2018 Summer Collegiate Top Prospect Index
www.northwoodsleague.com
Year Established: 1994
States Represented: Illinois,Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ontario, Wisconsin
No. of Teams: 20
Regular Season Champion (best overall record): Madison Mallards (49-23)
Postseason Champion: Fond du Lac Dock Spiders
No. 1 Prospect, 2017: Tyler Dyson, rhp, Madison (Florida)
First 2016 Player Selected, 2017 Draft: Bren Spillane, 1b, Rockford (Illinois; Reds/3rd round)
Player of the Year: Augie Isaacson, 2b, Duluth (Friends University)
Pitcher of the Year: Justin Slaten, rhp, Eau Claire (New Mexico)
In their second year of existence the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders won their best-of-three championship series against the Duluth Huskies to claim the 2018 Northwoods League title. Their finish is especially remarkable considering six teams had a better regular season record, and they played .500 ball (18-18) during the second half of the summer. That said, the Dock Spiders boasted the best pitching staff in the league, with a cumulative 3.59 ERA, and rode that depth to a championship.
The league celebrated their 25th year in existence with 20 teams and further expansion on the horizon. The league more closely emulates minor league baseball than college baseball, giving players the opportunity to get a taste for a unique experience that includes 72-game regular season and the longest distances between organizations of any summer collegiate league. The teams span from Bismarck, North Dakota to Kalamazoo, Michigan, although the clubs from the two North/South divisions don’t play one another during the regular season.
More teams spread out in more locations means the talent that participates in the NWL is equally dispersed. The league does host both an all-star game and a showcase event, giving scouts a pair of one-stop shopping opportunities. While this year’s top prospect, 2016 PG All-American and current Notre Dame righthander Joe Boyle, touched 102 mph, there was a split among scouts as to just how effective those triple digits would be moving forward considering his difficulty throwing strikes. However, 102 is 102.
Top 30 Prospects
| Rk. |
Player |
POS. |
B-T |
HT |
WT |
Hometown |
ST |
School |
YR |
Class |
Last Drafted |
| 1 |
Joe Boyle |
RHP |
R-R |
6-7 |
220 |
Goshen |
KY |
Notre Dame |
SO |
2020 |
Never drafted |
| 2 |
Jacob Kostyshock |
RHP |
R-R |
6-4 |
172 |
O'Fallon |
MO |
Arkansas |
JR |
2019 |
Never drafted |
| 3 |
Louie Varland |
RHP |
L-R |
6-1 |
205 |
Maplewood |
MN |
Concordia-St. Paul |
JR |
2019 |
Never drafted |
| 4 |
Ryan Anderson |
LHP |
L-L |
6-6 |
180 |
Sparks |
NV |
Nevada |
JR |
2019 |
Never drafted |
| 5 |
Mike Rothenberg |
C/1B |
B-R |
6-3 |
210 |
Boca Raton |
FL |
Duke |
SO |
2020 |
Never drafted |
| 6 |
Hunter Bigge |
RHP |
R-R |
6-0 |
205 |
Los Gatos |
CA |
Harvard |
JR |
2019 |
Never drafted |
| 7 |
Jake Randa |
OF |
L-L |
6-1 |
190 |
Prairie Village |
KS |
Northwest Florida State |
SO |
2019 |
Never drafted |
| 8 |
Justin Slaten |
RHP |
R-R |
6-4 |
200 |
Longview |
TX |
New Mexico |
JR |
2019 |
Never drafted |
| 9 |
Zach DeLoach |
OF |
L-R |
6-2 |
195 |
Lewisville |
TX |
Texas A&M |
SO |
2020 |
Never drafted |
