Rochester, MN – The Northwoods League has announced that Waterloo Bucks second baseman Pat MacKenzie is the winner of a 2013 Rawlings “Finest in the Field” Award. MacKenzie, who is now a junior at Central Michigan University, finished the season with the NWL’s best fielding percentage for a second baseman. The Royal Oak, Michigan native finished with a .976 field percentage in 255 total chances on the year.
The annual award recognizes the top fielders at each position. The winners are selected based on final fielding statistics compiled by league statistician Pointstreak, a Vancouver, British Columbia based sports statistical service company. 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 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 St.
|
.996
|
|
1B
|
Tim Cusick
|
Alexandria
|
Dakota Wesleyan
|
.992
|
|
2B
|
Pat MacKenzie
|
Waterloo
|
C. Michigan
|
.976
|
|
3B
|
Jason Vosler
|
Thunder Bay
|
Northeastern
|
.964
|
|
SS
|
Sawyer Polen
|
Lakeshore
|
Kent St.
|
.950
|
|
OF
|
Tim Arakawa
|
Mankato
|
Oklahoma St.
|
1.000
|
|
OF
|
Brad Wilson
|
Duluth
|
C. Missouri
|
1.000
|
|
OF
|
Ryan Blanchard
|
Alexandria
|
Alabama
|
1.000
|
|
P
|
Matt Esparza
|
Green Bay
|
Tennessee
|
1.000
|
The Bucks will be back in action in late-spring of 2014. The 2014 Northwoods League schedule is expected to be released this fall.
The Waterloo Bucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21stseason of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods 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.waterloobucks.com.