The 2014 Northwoods League season was the 21st season of baseball in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball organization. The season concluded in August with the Lakeshore Chinooks winning the championship.
Season overview Background After the 2013 season, the Northwoods League (NWL) expanded from 16 to 18 teams. The Kalamazoo Growlers were added, bringing the total of Michigan-based teams to two; with the other at the time being the Battle Creek Bombers.
The Kenosha Kingfish were also added. The NWL had previously been in the Wisconsin city in the form of the Kenosha Kroakers, a charter member of the league. In the run-up to the 2014 season, historic Simmons Field received extensive renovations.
To accommodate two new teams on the eastern side of the league's geographic footprint, the Eau Claire Express shifted to the North Division, competing against divisional opponents in Minnesota, Iowa, and Ontario.
In the 2014 season, the NWL had eighteen teams, split evenly between a North and South Division. The Madison Mallards entered the season as defending champions, having defeated the Duluth Huskies in the 2013 NWL championship series.
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 - Mankato MoonDogs, Willmar Stingers South Division - Lakeshore Chinooks, Wisconsin Woodchucks
In the two best-of-two semifinal playoff games, the MoonDogs beat the Stingers and the Chinooks beat the Woodchucks. The championship series was a best-of-three set between the Chinooks and the MoonDogs. The Chinooks swept the MoonDogs and claimed their first NWL title.
Individual achievements Pete Alonso of the Madison Mallards was named 2014 NWL Most Valuable Player. Alonso played in 59 games for the Mallards after his freshman year at Florida. He maintained a .354 batting average and led the league in slugging percentage (.624) and OPS (1.043). He tallied 80 hits, 18 home runs, and 53 RBI.
Matt Kent of the Rochester Honkers and Ryan Smoyer of the Kalamazoo Growlers were named co-recipients of the 2014 NWL Pitcher of the Year award. Kent logged 77.2 innings pitched and maintained a 2.09 ERA with 69 strikeouts. Smoyer pitched a league-high 80.2 innings, holding a 2.01 ERA and striking out 43 batters.
In the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, 175 former NWL players were selected by MLB teams. Nick Howard was the highest-selected alum, going to the Cincinnati Reds with the 19th pick. Howard had played for the Madison Mallards in 2012. The very next pick, #20, the Tampa Bay Rays selected Casey Gillaspie. Gillaspie had played with Eau Claire in 2012.
Future MLB standout Matt Chapman was taken by the Oakland Athletics with the 25th pick. Chapman had played for La Crosse in 2012. Other notable alums selected that year include Derek Fisher (Mallards, '12), Brian Anderson (Chinooks, '12), and Jose Trevino (Mallards, '12).
Standings + North Division Pos Team W L Pct. 1x – Willmar Stingers46262 Waterloo Bucks 45273x – Mankato MoonDogs42304 Rochester Honkers37355St. Cloud Rox37356 Eau Claire Express36367 Duluth Huskies30428 Thunder Bay Border Cats23499 Alexandria Blue Anchors2250
+ South Division Pos Team W L Pct. 1x – Lakeshore Chinooks50212x – Wisconsin Woodchucks42303Kenosha Kingfish41304Madison Mallards39335 Green Bay Bullfrogs36366 La Crosse Loggers33397Battle Creek Bombers32408Kalamazoo Growlers29439 Wisconsin Rapids Rafters2745
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 Stat Player Team Total H Tyler Sullivan MoonDogs 90 HR Pete Alonso Mallards 18 RBI Pat Porter Kingfish 63 AVG Connor Marabell Mallards .384 OPS Pete Alonso Mallards 1.043 SB Tyler Sullivan MoonDogs 36
Pitching Stat Player Team Total W Ryan Smoyer Growlers 8 SO Reese Gregory Rox 71 SV Steve Villines Huskies 8
All-Star selections Post-season All-Star Team After the 2014 season, the NWL announced its Post-Season All-Star Team, recognizing standout players for their contributions over the course of the season. The following players were named as full-season all-stars.
