ROCHESTER, MINN – The Rochester Honkers, five-time champions of the Northwoods League, are pleased to announce first baseman Mike Brown and outfielder/pitcher Jakob Guardado will join the Honkers this summer.
Brown, a sophomore at the University of Washington, is coming off a great series against Yale where he went three for nine at the plate with a HR, two doubles, two RBI, and two runs scored. The 6’5 225 pound first-baseman finished second on the Huskies in home-runs as a true freshman last season. The Vacaville, Calif. native was named to the All-League team twice at Vacaville high school and was ranked as the best first-baseman nationally in the class of 2020 by Perfect Game.
“I am excited to have Mike join us this summer,” said Honkers field manager Andrew Urbistondo. “Mike has great power and should be a big left-handed bat in our lineup.”
Guardado, the son of Twins hall-of-famer “Everyday Eddie” Guardado, is a redshirt-freshman at Pasadena City College. The two-way player is having a strong season for the 23-7 Lancers. At the plate he’s hitting .288 with a .429 on-base-percentage, scoring 22 runs in 27 games. In 12 appearances (nine starts) on the mound, Guardado is 3-2 with one save and a 3.92 ERA. He has held opposing lineups to three earned runs or fewer in seven of his nine starts.
“Jakob is going to play a big role for us,” said Urbistondo. “His ability to get on base at the plate and his feel for all his pitches on the mound will make him a great asset for us this summer.”
The Rochester Honkers start their quest for a sixth Northwoods League title on May 30th when they host the Willmar Stingers at Mayo Field. Connect with the Honkers on social media by following them on Twitter (@RochHonkers), Instagram (@honkersbaseball) and like the Honkers on Facebook at Rochester Honkers Baseball Club. Also, subscribe to the Honkers on YouTube at ‘Rochester Honkers’ where episodes of Meet The Honkers premiere every Friday. Interact on social by using the hashtag #FunForTheWholeFlock!
The Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league of its kind in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans and provides a friendly ballpark experience. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 250 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 (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). 2019 Rookie of the Year and two-time Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB Gold Glove finalist and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR) each participated in the NWL before they were MLB stars. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more
information, visit www.rochesterhonkers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Honkers as your favorite team.
