Northwoods Lg. prospect reports

Official League Website: www.northwoodsleague.com
2015 Summer Collegiate Top Prospect Index
Northwoods League Top Prospect List (40)


Following a trend set by the Lakeshore Chinooks in 2014, who were named Perfect Game's Summer Collegiate Team of the Year, the Kenosha Kingfish captured the league championship in only their second year of existence. They did so in impressive fashion, claiming the first half of the South Division with a 23-11 record, as well as the second half with a 25-11 mark (48-24 overall) before beating three of the league's most talented teams in the playoffs: the La Crosse Loggers, Madison Mallards and St. Cloud Rox.

Because of this, the Kingfish did receive consideration to take home Team of the Year honors from Perfect Game, leading the league in runs scored and finishing fifth in team ERA.

Shortstop Mason McCoy (La Crosse Loggers), who has transferred to Iowa for the 2016 season, set records for the most hits (112) runs scored (80) and total bases (168) in league history, and led the league in hitting (.367) on his way to claiming league Most Valuable Player honors. Alex Heremling (Battle Creek Bombers), the league's top prospect, was named the Pitcher of the Year by going 3-3 with a 1.17 ERA in nine games, eight of which were starts, and four of those were complete games. He signed with the Dodgers after peaking at 95 mph at the league's all-star game.

Assembling a top prospect list, and the corresponding reports, for the Northwoods League is no easy task, for a variety of reasons. The sheer length of the season (72 games) and size of the league is the biggest reason, with 18 teams spread between four states (Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin) and one Canadian province (Ontario). The league is expected to expand by two teams, expected to be located in Bismarck, N.D. and Rockford, Ill., starting in 2017.

As a result covering the league from top-to-bottom is a near impossible task for the scouts that are assigned to cover the league, and in speaking with those scouts it is rare to find two people that saw the same players outside of those that particpated in either the league's all-star game in late July (held in Wisconsin Rapids in 2015) or the league's player showcase event in early August.

While the four-team, two-game player showcase is well run, and gives scouts an excellent opportunity to see some of the top prospects first-hand in the league's showcase city of Madison, Wis., not all of the best players are able to make it due to the fact that the showcase event is held during the second to last week of an already long summer season.

Added into the difficulty of correctly identifying and reporting on the league's top prospects is the fact that the league office prohibits the teams and their coaches from responding to informational inquiries made by media outlets, including those by Perfect Game.

That said, most of the players detailed below and as listed among the league's top 40 prospect list as linked above attended either the all-star game or the showcase event. There are several players that would have affected the rankings with better input from those that saw them, but again, limited views from scouts prevented many of them to comment.

Those players include but are not limited to the following:

Jack Benninghoff, of, Lakeshore (Arkansas)
Hever Bueno, rhp, Madison (Arizona State)
Liam Carter, rhp, La Crosse (Missouri)
Ernie Clement, of, Wisconsin Rapids (Virginia)
Charlie Cody, 3b/2b, Madison (Virginia)
Ro Coleman, inf, Madison (Vanderbilt)
Colby Fitch, c, Lakeshore (Louisville)
Joe Gillette, 1b/of, Eau Claire (Oregon State)
Ryan Howard, ss, Wisconsin (Missouri)
Zach McKinstry, ss/2b/c, Waterloo (Central Michigan)
Scott Moss, lhp, Madison (Florida)
Parker Sanburn, rhp, Lakeshore (Arkansas)
John Sansone, 3b/2b, St. Cloud (Florida State)
Collin Theroux, c, Madison (Oklahoma State*)
Jeremy Vasquez, of/1b, Kenosha (Florida)
Albee Weiss, c, Wisconsin (Cal State Northridge)
Brody Westmoreland, inf, Kenosha (San Diego State)
R.J. Ybarra, c, Kenosha (Arizona State)

*Transfer


Year Established: 1994
States Represented: Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario, Wisconsin
No. of Teams: 18
Regular Season Champion (best overall record): St. Cloud Rox (49-23)
Post Season Champion: Kenosha Kingfish
No. 1 Prospect, 2014: A.J. Puk, lhp/1b, Waterloo (Florida)
First 2014 Player Selected, 2015 Draft: Austin Rei, c, La Crosse (Washington; Red Sox/3rd round)

Player of the Year: Mason McCoy, ss/2b, La Crosse (Iowa)
Pitcher of the Year: Alex Hermeling, rhp, Battle Creek (SIGNED/Dodgers)

BATTING LEADERS

Batting Average: Mason McCoy, ss, La Crosse (Iowa) (.367)
Slugging Percentage: Ricky Sanchez, 1b, Alexandria (Notre Dame)(.588)
On-Base Average: Cal Stevenson, of, Duluth (Nevada)(.481)
Home Runs: Albee Weiss, c, Wisconsin (Cal State Northridge) (17)
RBI: Eric Filia, of, Kenosha (UCLA); Lucas Raley, of, Lakeshore (Lake Erie College) (55)
Stolen Bases: Caleb Ratzman, of, Green Bay (Illinois State) (40)

PITCHING LEADERS

Wins: Jake Johansmeier, rhp, Wisconsin Rapids (Eastern Illinois); Zach Strecker, rhp, Willmar (Kentucky) (7)
ERA: Reese Gregory, rhp, St. Cloud (St. Cloud State) (1.46)
Saves: Brady Anderson, rhp, Willmar (Florida Gulf Coast) (19)
Strikeouts: Grant Hamilton, rhp, Mankato (Oklahoma City) (73)

BEST TOOLS

Best Athlete: Taylor Lane, 3b, Waterloo (Florida)
Best Hitter: Eric Filia, of, Kenosha (UCLA)
Best Power: Greg Deichmann, 3b, Lakeshore (Louisiana State)
Fastest Base Runner: Cal Stevenson, of, Duluth (Nevada)
Best Defensive Player: Jason Goldstein, c, Madison (Illinois)
Best Velocity: Alex Hermeling, rhp, Battle Creek (SIGNED/Dodgers)
Best Breaking Ball: Marhsall Kasowski, rhp, Lakeshore (Houston)
Best Command: Reese Gregory, rhp, St. Cloud (St. Cloud State)


TOP 20 PROSPECTS

1. Alex Hermeling, rhp, Battle Creek (SIGNED/Dodgers)
It's rare for a top prospect to receive player of the year honors in summer collegiate leagues, especially for a player who only pitched a little more than half the season, but Hermeling's dominance in the league over nine appearances (eight starts) led to him being named the NWL's Pitcher of the Year. He signed with the Dodgers shortly after his appearance in the league's all-star game, in which he sat at 93-95 mph with his fastball and mixed in a very sharp low- to mid-80s slider. He went the distance in four of his eight starts, and allowed just 33 hits and 12 walks, while striking out 52, in 53 2/3 innings for the Bombers. At 6-foot-5, 230-pounds Hermeling has the stature of a staff workhorse, and was coming off of a succesful spring at Louisiana-Monroe after missing the 2013 season due to Tommy John surgery. He signed with the Dodgers after they took him out of high school in the 43rd round of the 2011 draft, and as a result bypassed his commitment to play for Ohio State.