Outfielder John Rave, who played for the Rockford Rivets in 2017, made his major league debut for the Kansas City Royals on Monday, May 26.
Rave got the start in right field for the Royals against the Cincinnati Reds, hitting 6th. He went 0-for-2 with one walk and a sacrifice bunt in his four plate appearances.
In 2017, Rave appeared in 26 games for the Rivets, hitting .336 with two home runs, 10 RBI and six stolen bases. Rave is the third former Rivet to make their debut in Major League Baseball, joining the Cubs’ Jordan Wicks and the Dodgers’ Hunter Feduccia.
Rave played college baseball at Illinois State before being selected in the 5th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Royals. He’s spent parts of the past six seasons in Kansas City’s minor league system before finally getting the call to the Show for the first time on Memorial Day.
Prior to his call up, Rave was hitting .301 with nine home runs, 25 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 44 games for the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate, the Omaha Storm Chasers.
Rave is the 390th former Northwoods League player to debut in Major League Baseball all time.
Read more: https://northwoodsleague.com/blog/2025/05/27/former-rockford-rivet-john-rave-debuts-with-the-royals/
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The Rockford Rivets are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 26 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, 360 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 (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network. Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit www.rockfordrivets.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rivets as your favorite team.