| 10 |
Christian Jones |
OF/1B |
L-R |
6-2 |
225 |
Federal Way |
WA |
Washington |
JR |
2019 |
Red Sox '16 (31) |
| 11 |
Braiden Ward |
IF/OF |
L-R |
5-10 |
150 |
Merced |
CA |
Washington |
SO |
2020 |
Never drafted |
| 12 |
Zach Daniels |
OF |
R-R |
6-1 |
190 |
Stockbridge |
GA |
Tennessee |
SO |
2020 |
Never drafted |
| 13 |
Adam Lukas |
RHP |
R-R |
6-4 |
210 |
Grafton |
WI |
Evansville |
JR |
2019 |
Never drafted |
| 14 |
Cole Zabowski |
1B |
L-L |
6-5 |
225 |
Lawrenceville |
GA |
Mississippi |
JR |
2019 |
Never drafted |
| 15 |
Nick Mears |
RHP |
R-R |
6-4 |
185 |
Rocklin |
CA |
SIGNED/Pirates |
NA |
NA |
Never drafted |
| 16 |
Omar Maldonado |
RHP |
R-R |
6-4 |
230 |
Redondo Beach |
CA |
SIGNED/Phillies |
NA |
NA |
Never drafted |
| 17 |
Billy Cook |
3B |
R-R |
6-1 |
180 |
Monument |
CO |
Pepperdine |
SO |
2020 |
Never drafted |
| 18 |
Leo Perez |
RHP |
R-R |
6-0 |
228 |
Palmview |
TX |
Texas A&M Corpus Christi |
SO |
2020 |
Never drafted |
| 19 |
Korey Lee |
C |
R-R |
6-1 |
205 |
Vista |
CA |
California |
JR |
2019 |
Never drafted |
| 20 |
Donta Williams |
OF |
L-L |
5-10 |
169 |
Las Vegas |
NV |
Arizona |
SO |
2020 |
Never drafted |
| 21 |
Shane McGuire |
C |
L-R |
6-1 |
200 |
Kent |
WA |
San Diego |
FR |
2020 |
Never drafted |
| 22 |
Carson Ragsdale |
RHP |
R-R |
6-8 |
221 |
Wesley Chapel |
FL |
South Florida |
JR |
2019 |
Never drafted |
| 23 |
Ty Duvall |
C |
L-R |
5-11 |
190 |
Lebanon |
OH |
Vanderbilt |
JR |
2019 |
Never drafted |
| 24 |
Nick Sogard |
SS |
B-R |
6-1 |
170 |
Sacramento |
CA |
Loyola Marymount |
JR |
2019 |
Never drafted |
| 25 |
Cayman Richardson |
IF/OF |
R-R |
6-2 |
175 |
Mechanicsville |
VA |
Virginia |
JR |
2019 |
Never drafted |
| 26 |
Trace Norkus |
RHP |
R-R |
6-3 |
220 |
Hillsboro Beach |
FL |
North Florida |
SR |
2019 |
Never drafted |
| 27 |
Cal Greenfield |
C |
R-R |
6-0 |
205 |
Chicago |
IL |
Florida |
SO |
2020 |
Never drafted |
| 28 |
Jack Dunn |
SS/2B |
R-R |
6-2 |
185 |
Alpharetta |
GA |
Northwestern |
SR |
2019 |
Never drafted |
| 29 |
Kyle MacDonald |
1B |
L-R |
6-3 |
240 |
Mississauga |
ON |
Arkansas State |
SR |
2019 |
Never drafted |
| 30 |
Ivan Johnson |
OF |
B-R |
6-0 |
200 |
Atlanta |
GA |
Georgia |
SO |
2020 |
Never drafted |
Top 15 Prospect Reports
1. Joe Boyle, rhp, Kalamazoo (Notre Dame/SO in 2019)
Those who had the chance to see Boyle over the summer were split on his future potential, or at least the likelihood of him reaching it, with some of the more skeptical pointing out that he had trouble throwing consistent strikes, which limited him to two innings (over eight appearances) in the spring at Notre Dame and 7 1/3 innings (over seven relief appearances) with Kalamazoo. Others looked at the profile in a much more simple manner, pointing to his towering 6-foot-7, 220-pound frame and the fact that he touches 102 mph. He sits in the upper-90s, mixing in a slider that flashes plus, and he was always around the zone, he just didn’t throw enough strikes to allow his stuff to be as effective as it could be. He compares favorably to former Oklahoma hurler Alec Hansen for his size and stuff and with continued development would be a no-brainer for the first round in 2020.
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