(ROCHESTER, MN) – The Northwoods League has announced the recipients of the 2013 Rawlings “Finest in the Field” Award. The annual award recognizes the top fielders at each position. The winners are selected based on final fielding statistics compiled by league statistician Pointstreak. The 2013 Rawlings Finest in the Field Award recipients and their field percentages are below.
|
Position |
Player |
NWL Team |
College |
Fielding Percentage |
|
C |
Aaron Gretz |
Alexandria |
Ohio State |
.996 |
|
1B |
Tim Cusick |
Alexandria |
Dakota Wesleyan |
.992 |
|
2B |
Pat MacKenzie |
Waterloo |
Central Michigan |
.976 |
|
3B |
Jason Vosler |
Thunder Bay |
Northeastern University |
.964 |
|
SS |
Sawyer Polen |
Lakeshore |
Kent State |
.950 |
|
OF |
Tim Arakawa |
Mankato |
Oklahoma State |
1.000 |
|
OF |
Brad Wilson |
Duluth |
Central Missouri |
1.000 |
|
OF |
Ryan Blanchard |
Alexandria |
Alabama |
1.000 |
|
P |
Matt Esparza |
Green Bay |
Tennessee |
1.000 |
The Alexandria Blue Anchors had their first three award winners with outfielder Ryan Blanchard leading the way with zero errors in 77 total chances. Mankato outfielder Tim Arakawa also didn’t commit an error in 106 total chances and was also a Rawlings Big Stick winner. The Lakeshore Chinooks had a combined league high .971 fielding percentage as a team in 2013 and their starting shortstop, Sawyer Polen, was rewarded for his defensive abilities by being named Finest in the Field. Green Bay pitcher Matt Esparza did not commit an error in 17 chances off the mound for the Bullfrogs
Rawlings has been rewarding the top defenders in the Northwoods League since 2002. The recipients receive a special Rawlings baseball glove mounted on an engraved trophy base. Rawlings is the official equipment provider for the Northwoods League.
To qualify for an award a player needs to appear in at least two-thirds of the scheduled games at a specific position, with the exception of catcher which is half. For pitchers, the player that had the highest total defensive chances without committing an error earns the number one spot.
The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 20-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 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 115 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including MLB All-Stars Max Scherzer (DET), Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYY), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live and free of charge via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com.
