Daily Notes: Best Performances of the Northwoods League

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of the Daily Notes.

1. Best Performances of the Northwoods League
2. Today’s MLB.TV Free Game
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

Best Performances of the Northwoods League
Introduction
Last week in the Notes, the author published a pair of final leaderboards for, and produced some superfiecial notes regarding, the Cape Cod League — i.e. the nation’s most prestigious collegiate wood-bat summer league. The present edition of the Notes represents a very similar exercise — except, in this case, for what is generally regarded as the second-most prestigious/competitive wood-bat summer league, the Northwoods League.

Based in the Upper Midwest, the Northwoods League often features the next summer’s Cape League participants. By way of illustration, one finds that two of the top hitters in the Cape League by the author’s likely flawed methodology — Wichita State’s Casey Gillaspie and Virginia’s Derek Fisher — played last season in the Northwoods League. Other graduates of the League include: Brandon Crawford (2005), Curtis Granderson (2001), Chris Sale (2008), Max Scherzer (2004), and Jordan Zimmermann (2006).

Below are the final SCOUT leaderboards for this year’s top Northwoods League hitters and pitchers — and notes concerning same. (All data courtesy Pointstreak.)

SCOUT Leaderboard: Northwoods League Hitters
Here’s the final SCOUT batting leaderboard for all Northwoods League hitters. SCOUT+ combines regressed home-run, walk, and strikeout rates in a FIP-like equation to produce a result not unlike wRC+, where 100 is league average and above 100 is above average. Note that xHR%, xBB%, and xK% stand for expected home run, walk, and strikeout rate, respectively.

Player	Team	Pos	PA	HR	BB	K	xHR%	xBB%	xK%	SCOUT+
John Twichell	MAN	IF	199	17	30	46	6.2%	15.1%	23.1%	159
Michael Katz	LAC	1B	233	18	23	52	6.3%	9.9%	22.3%	147
Donnie Dewees	WRP	OF	262	12	23	23	4.2%	8.8%	8.8%	145
Jackson Slaid	WRP	C	278	13	33	46	4.4%	11.9%	16.5%	142
Mike Fitzgerald	MAD	C	192	6	32	25	2.5%	16.4%	13.0%	140
Michael Suchy	WIL	OF	287	11	38	45	3.7%	13.2%	15.7%	139
Chesny Young	WAT	IF	296	2	60	24	0.7%	20.3%	8.1%	139
Dylan Becker	TB	2B	325	8	45	30	2.5%	13.8%	9.2%	139
Ryan Krill	LAK	1B	264	7	41	38	2.5%	15.5%	14.4%	134
Mike Papi	LAK	1B	169	2	36	24	1.3%	19.6%	14.2%	133

SCOUT Leaderboard: Northwoods League Starters
Below is the final SCOUT pitching leaderboard for all Northwoods League pitchers who made at least half their appearances as a starter. SCOUT- combines regressed strikeout and walk rates in a kwERA-like equation to produce a number not unlike ERA-, where 100 is league average and below 100 is better than average. Note that xK% and xBB% stand for expected strikeout and walk rate, respectively.

Player	Team	G	GS	IP	TBF	K	BB	xK%	xBB%	SCOUT-
Aaron Rhodes	WAT	11	9	59.1	247	74	18	29.9%	9.1%	66
Colin Poche	WIL	13	8	51.2	219	59	16	27.0%	9.3%	74
Steven Brault	WIL	2	2	12.2	45	21	2	26.6%	10.2%	77
David Stagg	BC	9	8	46.1	197	52	18	26.4%	10.1%	77
Cameron Giannini	MAN	10	8	52.1	218	55	16	25.2%	9.3%	78
Paul Voelker	EC	13	7	55.0	241	60	24	24.9%	10.4%	82
Keegan Yuhl	BC	7	7	37.0	156	38	12	24.4%	9.8%	82
Cam Verbeke	MAD	15	8	57.0	239	57	20	23.8%	10.7%	83
Matt Ditman	WIS	8	8	44.0	194	43	6	22.2%	8.0%	83
Nick Dolsky	ROC	9	7	40.1	177	44	19	24.8%	10.7%	83

Notes
• Entirely absent from the offensive leaderboard for the Northwoods League published a month ago, Mankato’s John Michael Twichell now appears atop that very same leaderboard at season’s end. A junior at UT-Arlington this past collegiate season after transferring from New Mexico, the first baseman* hit only two home runs, while posting a 22:40 walk-to-strikeout ratio in ca 190 plate appearances — a distinctly less impressive line than that produced by Twichell this summer, one which included 17 home runs in just under 200 plate appearances.

• Wisconsin and University of North Florida outfielder Donnie Dewees is the only freshman included here among the league’s offensive leaders, recording 12 home runs and a 23:23 walk-to-strikeout ratio in ca 260 plate appearances. As well, Dewees appeared to have made the majority of his defensive starts — or, at least, the three most recent defensive starts the author bothered to consult — in center field. In his first year with North Florida this season, Dewees posted a 28:21 walk ratio while hitting five home runs in 213 at-bats.

• Just as he did at approximately the midway point of the Northwoods League season, University of Florida freshman Aaron Rhodes finishes atop the Northwoods League pitching leaderboard at the end of the season, as well, recording a 42:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 37.1 innings for Waterloo. A teammate of Rhodes’ actually commented on that midseason edition of the leaderboards, writing:

I played for Waterloo a bit this summer. Aaron Rhodes threw side-arm at school but really he is best as a low-3/4s guy with a TREMENDOUSLY fast arm. I mean he will sit in the 93-95 mph range in relief with filthy movement. If you’re looking for a sleeper in the 2014 draft, this guy has to be on your short-list.

*Or it would appear, at least, from how he was deployed by Mankato.

Today’s MLB.TV Free Game
San Francisco at Colorado | 20:40 ET
Barry Zito (120.0 IP, 127 xFIP-, -0.3) faces Juan Nicasio (126.0 IP, 116 xFIP-, 1.6 WAR). Nolan Arenado Status Update: 420 PA, 4.8% BB, 13.3% K, .264/.301/.411 (.288 BABIP), 81 wRC+, 2.5 WAR.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: San Francisco Radio or Television.

Today’s Complete Schedule
Here’s the complete schedule for all of today’s games, with our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for each one. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and RotoWire. The average NERD Game Score for today is 4.8.

Note: the following table is entirely sortable.

Away		SP	Tm.	Gm.	Tm.	SP		Home	Time
J. Hellickson	TB	4	10	5	8	2	KC	Jeremy Guthrie	14:10
Mike Leake	CIN	4	3	4	3	5	STL	Tyler Lyons	19:05
Phil Hughes	NYA	5	3	6	6	9	TOR	R.A. Dickey	19:07
A.J. Griffin	OAK	5	7	7	7	10	DET	Anibal Sanchez	19:08
Cliff Lee	PHI	9	0	7	7	6	NYN	Zack Wheeler	19:10
B. Oberholtzer	HOU	4	4	3	1	3	CHA	Andre Rienzo	20:10
Barry Zito	SF	1	4	3	7	3	COL	Juan Nicasio	20:40
Tyson Ross	SD	7	6	6	3	6	AZ	B. McCarthy	21:40
Jake Arrieta	CHN	2	5	4	3	5	LAN	Zack Greinke	22:10
Travis Blackley*	TEX	4	3	3	4	2	SEA	Joe Saunders	22:10

To learn how Pitcher and Team NERD Scores are calculated, click here.
To learn how Game NERD Scores are calculated, click here.
* = Fewer than 20 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.