304 with 31 RBI and 12 doubles over 61 games in the regular season. According to multiple outlets, Hoerner’s performance in the Northwoods League and the Cape Cod League, both wood bat leagues, helped propel his draft stock into the first round.

Josh Stowers, a slugging outfielder from Louisville, was selected with the 54th pick of the draft by the Seattle Mariners. Stowers played in 41 games for the Mallards in 2016 and hit three home runs and knocked in 21 while posting a .311 average.

Mitchell Kilkenny, a lengthy righty from Texas A&M, was selected with the 76th pick of the draft by the Colorado Rockies. Kilkenny allowed only one earned run during his five starts with the Mallards in 2016, four of which lasted at least 6.0 innings. Kilkenny totaled 28 strikeouts over 32.0 innings, 11 of which came in a 6.0 inning outing in which he allowed only two hits against the Wisconsin Woodchucks. By the end of the summer, Kilkenny held a miniscule 0.28 ERA.

Frank German, a righty from North Florida, was taken in the fourth round by the New York Yankees. German made 11 starts for the 2016 Mallards, holding a 2.60 ERA and a 5-3 record. German racked up 38 strikeouts and held opponents to a .240 average.

Matt Vierling, a utility man from Notre Dame, was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth round. As a Mallard in 2016, Vierling played 29 games and tallied 32 hits and 17 RBI. Vierling showed a keen eye at the plate, walking 19 times and only striking out on 14 different occasions.

Doran Turchin, an outfielder from the University of Illinois, was taken by the Baltimore Orioles in the 14thround. Turchin had a spectacular 2017 with the Mallards, earning a trip the NWL All-Star Game and also hitting 13 home runs and knocking in 50 runs. Turchin regularly played strong defense in centerfield, accumulating seven outfield assists.

Michael Byrne, a pitcher from the University of Florida, was selected in the 14th round by the Cincinnati Reds. Byrne pitched in eight games for the Mallards in 2016 after his freshman season with the Gators. Byrne tossed a total of 31.0 innings and owned a 4.35 ERA as a Mallard. Byrne tallied an impressive 46 strikeouts while only walking nine men. Overall, Byrne struck out 33 percent of the men he faced as a Mallard.

Luke Schilling, a hard throwing righty from the University of Illinois, was picked by the Chicago White Sox in the 15th round of the draft. Shilling had stints with the Mallards in both 2016 and 2017. In 2016, Shilling appeared in 24 games and struck out 41 men through 42.0 innings of work. Shilling held a 2-2 record and a 3.00 ERA while holding batters to a .179 average.

Simon Rosenblum-Larson, a righty from Harvard, was taken in the 19th round by the Tampa Bay Rays. Rosenblum-Larson was arguably the Mallards most consistent starter in 2017 as he made ten starts and allowed only nine earned runs. Rosenblum-Larson struck out 60 and walked only 12 over his 52.2 innings of work while earning a spot on the 2016 NWL All-Star Team.

Jett Manning, a shortstop from the University of Alabama, was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 20th round. Manning played in ten games for the Mallards last season, knocking in four runs and collecting eight hits. Manning was featured as the Crimson Tide’s primary shortstop this spring.

Cole Daily, a shortstop from Notre Dame, was taken by the Washington Nationals in the 22nd round of the draft. Daily was the Mallards most consistent hitter last summer, posting a .338 average through 68 games. Daily collected 96 hits and drew 42 walks while only striking out 38 times. The NWL All-Star was also a threat on the base paths, swiping 19 bags.

Logan Browning, a lefty from Florida Southern, was taken by the Boston Red Sox in the 24th round. Browning tossed 13.1 innings for the Mallards in 2015 and struck out 12 while walking only 4. He also had 24 at bats and racked up five hits and five bases on balls.

Heath Renz, a pitcher from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, was taken in the 27th round by the Tampa Bay Rays. Renz spent both 2016 and 2017 with the Mallards, totaling a 6-3 career record through 21 starts. Renz was most effective in 2016, posting a 1.84 ERA in the regular season and allowing only nine earned runs in 44.0 innings of work.

Jonathon Quintana, an outfielder from Barry University, was chosen in the 31stround by the Washington Nationals. Quintana spent 2015 with the Mallards, playing in 41 games and posting a .252 ERA with 11 extra-base hits. Quintana held a .375 OBP by the end of the summer.

Zac Taylor, an outfielder from the University of Illinois, was taken in the 36th round by the Minnesota Twins. Taylor was leading the Mallards in hitting by the end of the 2017 season with a .350 batting average. Taylor hit seven home runs and knocked in 33 RBI over 47 games while also stealing 18 bases. Taylor was a key part of the Mallards surge during the second half of the 2017 summer.

 

Round	Pick	Name	Position	Team	Year with Mallards
1	24	Nico Hoerner	Shortstop	Chicago Cubs	2016
2	54	Josh Stowers	Outfield	Seattle Mariners	2016
2C	76	Mitchell Kilkenny	Pitcher	Colorado Rockies	2016
4	127	Frank German	Pitcher	New York Yankees	2016
5	137	Matt Vierling	Utility	Philadelphia Phillies	2016
14	409	Michael Byrne	Pitcher	Cincinnati Reds	2016
14	415	Doran Turchin	Outfield	Baltimore Orioles	2017
15	438	Luke Schilling	Pitcher	Chicago White Sox	2016-17
19	570	Simon Rosenblum-Larson	Pitcher	Tampa Bay Rays	2016-17
20	586	Jett Manning	Shortstop	San Francisco Giants	2017
22	671	Cole Daily	Shortstop	Washington Nationals	2017
24	730	Logan Browning	Pitcher	Boston Red Sox	2015
27	810	Heath Renz	Pitcher	Tampa Bay Rays	2016-17
31	941	Jonathan Quintana	Outfielder	Washington Nationals	2015
36	1084	Zac Taylor	Outfielder	Minnesota Twins	2017

 

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The Madison Mallards are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Now in 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 190 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 theNorthwoods League portal. For more information, visitwww.mallardsbaseball.comor download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Mallards as your favorite team.