North Division +Hitters PositionPlayerTeam C Daniel Salters Express 1B Nick Rivera Stingers 2B Chris Paul Rox 3B Tyler Hermann Express SS Peter Maris MoonDogs OF Tyler Sullivan MoonDogs OF Jon McAllister Bucks OF Jordan Lee Blue Anchors DH Levi Scott MoonDogs DH Pat MacKenzie Bucks
+Pitchers PositionPlayerTeam P Alex Winkelman Huskies P Tyler Mark MoonDogs P Matt Kent Honkers P Reese Gregory Rox P Adam Bray Bucks P Brady Anderson Stingers
South Division
+Hitters PositionPlayerTeam C Ryan Lidge Growlers 1B Pete Alonso Mallards 2B Chris Godinez Kingfish 3B Paul DeJong Woodchucks SS Zack Domingues Rafters OF Pat Porter Kingfish OF Troy Montgomery Growlers OF Brett Siddall Chinooks DH Zach Arnold Woodchucks
+Pitchers PositionPlayerTeam P Rico Garcia Kingfish P Andrew Elliot Chinooks P Jake Tuttle Chinooks P Tim Black Mallards P Jacob Waguespack Bombers P Ryan Smoyer Growlers
NWL alumni in MLB MLB players who played in the NWL in 2014 The following is a list of players who appeared in the NWL during the 2014 season, en route to a future appearance/career in MLB. Name 2014 NWL team(s)Paul DeJongWisconsin WoodchucksKevin KaczmarskiWaterloo BucksPete AlonsoMadison MallardsJake NollLakeshore ChinooksMatt BeatyGreen Bay BullfrogsShaun AndersonLakeshore ChinooksJacob WaguespackBattle Creek BombersJosh TaylorSt. Cloud RoxSean PoppenDuluth HuskiesAlex YoungLakeshore ChinooksMatt ThaissMadison MallardsJohn SchreiberKalamazoo GrowlersAJ PukWaterloo BucksRico GarciaKenosha KingfishCaleb BaragarKalamazoo GrowlersSterling SharpMadison MallardsDane DunningWaterloo BucksWill CraigSt. Cloud RoxKa'ai TomWisconsin WoodchucksJacob RobsonThunder Bay Border CatsZach JacksonWisconsin Rapids RaftersSteven WilsonEau Claire ExpressPhoenix SandersWillmar StingersTanner TullyBattle Creek BombersCody SedlockWaterloo BucksCam VieauxLakeshore ChinooksAlex CallEau Claire ExpressNate MondouWisconsin WoodchucksZach MuckenhirnAlexandria Blue AnchorsTaylor KohlweyLa Crosse Loggers, Wisconsin WoodchucksParker DunsheeWisconsin WoodchucksRyan FitzgeraldKenosha KingfishBrian KellerLa Crosse Loggers
Alums with 2014 MLB debuts
The following is a list of NWL alums who made their Major League Baseball debuts in the 2014 MLB season. Name MLB debut Debut team Former NWL team(s) Season(s) in NWLAaron Barrett 3/31NationalsHuskies2008James Jones 4/18MarinersBucks2008Greg Garcia 4/28CardinalsBlue Thunder2008Daniel Robertson 4/29RangersBullfrogs2007Blaine Hardy6/16TigersBorder Cats2008Raffy Lopez9/2CubsBombers, Mallards2007, 2010Xavier Scruggs9/4CardinalsBlue Thunder2007
Awards and highlights
NWL alums selected the 2014 MLB All-Star Game:
Pat Neshek (Wisconsin Woodchucks, 2000) Chris Sale (La Crosse Loggers, 2008) Max Scherzer (La Crosse Loggers, 2004) Jordan Zimmermann (Eau Claire Express, 2006)
NWL alums who were members of the World Series-winning San Francisco Giants:
Brandon Crawford (Mankato MoonDogs, 2005)
See also 2014 Major League Baseball season
References