(Rochester, Minn.) – The 2018 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 4 through June 6 and 12 current Honkers and alumni were selected in this year’s draft.
Scott Schreiber (Nebraska) was the highest Honker selected, he was selected in the ninth round by the Houston Astros. Schreiber played in Rochester during the 2015 season.
Current Honkers Ray Soderman (Oregon) and Rigo Fernandez (Cal State Dominguez Hills) were drafted in the 22nd and 24th rounds respectively. Soderman, a junior catcher, hit .225 for Ducks with one home run and 17 RBIs. Fernandez, a junior left-handed pitcher, threw 57 innings and struck out 80 to place him 10th on Dominguez Hills single-seasons records. He finished with a 3-2 record and posted a 4.99 ERA.
Seven Honkers were selected from the 2016 team, Erik Cha (Minnesota, 17), Ryan Fitzpatrick (Chicago White Sox, 22), Jack Thoreson (New York Yankees, 26), Stevie Ledesma (Detroit, 27), Kyle Kasser (Kansas City, 30), Chase Lambert (Pittsburgh, 31) and Jackson Rose ( Miami, 35).
Ben Strahm was selected in the 23rd round by the San Francisco Giants. Strahm played for the Honkers in the 2017 season and is the younger brother of Padres pitcher Matt Strahm.
Along with Schreiber, Tanner Howell was the other 2015 Honker selected. He was the Minnesota Twins 35th round choice.
The Northwoods League had 163 alumni and current players selected this year. The Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros each selected nine Northwoods League players.
The entire Rochester Honkers organization would like to wish these men the best of luck in their future endeavors.
List of Draftees by Round
| Round | Overall | MLB Team | Player | College | Pos. | Year |
| 9 | 282 | Houston | *Schreiber, Scott | Nebraska | OF | 2015 |
| 17 | 514 | Minnesota | Cha, Erik | Cal State Fullerton | LHP | 2016 |
| 22 | 648 | Chicago A | Fitzpatrick, Ryan | UC Irvine | 1B | 2016-2017 |
| 22 | 652 | Atlanta | Soderman, Ray | Oregon | C | 2018 |
| 23 | 676 | San Francisco | Strahm, Ben | Northeastern State | RHP | 2017 |
| 24 | 708 | Chicago A | Fernandez, Rigo | Cal St Dominguez Hills | LHP | 2018 |
| 26 | 787 | New York A | Thoreson, Jack | St. Mary’s | C | 2016 |
| 27 | 795 | Detroit | Ledesma, Stevie | UC Santa Barbara | RHP | 2016 |
| 30 | 902 | Kansas City | Kasser, Kyle | Oregon | SS | 2016 |
| 31 | 924 | Pittsburgh | Lambert, Chase | Pepperdine | SS | 2016 |
| 35 | 1047 | Miami | Rose, Jackson | Minnesota | RHP | 2016/2017 |
| 35 | 1054 | Minnesota | Howell, Tanner | Dixie State | RHP | 2015 |
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. 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, 190 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 website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
