2013 Northwoods League season
21st annual season of the Northwoods League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2013 Northwoods League season was the 20th season of baseball in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball organization. The season concluded in August with the Madison Mallards winning the championship.
| 2013 Northwoods League season | |
|---|---|
| League | Northwoods League |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Teams | 16 |
| Northwoods League Championship | |
| Champions | Madison Mallards |
| Runners-up | Duluth Huskies |
Season overview
Background
In the 2013 season, the Northwoods League (NWL) had sixteen teams, split evenly between a North and South Division. The North contained all teams from Minnesota, Iowa, and Ontario, while the South contained all from Wisconsin and Michigan. The La Crosse Loggers entered the season as defending champions, having defeated the Mankato MoonDogs in the 2012 NWL championship series.[1]
Although there were no expansion teams from 2012 going into 2013, the Alexandria Beetles were sold to a new ownership group. The new group changed the team identity to the Blue Anchors and developed new logos and branding materials.[2]
Season
The regular season began in May, with the season split into two halves. The teams with the best records in the division for each half automatically qualified for a playoff berth. This resulted in four teams qualifying for the playoffs.
The playoff qualifiers for each division were as follows:
- North Division - Waterloo Bucks, Duluth Huskies
- South Division - Lakeshore Chinooks, Madison Mallards
In the two best-of-two semifinal playoff games, the Huskies beat the Bucks and the Mallards beat the Chinooks. The championship series was a best-of-three set between the Huskies and the Mallards. The Mallards swept the Huskies and claimed their second NWL title.[3]
Individual highlights
Marc Flores of the Willmar Stingers and Keith Curcio were named 2013 NWL Co-Most Valuable Players. Flores appeared in 67 games for the Stingers, maintaining a .352 batting average and 1.006 OPS. Curcio appeared in 68 games for the Huskies, batting .367 (.913 OPS) with 102 hits and 28 stolen bases. Clay Chapman of the Huskies was named 2013 NWL Pitcher of the Year. Across 72.1 innings of work, Chapman held down a 1.99 ERA and struck out 66 batters.[4]
Other batters who turned in impressive seasons include Andrew Stevenson, Joe McCarthy, and Jason Vosler. Other pitchers include Colin Poche, J.P. Feyereisen, Steven Brault, and Sam Clay.
While playing for the Lakeshore Chinooks, future MLB outfielder Harrison Bader lived with Craig Counsell and his family at their home in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin.[5]
In the 2013 Major League Baseball draft, 148 former NWL players were selected by MLB teams. Hunter Dozier was the highest-selected alum, going to the Kansas City Royals with the 8th overall pick. Dozier had played for the Willmar Stingers in 2012. Other first rounders were Jonathan Crawford (Madison, 2011) who was taken by the Detroit Tigers at pick #20 and Phillip Ervin (Green Bay, 2011) who was selected by the Cincinnati Reds at pick #27. Others selected in the draft include Tony Kemp (Rochester, 2011) and Mitch Garver (St. Cloud, 2010-11).[6]
Standings
| Pos | Team | W | L | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x – Waterloo Bucks | 51 | 19 | .729 |
| 2 | x – Duluth Huskies | 43 | 27 | .614 |
| 3 | Willmar Stingers | 41 | 29 | .586 |
| 4 | Mankato MoonDogs | 38 | 32 | .543 |
| 5 | St. Cloud Rox | 36 | 34 | .514 |
| 6 | Rochester Honkers | 28 | 42 | .400 |
| 7 | Alexandria Blue Anchors | 24 | 46 | .343 |
| 8 | Thunder Bay Border Cats | 21 | 49 | .300 |
| Pos | Team | W | L | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x – Lakeshore Chinooks | 44 | 26 | .629 |
| 2 | La Crosse Loggers | 43 | 27 | .614 |
| 3 | x – Madison Mallards | 41 | 29 | .586 |
| 4 | Eau Claire Express | 33 | 37 | .471 |
| 5 | Wisconsin Rapids Rafters | 31 | 39 | .443 |
| 6 | Battle Creek Bombers | 29 | 41 | .414 |
| 7 | Wisconsin Woodchucks | 29 | 41 | .414 |
| 8 | Green Bay Bullfrogs | 28 | 42 | .400 |
- x – Qualified for playoffs based on either best record (first or second half of season) or as a wildcard due to overall record.
Statistical leaders
Qualified hitters must have minimum of 71 at-bats per season.
Hitting
Pitching
NWL alumni in MLB
MLB players who played in the NWL in 2013
The following is a list of players who appeared in the NWL during the 2013 season, en route to a future appearance/career in MLB.
Alums with 2013 MLB debuts
The following is a list of NWL alums who made their Major League Baseball debuts in the 2013 MLB season.
| Name | MLB debut | Debut team | Former NWL team(s) | Season(s) in NWL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Prince | 4/6 | Brewers | Bullfrogs | 2008 |
| Hiram Burgos | 4/20 | Brewers | Blue Thunder | 2006 |
| Jermaine Curtis | 4/27 | Cardinals | Beetles | 2006 |
| Evan Reed | 5/16 | Tigers | Bucks | 2005 |
| Brandon Bantz | 6/8 | Mariners | Bucks | 2007 |
| Tony Sanchez | 6/23 | Pirates | Bombers | 2007 |
| Sean Halton | 6/27 | Brewers | MoonDogs | 2006 |
| Jonathan Diaz | 6/29 | Red Sox | Border Cats | 2005 |
| Vic Black | 7/25 | Pirates | Loggers | 2007 |
| Cody Asche | 7/30 | Philles | Huskies | 2009-10 |
| Roger Kieschnick | 7/31 | Giants | River Bats | 2006 |
| Kevin Pillar | 8/14 | Blue Jays | Woodchucks | 2010 |
| Philip Gosselin | 8/16 | Braves | Mallards | 2008 |
| Jake Petricka | 8/22 | White Sox | MoonDogs | 2009 |
| Ryan Goins | 8/23 | Blue Jays | Bucks | 2008 |
| Brian Flynn | 9/4 | Marlins | Honkers | 2009, 2011 |
| Erik Johnson | 9/4 | White Sox | Beetles | 2009 |
| Marcus Semien | 9/4 | White Sox | Beetles | 2009-10 |
| Zach Walters | 9/6 | Nationals | Huskies | 2009 |
Awards and highlights
NWL alums selected the 2013 MLB All-Star Game:
- Allen Craig (Alexandria Beetles, 2003/2005)
- Mark Melancon (Duluth Huskies, 2004)
- Chris Sale (La Crosse Loggers, 2008)
- Max Scherzer (La Crosse Loggers, 2004)
- Jordan Zimmermann (Eau Claire Express, 2006)
- Ben Zobrist (Wisconsin Woodchucks, 2003)
NWL alums who earned a 2013 Cy Young Award:
- Max Scherzer (La Crosse Loggers, 2004)