The Northwoods League today announced their top 200 prospects from the 2014 season. The list was compiled by Bradley Smart from Smart on Sports after discussions with all 18 Field Managers in the Northwoods League.

Seventeen Rox players from the 2014 team were included in the Top 200 Prospect Report.  They are listed below with analysis provided by Smart.

5. Reese Gregory, RHP, (Jr., St. Cloud St)

After serving as a closer for both St. Cloud St and the Rox the past two seasons, Gregory’s move to the rotation was a smart one. He led the league with a 1.70 ERA and struck out 71 in 69 innings while posting a 0.98 WHIP and went six innings in eight of his 11 starts. Gregory doesn’t have an overpowering fastball- it sits at 84-88, but it’s his command of a dangerous off speed repertoire that makes him very hard to face. He uses a slider, a curve and a developing change to round out his arsenal, which he chooses from in any count. “None of his pitches are straight,” one manager said. He has an advanced feel on the mound, working around not having an elite fastball by locating off speed, which makes his 85-MPH fastball look a lot faster than it actually is. St. Cloud St’s head coach, Pat Dolan, plans to keep Gregory in the rotation. He also hit .382 in 38 games as a sophomore for the Huskies, as he’s also a third basemen.

12. Chris Paul, SS/3B (Sr., California)

Paul returned to St. Cloud for a third consecutive summer, and continued to hit extremely well in the Northwoods after hitting .299 in the summer of 2013, Paul hit .321 in his last year of collegiate summer league baseball.  One of the best defenders in the leagues, Paul has arm strength and reads the ball well off of the bat.  In the batter’s box, he works counts well and was one of the most polished hitters.  He can adjust to pitchers throughout the game and consistently has tough, productive at bats with power to all fields.  Paul hasn’t shown power or RBI’s at Cal yet- he hit .264 this spring with just two RBIs and six extra base hits over 33 games, compared to 38 and 26.  He showed speed on the base paths, with 15 steals.  He holds just a .236 career batting average at Cal, but is on track for a breakout senior season.

41. Dalton Sawyer, LHP, (Jr., Minnesota)

Sawyer was the go-to arm in the Rox bullpen this summer, using a fastball that sat in the 91-94 MPH range and a slider around 80-84 MPH. “His height is a definite advantage,” one coach said of Sawyer’s 6-4 frame. “He throws the ball downhill and it’s very hard to lift.” After posting a 2.62 ERA over 44 innings with 42 strikeouts for the Golden Gophers, Sawyer struck out 37 in 30 innings with St. Cloud. He finished with a 3.30 ERA, as a couple of rough appearances set him back. He threw a perfect ninth for one of the South teams, recording a save at the Big League Dreams Showcase.

47. Josh Taylor, LHP, (Sr., Georgia College)

Taylor, a transfer to Georgia College from JUCO, made ten starts for the Rox and racked up 51 strikeouts in just 44.2 innings. He issued just 16 walks after making 15 starts with the Bobcats. “Josh has the highest ceiling of any pitcher on our staff,” St. Cloud’s manager said. “When he is on and has command of all three pitches, he has big league stuff.” Taylor features an above average fastball at 89-93 MPH, a very good curveball and a wipeout slider that he continues to get a feel for. His plus fastball, athleticism- he stands 6-5- give him a chance to be a quality starter if he can develop his breaking ball.

56. Tyler Peitzmeier, LHP, (Sr., Cal St Fullerton)

Peitzmeier has enjoyed a solid career with the Titans- he has a 1.49 ERA over 66 innings with them. He was excellent out of the bullpen for the Rox, as well, posting a 1.34 ERA with 42 strikeouts and just four walks in 47 innings. Control is Peitzmeier’s calling card, as he pounds the strike zone and rarely misses. “He has plus command of his fastball and slider, both of which are plus pitches,” one manager said of the 6-2 southpaw. “He always gets ahead of the count and gets a ton of ground balls because he works low in the zone.”

68. Eric Loxtercamp, OF, (RS-Sr., St. Cloud St)

The second-year Rox outfielder came into the summer after slugging his way to a .368 average for the Huskies. He hit 15 doubles and hit the ball just as well in St. Cloud, hitting .312 over almost 240 at bats. Loxtercamp showed his patience with 19 walks to just 15 strikeouts, and added 11 stolen bases and 25 RBIs. “He is a smart leadoff batter who works counts and puts the ball in play, tons of energy and hustle,” one coach said. Another added, “He is a terrific bunter and has a short, compact swing that helps him use the whole field. He hits for both average and power.”

81. Kade Scivicque, C, (Sr., LSU)

A transfer from a JUCO school, Scivicque had an immediate impact for the Tigers. He played in 46 games and slugged seven home runs and hit .302 for LSU. “He’s a powerful hitter, but just had a down summer,” one manager said. Scivicque hit just .228 in 40 games for the Rox but did hit nine doubles and a trio of home runs. He went 2-4 with a solo home run and drew a walk at the Showcase.

Also included in the Northwoods League Top 200 Prospect Report were the following:

118. Austin Caspersen, RHP (Jr., Doane College)

119. Clay Ardeeser, 1B (Sr., Georgia College)

125. Will Craig, P, 3B (So., Wake Forest)

130. Mitchell Kranson, OF (Jr., California)

135. Boo Vazquez, OF (Sr., Pittsburgh)

142. Trevor Charpie, RHP (Jr., Tennessee)

153. Harrison Wenson, C (So., Michigan)

154. Chad Hockin, RHP (So., Cal State Fullerton)

157. Morgan Phillips, OF (RS-Jr., Charleston College)

169. Kevin Burgee, RHP (Georgia State)

The complete list can be found here: Northwoods League Top 200 Prospect Report

The St. Cloud Rox are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Recently completing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest summer collegiate 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 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League YouTube channel.  For more information, visit www.stcloudrox.com.